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Aching and Pining for Epochs

Topics: music, composition, jazz

2022-09-11

I awaken from slumber thinking about Jazz Standards and analyzing their chord progressions with reference to their melodies. I've spent a good amount of time doing such things, though not in a while. When I was writing much of *Jēmaraz*, I was highly influenced my my studies of different Jazz Standards. Since then, I've drifted into a modal territory that is wholly my own. It's time to take a step back and see how my new methods line up with studies of Jazz Standards. So I'll put some time aside to go through a few of them now and again.

On the other simpering face of my personal block of sod*, I have contrasting ideas about how to proceed with the forthcoming so-called *electronic album*. Apart from the three and a third pieces that are more or less written, I'm going to try something I've been aching and pining to try for at least a few epochs or a few hours. It is thus: Every progression is a series of chromatic dyads. They are all be descending. The time between each is brief in the context of both geologic and insectile age. These dyads form a part of four or five note chords that encompass the harmonic movement. During composition, the dyadic notes most likely fall on the outer edges of where I move my hands along the neck of Henderson or Uruqi. They are the (if open strings are not used in the middle) upper and lower notes of a chord. For now, the kind of chords are not defined. Let's call the notes that are not of the dyads, and therefore in the middle of where I move my hands along the neck of Henderson or Uruqi, *melodic peculiarities*. These *melodic peculiarities*, as the name implies, supply a melodic dimension to the composition.

The harmonic idea is stated. I shall try to stick with it for the remainder of the pieces on the album. The composed three and a third, apart from *The Fen*, may benefit from mild adjusting partially into such dyadic chromaticism.

Molecules swarm about my face, like geologic insects. I bat them away.

Unique timbre in the electronic realm forms an aspect of each composition. Let's try to focus on one *particular* aspect of timbre for each composition. The first that I envision is made up wholly of hits from low pass gates. Is that limiting? No, because the rhythm, speed and placement of these hits create an infinity of textures. I begin with static harmony as the textures evolve, then suddenly lurch into *dyadic chromaticism*. The listener, imprisoned in a two square meter cube (one has to give one's prisoner room to stretch itself, of course - I'm not a *monster*), is enveloped in texture and gently descending harmony. This captive will forget completely about being a captive as bliss becomes the only constant.

Following this "model", each *electronic* composition, apart from the actual notes and timbres, writes itself. Funny how that works, eh? I sit on the aforementioned *simpering block of sod*, which has solidified into an edifice, and I laugh and laugh.

tzifur (Martenblog home)

jenju (Thurk.Org home)

@flavigula@sonomu.club

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