"excitalking"

Hi All,

I've just uploaded a new piece called "Excitalking Very Much"
which is similar to "Earlight" in that it uses an adaptive
tuning and (roughly) the same sound palatte. It's at:

/makemicromusic/files/sethares/excitalking.mp3

I'm hoping to have a collection of Max patches available in the
not-too-distant future that contains the (bulk of the) programs
used to do this... but I'm finding that making any kind of decent
user interface is tricky...

Anyway, I'd be happy for any comments/critiques/thoughts about the
piece...

-- Bill Sethares

Bill,

{you wrote...}
>I've just uploaded a new piece called "Excitalking Very Much"

Man, you're doing it again! I actually liked this more than Earlight, but that's just me. I think you really nailed the bass line this time around - the sample and phrasing are so much like a 'stand-up' player, I can almost see Christian McBride or Dave Holland playing it live (not to mention the couple of bars of Jan Hammer on Minimoog near the end :).

>I'm hoping to have a collection of Max patches available in the >not-too-distant future that contains the (bulk of the) programs used to >do this... but I'm finding that making any kind of decent user interface >is tricky...

Ah, someday, someday... I'll have time to work with Max. You don't mean Mr. Roach, do you? :)

>Anyway, I'd be happy for any comments/critiques/thoughts about the piece...

Sure - maybe put the drums a little less hot in the mix, and maybe just a teeny bit drier. Right now it sounds like the band is spread out around one of those big vacant ballrooms in the off-season on the Jersey coast.

The other thing: I know you are inventive enough to frame this more as a piece - how about things come to a semi-close at one point, and then a contrasting episode comes in, either a different tempo/rhythmic feel, or a more stark tuning/instrumentation? Then up to you whether you rondo it out, in ABA form, or go somewhere else. Even with the changes in the drum kit voices, the 'death march' of the basic groove undercuts (IMO) the changes going above it.

And what a deliciously greasy clarinet thing you've got happening! This is all so good - man would a double CD from you and Prent Rogers be a cool thing, with his proto-Mariachi/Norteno bands, and you are nearing virtual klezmer-from-Mars.

As always, I'm impressed.

Cheers,
Jon

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "Jonathan M. Szanto"

/makemicromusic/topicId_5617.html#5620

<JSZANTO@A...> wrote:
> Bill,
>
> {you wrote...}
> >I've just uploaded a new piece called "Excitalking Very Much"
>
> Man, you're doing it again! I actually liked this more than
Earlight, but
> that's just me. I think you really nailed the bass line this time
around -
> the sample and phrasing are so much like a 'stand-up' player, I can
almost
> see Christian McBride or Dave Holland playing it live (not to
mention the
> couple of bars of Jan Hammer on Minimoog near the end :).
>
> >I'm hoping to have a collection of Max patches available in the
> >not-too-distant future that contains the (bulk of the) programs
used to
> >do this... but I'm finding that making any kind of decent user
interface
> >is tricky...
>
> Ah, someday, someday... I'll have time to work with Max. You don't
mean Mr.
> Roach, do you? :)
>
> >Anyway, I'd be happy for any comments/critiques/thoughts about the
piece...
>
> Sure - maybe put the drums a little less hot in the mix, and maybe
just a
> teeny bit drier. Right now it sounds like the band is spread out
around one
> of those big vacant ballrooms in the off-season on the Jersey coast.
>
> The other thing: I know you are inventive enough to frame this more
as a
> piece - how about things come to a semi-close at one point, and
then a
> contrasting episode comes in, either a different tempo/rhythmic
feel, or a
> more stark tuning/instrumentation? Then up to you whether you rondo
it out,
> in ABA form, or go somewhere else. Even with the changes in the
drum kit
> voices, the 'death march' of the basic groove undercuts (IMO) the
changes
> going above it.
>
> And what a deliciously greasy clarinet thing you've got happening!
This is
> all so good - man would a double CD from you and Prent Rogers be a
cool
> thing, with his proto-Mariachi/Norteno bands, and you are nearing
virtual
> klezmer-from-Mars.
>
> As always, I'm impressed.
>
> Cheers,
> Jon

***I second Jon's comments. It almost comes off as a series of jazz
*solos...* It might be nice to have it more *polyphonic* in parts...
layering so that there is more contrast and structure. (I know this
might "muck up" the sophisticated tuning paradigm, but that can't be
always forefront...)

J. Pehrson