Expressionata

[chopinatic]

The expressionata edited has a reverb plugin, to give a hall effect, however ive not mastered the software so its rather crackly at high pitched or FF playing.

Anyway, just a quick one as i havent posted in a long time, and my fingers are showing signs of carpel tunnel or tendonitis or something like that, so, been alot of resting. Please enjoy and comment, let me know what you think of the piece. Im trying to re-write some improvs into actual pieces based upon improvised themes, so any feedback is appreciated

Nick

[ted]

Your facility in your chosen romantic idiom continues to expand in leaps and bounds. I find this little piece attractive for several reasons, but the main one is how it uses what I have come to term over the years the "principle of two". Broadly speaking, I mean by this that things always seem to sound better if two, and mostly not many more, ideas are contrasted. It is a very abstract precept and seems to apply from forms in the large down to phrase level. It would have been possible, and certainly not unpleasant, for instance, to play the whole improvisation around one only of the sectional qualities you use. But it is so much better when based on judicious contrast. Generally, and I risk simply stating personal opinion here, one idea, perhaps say rhythmic periodicity (almost periodicity is a different matter altogether) is too much of a muchness in improvisation - like Jarrett's ten minute grinds in his earlier concerts. On the other hand, If too many ideas are stirred into the pot at once the result is what less charitable listeners call "noodling" or a "brain dump".

A critical, optimal balance seems to exist and two, perhaps three of anything is about the right number for me. Yes, I know many people like ten minute grinds and brain dumps and good luck to them.

Anyway your piece has this principle of two within it in very many ways, in addition to your usual first class lyricism. It might be a result of your consciously allowing a composition to crystallise over time, but with many years of playing it begins to permeate improvisation at the unconscious level. It took me forty years to get any idea of form. My teacher, the New Zealand composer Llewelyn Jones and his wife were always deprecating my utter lack of it (nicely).

On another tack, treat this injury business immediately and seriously. Take the time to work out when and how it is occurring. Do not allow it to become a habituated response which takes ages to get rid of. I have tolerated things for the very best musical reasons which then took months to eliminate.Slow down, stop, rest, change technique. On no account just try to bullock on through it.

[furtwaengler]

I'm with Ted urging you to take care of those injuries! You are really blossoming in your improvisation, and I'd hate to see physical issues hindering that. I downloaded both the original and edited versions, for which I must prefer the original. Wow! What an explosive and expressive improv this is! It lives up to its name!

[pianowolfi]

That's so beautiful!

I also prefer the first version. There's a lot of hiss in the second one.

I think if you want to edit it in a more compositorial way, I'd suggest to add a sort of slow part to it (which you perhaps have already got somewhere in your recordings), as an intro, and return to that slow part at the end. Or the other way around, to add a slow part in the middle and then return to the agitato.