Vershluckbare Kleinteile (#secretalbum no. 1)

Created by Rainer Straschill

Described as the first in the #secretalbum series, this outing by creator Rainer Straschill, Verschluckbare Kleinteile is aimed at audiophiles, with much ear candy in the offing to satisfy those looking for sounds previously unheard. I was privileged enough to receive advance releases of both the regular and full-album audiophile release, which includes all  the tunes in a single lossless 14:38 wav file.

A staggering array of international musicians were enlisted for the project, gathered via #secretalbum hashtag campaigning on the part of Straschill. Some of the names I note immediately, such as Neil Alexander, Chrissie Caulfield, and Alun Vaughan, but it was nice to see some people I hadn't heard at all as well, or at least didn't know I was hearing.

The album is a great little spin. It includes a dazzling array of instruments, from trombone to theramin. The songs are all under two minutes long, pristine and precise, and include many surprises. Headphones are a good thing. There are many moods, and many of them are finding their way on to widely various playlists.

On my Becalmed playlist  Promenade, Verschluckbare Kleinteile, and Halbwegs Leer join a nice sea of ambience for the office. On the Progressive Instr list I've placed Aqua Negra and To Your Dunkles.

Wehgetan has it's own playlist, which has some dance music in the same vein, and Sid's Impeccable Design is played adjacent to the League of Gentlemen quite nicely.

In addition, Chrissie Caulfield on lead fridge on the chilling Bottom Freezer will cool your ambitions. It's  a performance unmatched, and this will truly be the standard performance for the instrument upon which all other performances will be measured.

Great fun was had all around, and the addition of such eclectic material is welcome on this hard-drive. I'm looking forward to the next addition to the #secretalbum series.

Progress 13/05/18

I had most of the toys out last night, crowding our tiny bedroom with musical equipment. I really learned to dislike using the 12' cables that I needed because I'd run out of 6' cables. I had to carefully thread them away from all the power sources and other things. Still, although many professionals would have considered the noise that was still produced negligible, but I'm striving for as good as I can get. When I set up to record, I'll pair it down where I can to just the pieces I need to work with.

Noise problem solved, I programmed the SH-201 synth to use the EV-5 expression pedal. The interface is easy, and after pressing and holding "Cancel", eight options come up, and you simply choose one. It can be assigned so easily that I may be switching modes at will. I bought it for expression, as a volume pedal, but am finding that modulating while playing both keyboards is very nice. Also, it can be switched easily to a sustain, which is always useful.  I still haven't set it to pitch, but I'm sure that's coming.

I set the keys up to play standing up. I found that I wanted to sustain the JV-35 while using the expression pedal. When I wanted to punch-in to my sound on sound on the delay, I wanted to use other pedals at the same time.  How did the pedal dance sneak up on me like that? Crap, I'm as bad as a guitarist now.

I think I'll be playing sitting down.

Fitting the new pieces into the framework is going to take some time. Both the EV-5 and the DD-20 Gigadelay are significant in their impact to my playing style, and I've merely scratched the surface, while opening up new possibilities with the studio at the same time, freeing up other resources and reassigning effects. Even now, new patching ideas are popping into my head quicker than I can record all of them in my strategies notebook. I'm spinning off improvised compositions right and left, most going into the ether as I don't always record.

I got some tracks back from my collaborator Roger Palmeri, and imported them in for a mix. The piece is not yet complete, but Roger's tracks really push it forward. Thanks again Roger! We anticipate our other collaborator's tracks on that short piece, and will wait before making any further compositional decisions. No. It's not done yet. You will have to wait.

Listening Peter Gabriel's Us

Progress 13/05/16

A significant edition to my kit, my pair of pedals arrived. 

I picked up a much needed expression pedal, a Roland EV-5. I'd like to use it on the SH-201, but so far when I connect the pedal, it acts like a sustain pedal, not an expression pedal. I'll need to consult my manuals, but I think I need to configure it with it's old PC. This weekend, I'll have to excavate it from storage. In the meantime I plan on checking it out with the JV-35 and the Studio, both of which have digital readouts and can configure such things by themselves. This could breathe new life into the older beast.

The other pedal is my much coveted Boss DD-20 Gigadelay. This is a powerful delay, and a few hours with it merely scratched the surface of it's capabilities.

I'd been wanting to do some long delay sound on sound work for some time, and the first thing I went for was a simple long delay, infinitely feeding-back standard delay with a delay time of about 17 seconds. I laid down a lead with the SH-201, leaving lots of space, then started some surges, getting into some backing rhythm with the same tone. I was very pleased with this, and punched out to play over it for a while. Then I took the feedback down about halfway so that the effect would begin to decay. It faded so slowly, just like Fripp's God Save the Queen. I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, posted on the internet, and then returned. It was still decaying, softly.

Very satisfying. Tonight I'll play with the JV-35. It has drums and stuff. Maybe I'll have a go at Under Heavy Manners.

I noted, with small satisfaction that I got my wonderful new delay on Mr. Robert Fripp's birthday. I don’t believe in omens, but I find that quite auspicious. Happy Birthday Mr. Fripp! Find his fine blog here: http://www.dgmlive.com/diaries.htm?entry=23527

Now Listening Pink Floyd's Echoes

Progress 13/05/15

I set up the piano last night and started to try to peck out a cover using a clavinet tone as in the original, and like many clavi parts it's simple and repetitive, but is devilish in it's intricacies. I may need to look up the guitar charts to find the key. I doubt anyone has set it to sheet music. Once I've dissected it, I can deconstruct it and rebuild.  I've been humming the lyric for some time now, honing the character. It's a fun song.

When my son came into the room, I lovingly stroked the top of the JV-35 and informed him that, sadly, I would need to replace the old girl, as she was getting a little too dated.

To my surprise, he asked if he could have it. I'd let him play around with my equipment a little, but I had no idea that he wanted to play keys at all. This particular keyboard has no internal recorder, nor does it have an arpeggiator. You actually have to play it or control it externally.

I'll teach him a little five-finger technique and some chords. We can jam together to work on his rhythm. I guess I need another stand for this, another configuration. It will be some time before I can replace her.

Still waiting for pedals. I'll be getting some collaborator tracks back soon as well.

Listening Brian Eno's Another Green World

Progress 13/05/14

I've  been timing my setup and takedown. Well, I remember to time my takedown anyway.

I usually can clear the area in 15 minutes by myself, with care to pack things; so, really, piling them to the side in a live situation would take much less time.

Setup is more problematic, and currently changes with the needs for the day. The choice of instrument, since I typically use only one keyboard at a time due to space constraints, determines the patches. Vocal setups are different, but I usually have a keyboard plugged as well in when I have a mic plugged into the board. Then it's a choice of whether or not to plug the keys mono or stereo, guitar or other effects?

Just a little light piano practice yesterday. Single tier, JV-35, sustain pedal, power, and headphones. Took it down in two minutes.

Listening Robert Fripp's League of Gentlemen

(My old takedown.)

Progress 13/05/09

Since I spent so much time with the JV-35 Tuesday, I decided to work on creating some new voices on the SH-201. I created a great distorted organ tone, and began some more work on whole tone intervals. Math and music can be a good combination.

I worked with a delay of about 2 beats (I didn't look for the actual delay time) and started working with arpeggios in the whole tone scale of F, beginning with B. So the scale I was using was B, C#, D#, F, G, and A. If you use natural thirds in the run, it sounds strange but still sweet. I experimented with many things. Often when I did straight whole-tone interval scales at a nice pace, the delay of it would line up the thirds rather nicely. Working in 6/8 produced some interesting rhythms in the delay, and I tried a few variations.

The tone didn't work as well in the bass ranges, so I switched the tone to monophonic mode and used the mod wheel to play it, attempting subtle accents with vibrato and a slight bend occasionally. Fun. It needs a lot more development to be anything more than a groove, though. I shall return to the tone for Barry Andrews style organy goodness.

Listening King Crimson's The Power to Believe

Progress 13/05/08

Only technical playing work yesterday (practice?). When does practice become playing?

Anyway, I only used the piano and headphones, running through a few of my piano pieces that I'm always working on. I usually set up a nice clean piano tone, using the pedal to sustain.

I've been working on a piece for piano in for a very long time. I started playing it about 1997, working with a piano tone and a big surging sound. Now when I play it, I only use piano, and a different tone. I've put much more detail into the piano performance, and last night a newer arrangement was coming together. Less flash, more substance. It always called for vocals, but I can't currently play with that detail and sing simultaneously. Not the lead vocal that the piece is calling for, anyway.

Another piece has been kicking around for much longer, and, like another piano piece that I noodle through that's just about as old, I can play it in many styles and have fun just mixing it up. They never come out the same way twice. It's usually what I do when I play in front of other people if there's a piano silent and waiting. My old standards?

I've been listening to the King Crimson song Red a lot, and read that it had been composed using whole tone scales. So, with that weighing in my head, I pecked out a few whole tone scales, and attempted a little harmony within the structure. I need to work with these odd approaches more. And I get more esoteric. Not necessarily a bad thing.

So a good night of practice. I guess.

It felt more like playing.

Listening: King Crimson's Red