Misty

[rudjarl]

Thank's for fixing my alto Griff
Now where the devil do I get a full overhaul on the player???

Misty

Posting a sound clip just after Pete has gone bonkers on the Night Train feels a bit scary but hey, I've been messing up far worse things in life than just a lovely piece of music. And there's probably no stop to it either. ))

 

[Chris98]

Hello Rune,

Lovely, I’ve listened to it four times, but the first time didn’t count as I was also eating a rather tasty apple flan thing and my attention might not have been wholly on the music, I hope you won’t think badly of me!

The first part builds with tenderness and your shaping of tone and reserved nature on the attack of the notes works really well. It’s nice when start to explore the higher notes and you tone opens up. It’s like you’re in clear water and can stretch out, your playing sounds more fluid and like you are at ease with it. Forgive me, but I feel in the second half you temporarily loose your focus but then come back in again strongly.

Well played and a real pleasure to listen to, thank you for posting. I wish I were able to do similarly, maybe in a year or two or three or…

Your alto is sounding good, did Griff give you the secret item that prevents the sticking G#?

Nice backing, is that Hal Leonard or Aebersold or your own? Listening again I’d be surprised if it’s an Aebersold, the piano and general mix doesn’t sound like a Aebersold.

Warmest best wishes,

Chris

 

[griff136]

Nice stuff Rune, it was nice meeting you and your vintage Yanni!

 

[JasonC]

Sounds good! I wish I could play a full tune like that

 

[rudjarl]

Hi Chris, thank's for you kind words

Lovely, I've listened to it four times, but the first time didn't count as I was also eating a rather tasty apple flan thing and my attention might not have been wholly on the music, I hope you won't think badly of me!

There is no way this could make me think badly of you. After all, who could successfully compete against a tasty apple flan???

The first part builds with tenderness and your shaping of tone and reserved nature on the attack of the notes works really well. It's nice when start to explore the higher notes and you tone opens up. It's like you're in clear water and can stretch out, your playing sounds more fluid and like you are at ease with it. Forgive me, but I feel in the second half you temporarily loose your focus but then come back in again strongly.

As you suspected, the backing track is from Hal Leonard and that makes it easy to explain your findings. You see, in the first part, when everything is relatively ok, there are dots that indicates a possible solution for how to play. But as you enter the second part, you run out of dots. They are all replaced by bars, indicating that the player should make a nice improvisation. (That's where you were kind enough to call it a lack of consentration, when in fact it's more like a lack of skills.) Luckily the ordeal ends when the bars are replaced by dots again as you enter the third stage.
Conclusion:
Practice scales and licks.... sigh...

Your alto is sounding good, did Griff give you the secret item that prevents the sticking G#?

I expect Griff did some magic tricks with the whole horn. G# is not sticking, the low notes C, B (H) and Bb are easy to play. Pads are closing tightly and I can play it for more than 15 seconds without having to have a lie down because of all the strain.


Hi Griff, it was really enjoyable meeting you too. And seeing your workshop was a real treat.

Nice stuff Rune, it was nice meeting you and your vintage Yanni!

Hi Jason, thank's

Sounds good! I wish I could play a full tune like that

You can. Just a few practice runs and then, off you go

 

[Nicolas Knudde]

Great improvisation

And nice piano work , hahahaha

 

[rudjarl]

Great improvisation

And nice piano work , hahahaha

Hi Nicolas
Indeed. I do believe I did a tremendously fine job at pushing the play button on the backing track ))

 

[stefank]

Good stuff. I'll listen again at home where I have the benefit of better audio than on my work laptop!

 

[rudjarl]

Misty II

Thank you all for you feedback. It is always good (though perhaps boosting an already overinflated ego) to get so many nice words

I thought I'd do some meddling with this tune in between practising scales, licks and long notes. Tweaking it a bit and see if I can get the solo right, and maybe try not to sound like I'm afraid of blowing the horn.

Here is the second version where I also practice some other things I used to be fairly good at: Misty, take 2

 

[Chris98]

Hello Rune,

I’m rather taken with your new rendition of Misty, how lovely to hear your voice.

Envy is a nasty trait in a character, but I do admit to being envious of anyone who can sing, I can not and it’s far too embarrassing to even attempt it unless driving at night, on my own with the windows closed and the music up loud. You have a voice with character and depth and is very enjoyable to listen too.

By the way who’s Sam? He seems to know his way around the alto rather well!

I find it very difficult to comment on improvisation, partly because I am at the earliest stages of it and if I manage to find a sequence of notes that flow together well it is luck, and no question of it being otherwise. But it is also partly because it’s a reflection of the musician’s… what the right word or phrase? ‘soul’ perhaps, and it’s very dependent on whether the listener is in harmony with the player.

I wish I were better at expressing myself on the page, every time I look at what I've written I think 'well that could be taken two ways!' Maybe it's safer just to say 'great' and leave it at that. But here goes, I liked the musically winding path you chose, there is a clear directing creativity behind it and it sounds considered but still free if that makes any sense. I wonder if you are remembering what it was you already knew. I particularly like the series of falls just before you pick the melody up again towards the end. If I might be so bold as to say, I think there is still a slightly reserved feel to the improvisation but less than last time and I have every confidence there will be even less next time.

Oh, and I think you can bring up the level of the sax in the mix just a bit, but that might just be my speakers giving me a false impression.

A really enjoyable song and I'm really looking forward to hearing your next one.

Warmest best wishes,

Chris

 

[rudjarl]

Hi Chris,
thank you for the comments.

Envy is not a nasty trait at all. It's what makes us strive for improvements. (Completely ignoring the fact that envy can make us do nasty things.) But you could not possibly envy my singing. It's as rusty as my sax playing. Barely in key, struggling at the high notes and diaphragm is rubbish. As you probably picked up, I tend to close my throat on the high notes in stead of opening up. That's what makes an unsteady, thin voice. Come to think about it, perhaps it's the same reason I can't do a growl on the sax any more?

By the way who’s Sam?

Have you ever seen Casablanca? 1942, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman? I mean, if a movie ever was jazz, then it would be this one. And just before you are going to turn down a lady in the most elegant way ever, you turn to the pianist and say: take it away, Rune... Or even worse: take it away, rudjarl. You need the rest of the song just to say that. Nope, no can do. I think we better leave it with: take it away, Sam. (Humphrey has spoken!) And of cause Sam would know all about which keys to press when. Only, Sam... ehhh... this Sam... uhhh me needs to 'not skip practising' a whole lot more.

It is no wonder you found the improvisation considered. I had a couple of 'images' in my head, but could not get them out on the sax. So I jotted down the notes in NoteWorthy and moved them round a bit until I was happy with them. Then I altered the melody in the rest. First a little, then a little more... and so on. The whole impro is based around the melody. Not the chords or the key. So it's an improvisation all right, it's just not spontaneous. (It was the first time around, and the less said about that the better). I'm still not happy with all of it, but I'll get there.

I promise you, on the next take, there will be less reserved playing, and a bit more sax in the mix. (Less singing (if any) and more volume on the sax).

Thanks again and happy playing
Rune

 

[stefank]

Good. Compare your first three notes in version one (played) and version two (sung). "Look at me". It's one phrase, both verbally and musically. I think you should play it like you sing it - with regard to the words.

(although I would rather "I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree" had never existed)

Stefan

 

[rudjarl]

(although I would rather "I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree" had never existed)

But that's exactly how I feel ))

 

[stefank]

But that's exactly how I feel ))

It's my whole reason for disliking the tune.