New piece in 72-EDO based on the Partch Tonality Diamond

I've posted a new piece on my weblog at http://tinyurl.com/ncnytd

Or you can read about its development and prior versions at http://bumpermusic.blogspot.com. The latest version has a gradual diminuendo by steps.

The piece is scored for flutes, finger piano, balloon drum, percussion board, vibe, marimba, and harp. It has a rather conventional chord change derived from the tonality diamond, but it's not a simple as it might sound. It's another piece on the way down the Hoh River Valley from Mount Olympus to the Pacific Ocean. This one is called Through Western Bog Laurel. Also called swamp laurel, it is found in abundance along the shore of the Hoh River. The berries are attractive, but not safe to eat.

Prent Rodgers

PR,

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "Prent Rodgers" <prentrodgers@...> wrote:
> I've posted a new piece on my weblog at http://tinyurl.com/ncnytd

It seems like a year and a day since I heard a new PR piece. I don't know how you manage to make these incremental advancements, because I know your modus hasn't changed. Nonetheless, the percussive backgrounds on this one sound more natural, and I'm loving all the bendings.

The Prent Rodgers Method of Music Creation:

1. Think
2. Type
3. Coolness comes out

Cheers,
Jon

Excellent as usual, Prent! I like the slides.

I must point out, though, that the cover image embedded in the MP3 misspells the word Valley -- thought you should know.

- Dave

Prent Rodgers wrote:
> I've posted a new piece on my weblog at http://tinyurl.com/ncnytd
> > Or you can read about its development and prior versions at http://bumpermusic.blogspot.com. The latest version has a gradual diminuendo by steps. > > The piece is scored for flutes, finger piano, balloon drum, percussion board, vibe, marimba, and harp. It has a rather conventional chord change derived from the tonality diamond, but it's not a simple as it might sound. It's another piece on the way down the Hoh River Valley from Mount Olympus to the Pacific Ocean. This one is called Through Western Bog Laurel. Also called swamp laurel, it is found in abundance along the shore of the Hoh River. The berries are attractive, but not safe to eat.
> > Prent Rodgers

--
~DaveSeidel = [
http://mysterybear.net,
http://daveseidel.tumblr.com,
http://twitter.com/DaveSeidel
];

Dave,
Thanks for noticing the spelling. The author regrets the error.
Prent
--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Dave Seidel <dave@...> wrote:
>
> Excellent as usual, Prent! I like the slides.
>
> I must point out, though, that the cover image embedded in the MP3
> misspells the word Valley -- thought you should know.
>
> - Dave
>

Hi Prent,

Thanks for sharing. This is apparently track 10 of the
album "The Music of the Hoh River Valley", but previously
I only have tracks 1-6 of this album. Where can we hear
tracks 7-9?

I like the slower tempo by the way.

-Carl

At 03:45 PM 7/24/2009, you wrote:
>I've posted a new piece on my weblog at http://tinyurl.com/ncnytd
>
>Or you can read about its development and prior versions at
>http://bumpermusic.blogspot.com. The latest version has a gradual
>diminuendo by steps.
>
>The piece is scored for flutes, finger piano, balloon drum, percussion
>board, vibe, marimba, and harp. It has a rather conventional chord
>change derived from the tonality diamond, but it's not a simple as it
>might sound. It's another piece on the way down the Hoh River Valley
>from Mount Olympus to the Pacific Ocean. This one is called Through
>Western Bog Laurel. Also called swamp laurel, it is found in abundance
>along the shore of the Hoh River. The berries are attractive, but not
>safe to eat.
>
>Prent Rodgers
>

Carl,
Here are links to 7-9. I'm still working on the rest of the pieces.

7 - Rafting the Middle Fork - http://ripnread.com/listen/slow11-c11.mp3
8 - Slow Dance #2 - http://ripnread.com/listen/slow12-c.mp3
9 - Floating the Lower Hoh - http://ripnread.com/listen/tobiah5.mp3

More information on all these is on my blog http://bumpermusic.blogspot.com where fragments and finished works are posted.

I'm working my way down the valley towards the Pacific every few weeks. The Hoh River Valley is a fun spot in the Northwest for me and my family.

Prent

> Hi Prent,
>
> Thanks for sharing. This is apparently track 10 of the
> album "The Music of the Hoh River Valley", but previously
> I only have tracks 1-6 of this album. Where can we hear
> tracks 7-9?
>

Thanks Prent. Any idea how many there will be in total?

I've always liked your stuff, but I recently found a new
way to enjoy it. I hardly ever listen to music while working
because I get distracted by what it's doing. But lately,
with my desk crammed into the same space with a washer, dryer,
dishwasher and two kids, I've found myself using in-ear
headphones just to cut the din. But what to play? Going
through my library, I found your stuff is the best for working.
There are no lyrics, which is sort of a prerequisite, but also,
the slowly varying contribution of all the parts (algorithmic
dixieland?) sets up a nonboring but nondistracting environment,
while the smooth JI harmony lowers my blood pressure. It's
true with high-limit JI, one almost feels better physically
after listening.

(I don't mean to say that one can't listen more deeply and
enjoy it on that level, too.)

With these amazing (Klipsch) in-ear headphones, I've also
noticed your stuff has become incredibly hi-fi lately.
I guess there's no beating pure Csound there! It's quite
impressive how you've managed to steadily refine the
subtlety of your stuff over many years.

Thanks again,

-Carl

At 09:39 PM 8/4/2009, you wrote:
>Carl,
>Here are links to 7-9. I'm still working on the rest of the pieces.
>
>7 - Rafting the Middle Fork - http://ripnread.com/listen/slow11-c11.mp3
>8 - Slow Dance #2 - http://ripnread.com/listen/slow12-c.mp3
>9 - Floating the Lower Hoh - http://ripnread.com/listen/tobiah5.mp3
>
>More information on all these is on my blog
>http://bumpermusic.blogspot.com where fragments and finished works
>are posted.
>
>I'm working my way down the valley towards the Pacific every few
>weeks. The Hoh River Valley is a fun spot in the Northwest for me and
>my family.
>
>Prent
>
>
>> Hi Prent,
>>
>> Thanks for sharing. This is apparently track 10 of the
>> album "The Music of the Hoh River Valley", but previously
>> I only have tracks 1-6 of this album. Where can we hear
>> tracks 7-9?
>

Prent (and Carl),

I just had to log in to second what Carl wrote. Not only is your music enjoyable on a number of different listening levels, but it truly has been a very gradual and incremental trajectory of quality - it seems each piece just sounds better than the last.

Prent, you've carved out one of the most steadily growing - artistically speaking - micro-niches of pieces ever.

Cheers,
Jon

Carl, Jon,
Thanks for listening! I like to work while listening to ambient pieces by Arvo Part, Brian Eno, and Harold Budd for this reason. And my desk is next to the washer & dryer, too, so that figures it sounds best next to a busy environment.

Prent
--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Carl Lumma <carl@...> wrote:
>
> with my desk crammed into the same space with a washer, dryer,
> dishwasher and two kids, I've found myself using in-ear
> headphones just to cut the din. But what to play? Going
> through my library, I found your stuff is the best for working.