Music and Technology in Harmony - All things sound and compositional on the web, from a UK based guitarist, composer and sound designer.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Another new score

Just a quick one today, I have updated my showreel page with a whole host of new compositions and I am uploading the score for the last assignment for my new course. The brief was a piano piece less than a minute...hence the title 00:59.

00:59 Score

I have also included an mp3 of the file at 00:59 mp3 I am not to happy with the sound on this recording, so I am going to do it again, using the Steinway piano in Garritan Personal Orchestra, with some nice ambience, rather that the harsh sounding piano which comes with Sibelius.

Enjoy

Neil

Monday, October 10, 2005

Two posts in one day!

Wow I am on top of my game today!

Well I wanted to post a link to the scores section of my site and the first score I have published. The score can be seen if you have the Scorch plug in installed. If you do, you can see the score and hear it

Perspective I

I should explain....this is an the first score from an experimental series. Why perspective...well I was trying to recreate perspective drawings from school art classes, in music. This first attempt wasn't great, I was trying to make the music dissappear into the distance, using crescendoes etc. As the series carries on, other techniques are used to try to create a perspective piece of art, using musical notes and expressions.

I also have used a similar technique using electronic sounds and mixer settings and will post the results here.

Peace

Neil

Busier and Busier...is it possible?

Yes! But it is fun! Since the last blog entry, just over a week ago, things have gone back to hyperactive again! Just had time to do a quick update to the site, basically with links to more material I have been working on (and some old stuff). Also you can download a couple of tracks from the last Light B4 Sound CD.

The new one is on its way (slowly), it is much more of a concept this time, rather than seperate musical pieces in differing styles, but not a concept album ala 70's prog rock groups! It is a lot more experimental (oh no I hear people groan), but not far out whacky experimental, but more conceptually experimental based on organics of sound and sound design (with some guitar thrown in). What I am really trying to do (as I always have) is create beautiful soundscape which allow the minds eye to create a sonic picture. In the past the music has concentrated more on 'showing off' my talents, as a guitar player, mainly as a demo to get work etc and hopefully sell a few in the process. This time the agenda is fixed, it will certainly be interesting to see what come out.

Things are going really well on the band front, and it is really great to be learning so many new songs. I am really looking forward to getting out and playing them live. I did totally manage to break my amp at the last gig. It is a relatively new amp for me Line 6 Flextone IIIand has had to endure much gigging in the past. But I managed to force the jack connector inside the amp...which meant that major surgery was required. It is a great amp for me, as it has a purpose built footswitch (with built in wahwah) and it basically means I only need to plug it into the amp, plug the guitar in..and I am away...rather than the 10 tons of crap I used to carry about with me....plus it is lighter too (not that much!). But obviously needs to be treated with a bit more care than my beloved marshall amps which can pretty much take anything you throw at them!

I have started in my new offices at the Surrey Research Park, and it is pretty cool up here, and really good to get things focused, just got to those customers coming in now!

And finally my music course! Wow it is awesome, i had the best time last week. It is everything I wished my masters was...but it wasn't. Talking, discussion, listening...amazing! I can't wait until tomorrow and the next class. This weeks assignment was to write a one minute piano piece. I have just discovered that Sibelius allows you to post the scores on line, so I will...probably later on, and then post a link.

Peace

Neil