A strange bird

[furtwaengler]

Here is 160 kbps:
https://www.mediafire.com/?ezdbhenryio

Below is 80 kbps.

Digging through tapes, I've been finding documents from my youth. This, do to the knowledge of a subtle quoting of a piece I was performing at the time must be dated around  2000 or 2001. I have read many comments of people regretting who they were at certain times of there life, for which they have writings and recordings. I think it is a sad but easy thing to despise one's own youth, though it happens to all of us in some form because we all make mistakes.

But this...this is not that. This is pure joy for me, and you can hear the joy and the sense of discover of a truly happy time. It was not a happy time in my life per say...I was finding out a lot of problems I didn't know existed, and I did not know I had...but what spans the 32+ minutes of this tape is truly a happy time. I am including the entire recording of side A...who knows how long it went after and what realms were explored? Well this is what we have, and I love that it exists.

Interspersed with the craziness of the experiments I'd do for fun, exploring the possibilities of the Clavinova and the Roland hook up's sounds (see "Concert for an imaginary orchestra: https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=36430.0 ), is some of the most beautiful moments of my youthful improvisations. Also there is a surprise guest who has the time of his life from the outset...true happiness.

(For more of a back story, I had a cat name Perky...well I named him Percules when I was 8 years old, and he went by "Perky." *Everyone* would say his name when he appeared on the seen. He also had a unique and civil relationship with another pet he knew was off limits, and this pet had a strange love and fascination with Perky, which the cat just tolerated without problem. He was a good cat, lived 19 years.)

Enjoy!

Dave

[ted]

I am surprised no one has commented on this as the section from about 12:30 to 24:00 (approximately) is most interesting in its improvisational form. It has similarities with Philip Glass, early Jarrett and certain Indian ragas. The periodic, or more correctly "almost periodic" left hand, coupled with the insistent blue note lend it a "strange attraction" (mathematical pun intended) which is hard to explain considering its apparent simplicity. Perhaps there is just something universally appealing about a series of short transitions no matter what actual notes are played (within reason). The mind constantly looks ahead, wondering where the next turn in the road will lead. If the cells are too regular and predictable or the changes too random, interest is lost either way. There is a magic middle ground with this sort of thing - like watching a chaotic pendulum.

I think this improvisational form might be well worth a revisit on your part using the hindsight of maturity;  not necessarily with the same musical content of course, just the form.  

[furtwaengler]

Thanks for the kind and insightful comments, Ted. I'm wondering if others actually didn't make it as far as you in the recording, for there is a lot of strange happenings. There is, like in many other improvisations, quite a play on the octatonic scale, a mainstay in my language for years. And there are certain established themes within this scale I'd often play with during that time in varies forms, but basically if the scale is C, D-flat, E-flat, E, etc. than on the bed of a C major chord I'd often play a theme on B-flat, F-sharp, A, G, E. In the section mentioned, I was slowly piddling with this common theme, oscillating between the "blue notes" warming into the rest. But it's not a consciousness of where I'm going as much as being lost in a certain frame. These tapes are still interesting to me.

Thanks for listening!

[littletune]

I've listened to the whole recording (not just once, but like at least 6 times I think)
I think it's really nice and calming and interessting 
And I really like that bird!! Were the cat and the bird friends?
I think I really want to make someday some compositions for piano and birds or cats or dogs I think it can be really nice together
....and  when I first listened to this I remembered of something I did a year ago... something like a little tune I composed it for a little bird that we found because it fell out of it's nest (but we didn't know where the nest was) and we tried to save the little bird, but then during the night it died   I was really sad and then I composed something on a program I found on the internet (kids composer ) . And I almost forgot about that and now I listened to it and it's funny....  I thought I could maybe post it For that little bird. But I don't know where... I think I should post it in anything but piano (because it's not a piano). But you can't post that there  .... Well I'll think about what to do   Sorry for talking too much  . I really like this

(edit: I just noticed that it looked kinda weird because I just started talking about that little tune that i've made for the little bird... I just wanted to say that this reminded me of that because I put a lot of bird sounds into that tune for the little bird, that's why I started talking about it)

[furtwaengler]

Well littletune, you are very, very nice. I can say that bird certainly thought the cat was his best friend. The cat merely tolerated it all, and to our surprise never thought to attack, even though he was a proud hunter outside in what I'm sure he treated as his kingdom. He'd bring all sorts of little critters to us as "gifts." His proudest moment was probably catching a mocking bird out of the air as it tried to taunt him...I saw it happen and I've never seen anything like it. He'd often go up the tree to the mocking birds chicks in defiance to their torturing taunts...it is nature, but this particular cat had a certain swagger an personality about his God given hunting nature. All of that, and he'd never even thing to touch the cockatiel. He knew it was a pet and treated him as a sibling...and the bird loved the cat. He'd even go so far as to fly down and eat out of the cats bowl as the cat fed! And he'd groom the cat, and the cat would just tolerate it. It was amazing, really. Both the cat and the bird are no longer living. They were great pets, both of them.

Well then, you may use this birdie thread post your little tune if you so please...an elegy for a little bird.   

[littletune]

Thank you!
You really wouldn't mind if I posted my little tune here? well maybe you will mind when you hear it...  well if you will mind then just tell me and I will delete it....
Now I'm embarrassed to post it    
I mean I made this little tune when I knew even less about music as I do now (I mean I didn't have any music theory yet, and now I do).
But I wanted to make something for that little bird.... cause I thought it was sooo sad that it didn't even have any time to live. And I wanted to make at least something so the birdie would know that at least someone remembers and that it's life meant something to someone. So that that little birds life was important too even if it was so short. and that's why I would like to post this elegy for a little bird.... but it's not really sad.... (even tought I was really sad) but I didn't want that birdie to be sad too so made a happy tune I imagined that little bird in a place where it wouldn't be sick and injured and it would be healthy and strong and happy and jumping around and singing and flying.... and so that's why it is a happy little tune
(i think it can also be a little annoying, but it's only half a minute long so..... )
Oh and I named that little bird Jacq......  And I'm sorry Jacq if we did something wrong when we were trying to save you, maybe we should have done something different but we just didn't know....   
so I guess this is a little happy elegy for a little bird Jacq...

[furtwaengler]

This is very sweet and very cute. It is creative and indeed happy. There is even a form to it. An excellent tribute! 

[littletune]

Thank you very very much!! You are really nice!!!