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Time to Talk...or is that write..

08 May 2013 Article
Hills and Valleys in recording music

Ah the sweet hurry up and wait of life...I remember that from my air Force days. Hurry up and wait. Took me eons of hours to prepare the musicians I'd gathers from the Cape Cod Symphony to rehears and record my chamber music. I figured, if they were symphony musicians and I know the symphony to be good, th4 music would come out good....right? Uhhhhhhh.

Maybe some of it will be good. But I probably made every mistake known to music makers everywhere, except in my head. I think I should have been with each group for each rehearsal....even though they were in Boston and I'm near the tip of Cape Cod. I left it up to them, the music was notated pretty clearly, right? They asked and I answered many questions, right? They had their very own shepard woman in the pianist, Roxana who became music director RIIIIIGHT?

I went to rehearsals from 2 pm to 7 pm in Boston just days before the recording was to happen. I have to admit I couldn't hear anyone very well, and nothing much like a  solid, in tune, ontime piece of music. I did my best and so did the musicians. I certainly liked them all, like that would count for much.

And then we had the hall, semi proven oout by the recordist who'ed recorded there before. Heck, the ceilings are so high and without people...why it was a fancy bathroom. So we moved in "under the eves" so to speak. Like els jutting out from the main room, they had lower ceilings and contained the sound much better. So, we were off. Eveything was fine, right? How come noone could play anything all the way through? Everyone did their pieces in sections, which took forever, but I hope, will return something I can use.

Why did the background clairnet, viola and bass all think p meant FF?? And the lead player, the violin, was playing pp? Who would ever think that. I needed to guide each of these ensembles. I thought they could police themselves and or Roxana would do it. Oh, I was sorely dissapointed.I only hope I can accept this piece of music to be OTHER than I envisioned and use it as itself. We'll see (The Royal We) And the bass player was making undistiinguasable florishes...unlike the fabulous ones he's made for me in rehearsal. Thank gawd we have whales and icebergs breaking behind him.

And then there's the solo pieces. Why was I so timid to ask for a do over? I asked for one, the 4 handed one and that do over came out great. Roxana had  something like 14 pieces of music to learn for this project. Some of it was jazz, but it was all written out. Roxana is a master at the sluff...meaning she finds herself in a mistake and slides out almost imperceptively...the word is almost. She seems to be good at the beginnings and endings of my jazz pieces, but sluffs in the middle. It may mean I need to do a little tinkering, maybe it's my fault. In fact,let me go see.



 

Comments

Canary Burton
26 Dec 2013
I don't remember how to add an article or news item. Being 71 doesn't help. It's true, I no longer feel young. I did until, oh about 68...didn't know what the fuss was about. But a huge car accident and mending and more birthdays and I hurt lot, I don't sleep and I'M STILL NOT DONE WITH THESE RECORDINGS HAHAHAHA! Lou Lou & Bird, our first CD of soundpaintings (sound art) is on CDBaby now and Live at the Center, the concert at The Cultural Center of Cape Cod is being passed out by me, by hand. And I wait, for the two classical albums, the jazz and the folk. OH, And I'm still waiting for the organist to send his recording of my tune for inclusion on Bird Notes, the second classical album. I wonder if I'm just going to have to go one without him.....The engineer, Tom Tracy, has another job, he has too in this economy. so that accounts for the incredible slowdown in getting my albums out. But, it's turning out ok, because I wait for coupons from CDBaby, one every three months, that waive the $50 fee.

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