I recently got this KORG KARMA workstation just right about the end of a relaxing vacation. I then decided to mess around with it once I got home and see what I can do with it. I thought to myself it would be nice to try and write a more or less picturesque description of what went on during that time I spent on vacation.
music performance
Life as a “Single” Guy – Stories Through Musical Improvisation: XVI. “Elevator Jazz” Jam
A good way to spend a break from transcribing music to jam freely to some random backing track found on YouTube. It’s one way to have fun and try to develop/enhance chops.
Life as a “Single” Guy – Stories Through Musical Improvisation: XV. “Esperando” Suite
Waiting can be boring and tiresome, especially when you have to wait for hours. What’s an example of a thing I can do to make good use of time? Improvise a suite of solo piano music on my sister’s piano:
I. While I Wait for You
II. Rain in the Evening
III. While I Continue to Wait for You
IV. Just Messing Around
Life as a “Single” Guy – Stories Through Musical Improvisation: XIV. “A Day at a Music Store”
Being at a music store is a musician’s version of being at a candy store or a playground. You get to see all sorts of instruments, appealing to your GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome), and then (if you’re really friendly with the staff) you get to test all sorts of instruments and jam with them. Here’s one of the many jam sessions I get to enjoy at Lazer Music SM Bicutan with store manager and regular jam buddy Allan Lopez.
Life as a “Single” Guy – Stories Through Musical Improvisation: XII. “Genevieve Dances”
It’s been a while since I posted about my story as a “single” guy, and here’s one part of it.
Before I proceed, you should know the lady that has been for the most part the inspiration behind many of my solo piano improvisations from the past few days is NOT Genevieve. Genevieve is a friend of hers who, upon discovering that yours truly is a composer, issued a sort of challenge for me to write some music based on the name “Genevieve”. So, I went about figuring how to do it. I decided to use the name “Genevieve” as a melodic idea by assigning each letter notes or chromatic scale degrees. I made a diatonic and a chromatic version:
| Letter | Diatonic | Chromatic |
| A | 1 | 0 |
| B | 2 | 1 |
| C | 3 | 2 |
| D | 4 | 3 |
| E | 5 | 4 |
| F | 6 | 5 |
| G | 7 | 6 |
| H | 1 | 7 |
| I | 2 | 8 |
| J | 3 | 9 |
| K | 4 | 10 |
| L | 5 | 11 |
| M | 6 | 0 |
| N | 7 | 1 |
| O | 1 | 2 |
| P | 2 | 3 |
| Q | 3 | 4 |
| R | 4 | 5 |
| S | 5 | 6 |
| T | 6 | 7 |
| U | 7 | 8 |
| V | 1 | 9 |
| W | 2 | 10 |
| X | 3 | 11 |
| Y | 4 | 0 |
| Z | 5 | 1 |
After coming up with this table, I spelled out “Genevieve” with numbers from both diatonic and chromatic charts to come up with two tone rows:
| G | E | N | E | V | I | E | V | E |
| 7 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 4 |
The top row of numbers is the diatonic version and the bottom row is the chromatic version. I chose the chromatic row as melodic basis for my improvisation. To make things simpler for me, I used a C chromatic scale as a point of reference, and this led me to devise a melody that is based on both Db Major and Db Lydian, and so the melodic theme for “Genevieve” spells out F-Eb-Db-Eb-Ab-G(natural)-Eb-Ab-Eb. To get the mood of the piece right, I asked “Her” about a general overview of who Genevieve was as a person. She said Genevieve was a pretty girl, the heartthrob among her peers who was a ballet dancer. Genevieve was also described as nice but feisty and energetic. This made me decide how to go about the particular rhythms to form the melody and accompaniment for “Genevieve” as you will see in the video of my performance.
Oh, before I go off track, remember Genevieve’s lady friend? Things between us are going rather well. That’s all I can say for now.
Throwback Thursday: Recording BGM for the GuitarZoom Course “Ultimate Metal Concepts for Guitar”
Months ago, I recorded some background music for the splash animation of “Ultimate Metal Concepts for Guitar”, a course by Eric VanLandingham released by GuitarZoom. The above video says it all.
Life as a “Single” Guy – Stories Through Musical Improvisation: XI. “Your Hand Upon Mine” (08/10/2015)
We met one Friday evening after that emotional roller coaster. It was the second time we were talking and spending time face to face, an unforgettable moment. We ate and drank. Our minds met in the most cohesive way. We held each other’s hands for the first time in 18 years. It felt warm, comforting, reassuring, and secure. As midnight approached, it felt so intense that it was as if fireworks lit up the sky. It was the happiest I’ve been in years. How our minds meet and how her hand felt upon mine seem to make perfect sense. What will we make out of this, only time will tell. We were just enjoying that present moment, and in that instance we were very happy.
Life as a “Single” Guy – Stories Through Musical Improvisation: X. “It Ain’t Over” (08/08/2015)
When I thought the door has been closed, it was still open. I gladly entered it. She was still there, the connection was still there, and we’re enjoying the present. I may have felt shattered once but I guess I was able to pick up the pieces so it ain’t over.
Life as a “Single” Guy – Stories Through Musical Improvisation: IX. “A Full Day” (07/31/2015)
Fridays can be filled with so much things to do. You can make the here and the now exciting.
Life as a “Single” Guy – Stories Through Musical Improvisation: VII. “Shattered”
Being heartbroken is sad and difficult to deal with. I gave it everything I had. No matter how hard I tried, it just wasn’t meant to be I suppose:
Now that I’ve expressed it on the piano, time for me to move on. On to the next story at a later date, folks!
