I'm working on something in my head, I've run it by a couple of people and they like the idea but I don't know how to do it, I'll need to research Google.
It's been great (if a little time wasting) going back through this thread from the beginning, it's fired me up for creativity again.

There is an answer to your last post in our mentoring thread Gab

Is this like before? No real deadline until everyone has posted or asked for the next idea?

Thanks for resurrecting this Gab, nice one

Yeah Phil, no real deadline by now. Let's see what happens.

I'm still thinking about my idea, I need to work out how I'm going to do it. Next week hopefully I'll have something, time should be much better then

Nice to have news on this one.

Sorry for the 1970 quality but my interface died on me....

So both my grand folks from my dad side actually live in the floor above and often stay with them when I am working over Summer. So I am still lucky enough to still have them around, although I not going lie. I should probably visit more.

That being said, in this particular workout I tried to focus on my mother side.
I don't quite remember them expect for a few strings of memory. My grandmother had a mental disorder and all I can remember was being afraid of her to the point that I woke up one day next to her and literally cry myself out of panic trying to reach the light switch.

The only memory of my granddad is him being in this swing fixing a little green car toy. He seem sad, tired. But at the same time happy for having me around. Kinda in a limbo. So that's what I went for.



I will probably try to further develop the idea, but for now that's all I have.

This post has been edited by MonkeyDAthos: Apr 14 2017, 12:57 AM

Hey mate, this is beautiful!!

I've read your post while listening to your composition and I could really get into your feelings. I think that those chords, those arpeggios, that combination of note was perfect to what you were thinking when you've composed it. It's awesome how much can be said with instrumental music when we have something to say....

Do you usually compose in this way?

Sorry for the potato quality, since my old laptop and audio interface are in dire need of repair this is all I can pull off at the moment,

Regarding your question. Well it depends, sometimes I try to visualize an image and try to interpret it. Sometimes I have already some kind of musical idea with no particular idea behind it on which I might try and think of a place to fit it (a scene, image, idea..etc), if I am stuck with it.

Once in a blue moon I just tab it out in guitar pro and start to delete/add random notes or mess up with the time. So I might hear something cool that otherwise I couldn't think of. (This method works like 1 in 1000 cases though )

Had a quick go when I got back from my Easter break.

I was trying to create a poignant feeling, I had to learn about how to apply automation but this track hasn't worked out as good as I thought. It was hard to match the volume as I increased the fuzz. I like the idea but in practice, it hasn't materialised.

I was trying to represent the gradual ageing process with the gradual application of distortion, I didn't want the melody to be too lively, as I wanted to represent the later years when they are more frail and can't get around much. Then as the melody (the grandparent) fades out completely, the arpeggio in the background (life itself) carries on.

Part of me wanted to do a track much more lively to show the inner spirit that a lot of old people have but still have the distortion to represent the ageing process..

Anyway, I'd still like to work on it further but we'll see what time allows.
https://soundcloud.com/gmcphil-1/grandparents-am-in-progress

This post has been edited by Phil66: Apr 17 2017, 09:05 PM

That's interesting. Thanks for sharing your approach here. Part of this workout is to learn and get inspiration by other students approaches so please keep on sharing how you get the music that you submit here.




Oh man, the concept is fantastic and the tune is really close. Even with that automation thing that needs adjustment, I think that this tune reflects that feeling that you wanted to give, just with the arpeggio and that melancholic melody that gets dirtier.

I'm totally impressed of how you could go farther with this workout and used technical aspects as a part of the message behind your recording. I remember "The Aristocrats" concert that I could assist in which they used all the elements available to tell a story. Sometimes the result was weird or not very musical, but if you know the story, it really makes sense a a piece of art, which is even better from my point of view. That's the kind of approach that you are experimenting here, but your composition is still musical.

Congrats and thanks for your magic Phil.

WOW Thank you so much Gab, I wasn't expecting that HUGE comment, I am humbled

I don't think I'll have time to polish this one at the moment, got to catch up with Jack White.

I wanted to play the arpeggios using Amin, Dmin and Emin chords (i, iv, v) I tried using barre chords but didn't like the noise when I slid to the next chord, I tried a mix of open and barre but I couldn't get there quickly enough so i selected one.
I was going toplay the melody based on the root of each chord but my changes pervented that.

Thanks again Gab

Very nice. Using only minor chords is a good trick to get this kind of melancholic feel. Have you ever tried combining minor chord but now thinking on a key? Try it, it opens new possibilities for composition.

I don't really understand what you mean mate. I was thinking of A min and a i, iv, v progression. Is that not what you meant? Confused.com

Cheers

That's perfect mate. I was suggesting a new idea, a new approach or experiment to compose. It consists on playing only minor chords, searching for combinations that sound good to your ear, and not thinking on keys or tonalities. Does it make sense?

Ah, I realise now what you meant. You typed "but now thinking of a key" but you meant "but not thinking of a key". I thought you meant I should now start thinking of a key.
I thought you were supposed to stay in key or it would be "wrong"

Cheers

1 letter can change the whole sense of a paragraph... it's incredible how language works...

Yes Gab, and I'm not criticizing you, I just took it at face value, sometimes it's obvious that there is a typo but in that case it wasn't

So is it ok to just play what you feel? I always thought you should stay in key, or at least 90% of the notes should be in key to be "correct".

Cheers buddy.

Ask guys like Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck or Kurt Cobain is it's ok to play what you feel!



Music Connection:
There's an interesting film clip shown at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame of a younger you commenting that he doesn't know anything about music yet. Where are you on that path now?

Jeff Beck:
I don't know anything yet. (laughs) Ignorance is bliss as far as musical terminology and musical theory go. If I don't hear what I want, that's the yardstick by which I measure goodness or suitability. I know when it's wrong, and I am not really bound by any shackles of music. I just go. I really love that. Of course I'd like to know what's going on, but I think by feel is good, sometimes by ear.

Thank you.

I guess maybe those guys have a natural feel for strong notes. I've played stuff and not even realised i was two frets further down the neck than i should have been

This was a hard one as we had to evoke memories and feelings with our playing, much harder than being able to look at a picture for inspiration. Great to get the brain working though.

Cheers

This post has been edited by Phil66: Apr 23 2017, 08:33 AM

Nice words Phil!

I wonder if we have any other GMCers joining this one...

I think maybe some picture challenges would help those that haven't done it before. Might help to get the creative juices flowing.
As I said that last one was tricky, very good, but, tricky.