nakulanb Posted September 12, 2019 Report Share Posted September 12, 2019 (edited) I have had the recent revelation that I am a New Age Artist. The genre is known for it's tranquil sounds and peaceful feelings. I've narrowed down which old works I want to keep, and found a vision for the future. I am more aware of my technical ability and boundaries than ever, and am composing at that level. My technical abilities aren't for those that like to be dazzled by fast scales, but if you enjoy a strong melodic hook, please do listen. I felt the need to create a new thread on this similar topic because I am having a fresh start to my musical journey. You can listen to my youtube channel if you'd like, it's linked below. Thank you, Nakulan https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyUv3y1LKuZfwbOgBiV30dA/videos Edited September 12, 2019 by nakulanb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterSwig Posted September 12, 2019 Report Share Posted September 12, 2019 I think your music is too melodic for such a slow bpm. Most people will have trouble retaining the melody over such a long period of time. Consider how Enya has great new age melodies and uses a much faster bpm to make them stick in the listener's mind. I listened to your songs at 2X speed and some of the melodies were catchy. nakulanb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrictlyLogical Posted September 12, 2019 Report Share Posted September 12, 2019 (edited) Suzanne Ciani is an accomplished new age artist... who is quite a piano composer as well. Interestingly though... "new age" is not so new anymore... Hope she inspires! Edited September 12, 2019 by StrictlyLogical nakulanb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakulanb Posted September 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2019 55 minutes ago, StrictlyLogical said: Suzanne Ciani is an accomplished new age artist... who is quite a piano composer as well. Interestingly though... "new age" is not so new anymore... Hope she inspires! Very nice indeed, thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakulanb Posted September 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2019 1 hour ago, MisterSwig said: I think your music is too melodic for such a slow bpm. Most people will have trouble retaining the melody over such a long period of time. Consider how Enya has great new age melodies and uses a much faster bpm to make them stick in the listener's mind. I listened to your songs at 2X speed and some of the melodies were catchy. That's an interesting take. I do like playing rather slow so it becomes more meditative, though, but I appreciate your comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakulanb Posted September 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2019 And thanks to the both of you for listening! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakulanb Posted September 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2019 (edited) A new work: "Popcorn" Edited September 17, 2019 by nakulanb dream_weaver 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakulanb Posted September 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2019 Thank you for listening and liking Dream_Weaver, I'm happy you enjoyed the rather eccentric piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakulanb Posted September 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2019 A new work: "Cherry Blossoms" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakulanb Posted September 20, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dream_weaver Posted September 20, 2019 Report Share Posted September 20, 2019 The melodies flow well, but the accompaniment becomes 'predictable'. For the key of C, your left is going C E G C G E C E G C G E C, shift to F or G as a complement key and the left is going F A C F C A F, or G B D G D B G. It was changed up in Cherry Blossoms, albeit only the structure of the chord, Yet it stayed the same from C to F to G. C E G E, back to your starting C or F A C A, . . . or G B D B. . . . The accompaniment should follow the melody, not distract from the melody by drawing attention to itself . . . Carmel Popcorn was more eclectic in this regard, relative to these last two. nakulanb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakulanb Posted September 20, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, dream_weaver said: The melodies flow well, but the accompaniment becomes 'predictable'. For the key of C, your left is going C E G C G E C E G C G E C, shift to F or G as a complement key and the left is going F A C F C A F, or G B D G D B G. It was changed up in Cherry Blossoms, albeit only the structure of the chord, Yet it stayed the same from C to F to G. C E G E, back to your starting C or F A C A, . . . or G B D B. . . . The accompaniment should follow the melody, not distract from the melody by drawing attention to itself . . . Carmel Popcorn was more eclectic in this regard, relative to these last two. Yes, I agree Caramel Popcorn is the most interesting piece on my page. I thank you for your thought out assessment of my pieces, however, my target audience is the elderly in nursing homes, so more of my songs will be predictable and in line with Blossoms and Cake. Everyone's take is different. I played both Popcorn and Cake for my mom today, and she preferred Cake by far and said it's one of my best. Edited September 20, 2019 by nakulanb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dream_weaver Posted September 21, 2019 Report Share Posted September 21, 2019 2 hours ago, nakulanb said: Everyone's take is different. 😊 Touche'. I have heard, on good authority, an individual's take is heavily influenced by their sense of life. I'm sure, by now, your mom knows what she prefers. nakulanb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakulanb Posted September 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2019 (edited) "Tangled Webs" Edited September 28, 2019 by nakulanb dream_weaver 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakulanb Posted September 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2019 I thought you might like this one Dream_Weaver. It's less predictable all around, which you have indicated as being a value to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dream_weaver Posted September 28, 2019 Report Share Posted September 28, 2019 (edited) There are different types of predictability. We do, after all, live in a causal universe. Your "Tangled Webs" melody had a stanza that repeated while the harmony played off it nicely with 3 or 4 chord changes. Are you familiar with Parker changes? It is an identifiable pattern intended to support or background jazz improve by basically repeating it. Spoiler Music draws from the same set of notes. As repetitive as those notes may be, it is aspects like which particular notes, in what particular order, and in what durations, etc., that the fact that the same set of notes are being over and over fades into the background. Edited September 28, 2019 by dream_weaver nakulanb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakulanb Posted September 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2019 I know the stanza you speak of, it is what I would call the part B section. I'm only familiar with those chord changes by ear and having heard lots of Jazz. I can understand what you are saying though! Do you compose and/or play, you seem to know a lot about music! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dream_weaver Posted September 28, 2019 Report Share Posted September 28, 2019 (edited) In order to play trombone in the band at elementary school, a year of piano lessons were set by my folks as a prerequisite. That turned into about 5 years of lessons along with some music theory. Apart from short ditty's like these: Spoiler there are many songs that can played from memory. In the key of B flat, if the melody is known, it can be harmonized with more or less on the fly. Without a particular melody, some of my playing is more of a rambling, than a composition. Listening to an informative classical music station helps as well. Here's a variation on Mozart's "Ah! Vous Dirai-Je, Maman". Spoiler Edited September 28, 2019 by dream_weaver Added Mozart variation. nakulanb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakulanb Posted September 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2019 I didn't realize I was watching videos of you. For the Cherry Blossoms and Funnel Cake pieces of mine, I don't understand your critique, could you elucidate it? It doesn't seem like the progression is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakulanb Posted September 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2019 You have very nice tone on the piano. The piece was very much a Blues progression! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dream_weaver Posted September 28, 2019 Report Share Posted September 28, 2019 16 minutes ago, nakulanb said: I didn't realize I was watching videos of you. For the Cherry Blossoms and Funnel Cake pieces of mine, I don't understand your critique, could you elucidate it? It doesn't seem like the progression is right. For Cherry Blossoms and Funnel Cake isolate and focus on just what your left hand is playing. Either do it by mental exercise while listening, or play just the left hand by itself without the right to consider it by itself. Normally, it takes an act of focus on my behalf to isolate the harmony. In those two pieces, it just stood out. Your playing style does not strike me as one who plays by ear. If you play by ear, you may be attenuating to the melody while letting the harmony just fill in. nakulanb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakulanb Posted September 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2019 (edited) Mind you, I took lessons from age 3 to about 16, but studied the Suzuki Method which focuses on training the ear. But I can sight-read, just not stupendously. I do not score out my music, I simply record them, and when I need to re-learn a work, I do it with my ears. Edited September 28, 2019 by nakulanb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakulanb Posted September 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2019 (edited) 10 minutes ago, dream_weaver said: For Cherry Blossoms and Funnel Cake isolate and focus on just what your left hand is playing. Either do it by mental exercise while listening, or play just the left hand by itself without the right to consider it by itself. Normally, it takes an act of focus on my behalf to isolate the harmony. In those two pieces, it just stood out. Your playing style does not strike me as one who plays by ear. If you play by ear, you may be attenuating to the melody while letting the harmony just fill in. Would you just prefer a more interesting harmony on these two works? Edited September 28, 2019 by nakulanb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dream_weaver Posted September 28, 2019 Report Share Posted September 28, 2019 43 minutes ago, nakulanb said: You have very nice tone on the piano. The piece was very much a Blues progression! I spent several days and several hours each day at Guitar Center playing the electronic keyboards, listening to the voices available, and the tactile feel of the action. As to Jazz/Blues, they're both an American phenomenon. Sometimes I forget to differentiate them. Just now, nakulanb said: Would you just prefer a more interesting harmony on these two works? All I can ask to that is "What did you have in mind?" or, "What can you come up with?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakulanb Posted September 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2019 (edited) 7 minutes ago, dream_weaver said: I spent several days and several hours each day at Guitar Center playing the electronic keyboards, listening to the voices available, and the tactile feel of the action. As to Jazz/Blues, they're both an American phenomenon. Sometimes I forget to differentiate them. All I can ask to that is "What did you have in mind?" or, "What can you come up with?" I think I'm done with those two, I'm happy with the way they came out. I was just curious about your critique; I was a bit confused by your post above relating to those two pieces. Some people, as I said, thought they were some of my best. The different criteria we carry, implicitly or explicitly, in assessing various Art work makes all the difference in what we feel about it. Edited September 28, 2019 by nakulanb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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