Gargamel: Middle Land (improv)

[Gargamel]

This is an improvisation of mine.  Please if you have any suggests, I would like to know.  Thanks you for listening.


ta ta... Gargamel

[Derek]

Hi Gargamel, I really like your improvisation! Its very dark and atmospheric

2:12:  nice contrast! you're going along very dark and atmospheric and then a big major chord!
2:51 has a nice rising chromatic voice in the left hand, I liked this
-Late in minute 3 there are some nice low chord passages...I really like this sort of stuff.
minute 5 has a lot of really great chords in it...nice

I notice you use almost constant pedal. In the context of this particular improvisation, it sounds great---this sort of slow, atmospheric playing lends itself well to sostenuto playing.

A very good thing about your playing is your harmonic adventurousness.

Suggestions for your playing in general (many of these I should follow more often, myself actually)
- try recording some improvisations with less pedal (or rhythmic use of the pedal perhaps), and greater variety of tempo.

-when you practice improvising try to play a passage, and then remember most of what you played so you can devleop it further. This gives the listener's ear thematic material to latch onto.

-build your vocabulary of techniques by learning some scales and arpeggios (for example). Make up repeatable, memorizable patterns in these, and they will eventually become a flexible part of your vocabulary.

Hope that helps!

out of curiosity are you a fan of metal?

[ted]

I like the first section best. The sort of music where very simple means are used to express something complicated attracts me. Your use of insistent alternating notes is effective in this context. Improvisation does not need flurries of notes to be interesting. In fact, that way can easily lead to mechanical note-spinning while the mind does nothing. Unless the mood calls for it, perhaps use the pedal a little more sparingly.

[Derek]

Gargamel: what sort of piano do you use? I really like its tone!