Simple blues improv

[TheRaider]

That is okay. I am not saying people shouldn't do it.

It is just a very narrow niche market and you just have to accept the majority of people aren't going to wait around. There will always be someone that likes it because we are diverse.

BTW I consider myself to have a wide taste of music and I willing to give anything a listen, I don't think I have a closed mind, but I am opinionated.

[chest]

Originally Posted by venik

I'm still learning. I only started 6 months ago while I've been playing the piano nearly 16 years.

Yes, it was obvious that you were very much at home on the piano.

Originally Posted by venik

I believe its the I and the V that I'm alternating between.

Not if you number them like I do. ....

I just checked - I "put the needle down" in the middle of the YouTube video - referred to my piano in order to name the actual pitches - the predominant chords were E flat major and C minor - ie Chords I & VI in E flat.

Originally Posted by venik

Also should mention this isn't a performance really, it's a practice session that I happened to record.

Perhaps, one day, you should organise the material you were working with into a 3-to-4-min piece - played live, of course - perhaps improvised within a specification that makes sure you play some particular things in a particular order, with the transitions improvised - and post again?

Originally Posted by venik

Well, I needed a video to add on to in order to post it to youtube. So I gathered some pictures that I felt all fit the mood. I feel it gives your mind a place to go where the improv is sub-par. I liked it alot more with the video, and/or a reflecting mind.

Well, I see what you mean, but - if it were my choice and if I wanted people to concentrate on the music and not on the screen - I'd use a single still photograph throughout or perhaps even a simple texture (or just post an audio file instead). I'm not daft enough to think there's anything wrong with combining music and visuals - it's just that (to me) that's an utterly different thing from presenting music on its own - and it seems to me that, when there's something to look at, the music is inclined to take the back seat.

[venik]

Originally Posted by TheRaider

That is okay. I am not saying people shouldn't do it.

It is just a very narrow niche market and you just have to accept the majority of people aren't going to wait around. There will always be someone that likes it because we are diverse.

BTW I consider myself to have a wide taste of music and I willing to give anything a listen, I don't think I have a closed mind, but I am opinionated.

I'm not sure what you mean by "wait around", but I enjoy every second of a good musician's improvisation. I could listen 24/7 if my ears didnt start ringing.

There are a number of composers that are very mainstream who started out their music on improv and/or still improvise today. Off the top of my head I know Minus the Bear used to have atleast 2 of it's members in a band called Sharks Keep Moving, which was an instrumental improv band in like 2000. Daft Punk, and Paul Oakenfold (and just about every true DJ) for example both improv on at their live shows TMK. And you might allready know this, but the 3-4 minute tracks that we know as songs today, started out as demos for improv bands. They would take the best 3-4 minutes of their real songs, which were more like 15 minute quasi-improvised songs, and put them on a track to advertise themselves for concerts/gigs. They would play the real song live though.

Originally Posted by chest

Yes, it was obvious that you were very much at home on the piano.

Thanks, glad such a skeptic thinks so lol

Not if you number them like I do. ....

I just checked - I "put the needle down" in the middle of the YouTube video - referred to my piano in order to name the actual pitches - the predominant chords were E flat major and C minor - ie Chords I & VI in E flat.

Oh I see. Yea, my left hand goes from CGC to EbBbEb alot. It is a terrible habit... that I often go to when I'm focusing on my right hand. I'll def work on that and I agree if you thought that was the most boring part of the piece. I just listened to it again and it sounds pretty bad when I listen for the left hand. I knew it was something I needed to work on, but now I see it's something I *really need to work on. lol. Seems like you have a better taste for the lower notes than me. I need to connesuir myself with that.

Also excuse me, because I thought you said IV, not VI. You make alot more sense now hehe.
Personally I consider the Eb chord you're talking about as a variation of C minor because I am playing in C in the right hand. But then I do go to G in the right hand, which would be the V I mentioned. Also because I don't know the blues scale transposed from Eb . lol.
How much do you know about theory? I don't know much, but I do know Eb major is C minor's relative major (and the C blues scale strongly resembles Cm7). And thus the difference between the two (Cm and Eb) is even more semantic than most other chord comparisons. Also, you might know this already, but the left hand sometimes doesn't play the home key so it's not always as clean cut as looking at a single chord to determine what key that chord is in. Some jazz musicians actually suggest omitting the home key more often than not to avoid repetition feelings. But rather, save it for cadences.

Perhaps, one day, you should organise the material you were working with into a 3-to-4-min piece - played live, of course - perhaps improvised within a specification that makes sure you play some particular things in a particular order, with the transitions improvised - and post again?

Yea I definitely plan on doing so. I actually can't imagine writing a song any other way, it would seem too disconnected for me to project genuine emotion into it. Which obv is a big part in composing! lol.

Well, I see what you mean, but - if it were my choice and if I wanted people to concentrate on the music and not on the screen - I'd use a single still photograph throughout or perhaps even a simple texture (or just post an audio file instead). I'm not daft enough to think there's anything wrong with combining music and visuals - it's just that (to me) that's an utterly different thing from presenting music on its own - and it seems to me that, when there's something to look at, the music is inclined to take the back seat.

Perhaps I'm taking your words too literally, but I don't enjoy "concentrating" on music (or making music designed to be concentrated on). When I listen to music I enjoy the moment and immerse myself in it's reality which are not specific to the music, but can also relate to my emotional, visual, and general imagination. Anything that can trigger that while I listen would be a plus, from reflecting on my day to an interesting visual art piece or video (Blade Runner comes to mind). Sorry I'm so contradicting lol. I really do enjoy hearing your opinion and ideas. It gives good perspective.