MacJams.com - Song: I Sail On by TobinMueller

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I Sail On
by TobinMueller

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Guest views: 2797
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Song comments: 47
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Plays: 753
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Submitted on: Apr 05, 2005 - 03:07:17 PM
Last Updated: Dec 18 2007 - 01:16:56 PM

Keywords jazz (426), new age (104), classical (408), neo-classical (25), acoustic (499), piano (648), instrumental (463), Morning Whispers (7), keyboard (54), keyboards (35), Ivory (10), neoclassical (7)

Description This is the second to last song in my solo piano commission in which I am creating a series of mainly New Age/Neo-Classical piano pieces. This one started off as a fantasy on the pentatonic scale, altho you will see I added liberally to the normal 5 note pallet. I was also trying to create a homage to the great Dave Brubeck, utilizing some of his rhythmic and left/right hand techniques. Altho the framework is 3/4, many passages use shifting signatures. As with all the other pieces in this collection, I change keys constantly. (I'm really having fun with this project.)

What is particularly exciting about this piece is that, after hearing my mix draft, Troy asked if I wanted to develop it into a Prog Rock song with him. So we have begin our first collaboration together. I wanted to post this original version so that whatever we come up with has context.

(I originally posted this under classical music, hence the comments mentioning this. I since decided it should be under jazz.)

This is the sixth track of my solo piano CD "Morning Whispers" - available through Simig Media, iTunes and CDBaby.

Lyrics Solo piano instrumental. Please listen in headphones it you can. You can hear all the songs I have completed so far on my Morning Whispers project page.

Hardware Roland A-90ex 88 key controller.
Mac G4.

Software: GB2; Ivory AU - Yamaha Grand setting

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Tom Atwood said 1375 days ago

Wicked Waltz
Masterful technique. This piece swings, too. Excellent
pounding, pulsing, stormy seas. A real showcase for the
Ivory AU - Yamaha Grand setting.

I love the middle section, which I'm guessing is the
expansion of the pentatonic scale (sounds satanic). Full
range of colors, rhythms, full of joy & terror.

Is this only two hands? Incredible stuff, Tobin. It rocks
already, without Troy.

	Tom Atwood said 1375 days ago
	Wicked Waltz p.s. like the artwork, too.

TobinMueller said 1375 days ago

Wicked Waltz
Thanks. I started out with the pentatonic scale section and built backwards to
put in the opening. And then I used swing variations of the opening in the
recapitulation. The dissonant middle section in 3/4 started out as a 2
measure transition and I liked it so much I expand it, twice. I am looking
forward to re-arranging the piece with troy. Already, just hearing the song
with power organs and chorused electric piano makes it into an entirely new
song.

said 1375 days ago

Shifting currents...

Having lived on a 35 ft. sailboat and sailed off the
east coast, I listended to this from a sailor' vantage.
First, this is a beautifully written and performed
piece. Very enjoyable.

Your use of the pentatonic scale nicely sets up and plays out the changing moods on a sailboat
as one cruises. Often peaceful yet with slight
anxious undertones and thoughts as one gazes at
the horizon attempting to interpret the next set of
clouds moving in. The slight dissonance of the
melody line tracks those somewhat contrasting
inward experiences while onboard.

The varying shifts and tempos along with the interplay between the light middle range notes and the lower bass notes highlight in my mind the
changing nature of the wind. Light and breezy
much of the time and then suddenly a heavier rush that baces the senses. Nothing regular for too
long.

Change and shifts are the norm. And that is what
is so appealing about sailing and this piano piece.

Jack

TobinMueller said 1375 days ago

Shifting currents...
Jack, totally cool that you felt all these things. This is what I was going for,
capturing my own moments on a sailboat (on lakes and in the ocean),
imagining my father's while in the Navy, compressing all the feelings of wind
and freedom, trepidation and strain. The pentatonic scale was like a wave,
lasting a few notes longer, ranging a bit higher than anticipated, skipping
over notes with ease. And I always love it when I can play the absolute lowest
and highest note on the keyboard in the same tune. Thanks for all you
impressions, I really appreciate them.

	basil81 said 1375 days ago
	Started out great... ...but just kept getting better, and better, and better. Damned if I know what a pentatonic scale is (I'll look it up in a sec) but this music was so damned intriguing, and it grabbed me by the ears and showed me a whole other side of music. The piano sounds awsome!!! This rocks. a lot!

	aclarke said 1375 days ago
	This is why I wish I could play the piano. Really fantastic piece here- if I had any idea about music composition I would say this was well thought and and extremely well executed.... hmmm... I guess it doesn't take a pro to realize that after all. Very lively and entertaining!

	Mr. S said 1375 days ago
	yo yo, ur really talented on the keys. This was good, but I've certainly heard better from u. Good job. Mr. S

	Peter Greenstone said 1375 days ago
	Dance Very engaging piece, Tobin. It seems like something that would be great for a dance performance. I can hear the conflict and tension and the unfolding of some relationship, all in an intricate dance, a waltz almost at times, sometimes almost a tango, sometimes a knife fight, but always alive. Bravo!

	Mystified said 1375 days ago
	Wow Amazing use of that pentatonic scale! I really like the rhythm shifts as the piece develops. And you make it all sound so effortless... Very nice!

	thetiler said 1375 days ago
	Nice pict with the music too. Your sure have magnificent ideas here. Sounds very advanced Your dissonant cords mix in with the jazzy type rhythm is outstanding. The bass and the higher notes on the piano at the end are just sublime. Thanks for sharing

	said 1375 days ago
	A great listen Dunno about Classical... but a stunning piece. The piano sample is sick! I've been looking for a GOOD piano for a LONG time. Many are good at certain ranges but not the entire length of the keyboard. nice

	_nderscore said 1375 days ago
	okay, just one more.. before i go to bed. gonna be dreaming of ocean spray, rocking waves & rhythmic raindrops. wonderful performance, tobin. can't wait to see what you & troy come up with

	Doadars Uncle said 1375 days ago
	Fun I'm a rhythm freak!

	ksvy913fm said 1375 days ago
	Totally Cool ...As usual

	rjjones1150 said 1374 days ago
	nice. ...dave brubeck eh? certainly a legend to live by. This piece definitly shows off some of his techniques. I'd even suggest more rhythmic differentiation ( use brubeck's subtle 9/8 time signature for some flare?). just some thoughts, im working on blue rondo a la turk now with a piano/percussion ensemble, deffinitly some nice ideas here. good job.

	said 1374 days ago
	Wave theory You are riding a nice wave with this piano soliloquy. Excellent stuff. Compares favorably to the grooves on my old Dave Brubek platter. I can hardly wait to see how Troy messes with it.

	said 1374 days ago
	I can't wait to ruin it! Yeah, it's goona be a lot of fun. Fantastic piece, my favorite of yours.

	Paul_T said 1374 days ago
	I love it I hate you Gosh, Tobin, you make it sound so effortless and fun. I don't think i could ever remember all those parts, let alone play them. I even love the air in between the notes. Wicked!

	Dead End said 1374 days ago
	Wow! Great playing, man. It's scary how good this is. It progresses in such an awesome way. All I can say is wow! Great work, keep jamming!

	said 1374 days ago
	Excellent I love your playing here - energy, wit, sense of style. I don't get a sense of open seas here though, but maybe with a spray bottle of salt water squirted in my face and my fan turned on high ... :)

	SpasmodicMan said 1374 days ago
	Blow me away Yeah, it starts like a clean crisp romp, turns into speed and war, and rides rough and hip waters. Never a placid sea. Your swing kept it fun and your playing, realizing you are making all this up on top of the technically proficient stuff, blows me away in a sail. No grain of salt with this one, a full bottle.

	said 1373 days ago
	Simply an impressive piece of complex music.

Suzanne said 1373 days ago

tripping over the keys/waves
that middle section is awesome. the variations you put this through are wonderful. although most people don't realize you strated this song without the swing aspect, i really like the tripping over the waves feel the swing playing gives. there is a ringing in 2 or 3 of those keys, but it is still way better than the piano in the livingroom! great playing, great writing.

	Del said 1371 days ago
	Tone poem Made me think of the tone poems of ealier composers, capturing an event without using obvious techniques to make it sail (like fog horns and sea shanty themes). Masterful songwriting, man. Or, I guess, when it is music like this, masterful composing.

said 1370 days ago

Modernization of sound
I like the really modern sounding chords here, and the
randomness and lack of a standard chord progession.
This really sounds modern to my ear, and I think that
music like this is not far from becoming more
mainstream. As we have all heard 1 4 5 so much, this
kind of music sounds fresh and very inventive. Great
performance as well.

There is certainly some clipping going on in some of the
first accented piano notes early on in the piece. Really not
easy to completely avoid clipping though as I ceratainly
have my share of clipped sections in my work.

Aslo seems that the piece is heavier on the right side. As
this is just a piano solo, I wonder if that is the way that
you intended it to be, or if it should be equally weighted
on both the left and right channels.

TobinMueller said 1365 days ago

Modernization of sound
Thanks for your observations. I am almost certain that there is no clipping on
this track. I checked it on a couple systems and had Alimar listen, who has
better ears and equipment than I, and he can't detect any clipping either.
There are moments of forte attacks and some thick chords that can create
distortion in certain speakers (for example, my studio monitors sometimes
distort at 400k), but there is none on the track itself. As for the left-right
leveling, since I have constant sinus and eustachian tube troubles due to
allergies, etc., I am not the best at balancing out left-right; but the balance in
this case was determined by the stereo field created in the Ivory AU. Since the
piece is actually played right of center on the piano keyboard (with much
more playing above middle C than below), that could be one explanation.

	Swanny said 1369 days ago
	What can I say Great stuff !!!!

	John Stebbe said 1365 days ago
	A very good track Tobin, sounds great. I like the counterpoint and the parallel harmonies. Your chord choices are often unpredictable, but always tasteful.

	Magritte said 1358 days ago
	Wow... I love how the seeming randomness implies the shifting moods of the sea.

	SopMan99 said 1133 days ago
	Yeah!! Really cool tune!!! I'd love to hear what you're able to do in an jazz improv setting...combo or big band perhaps. Your solo work is no doubt very fine...

	macfreddy said 716 days ago
	different! and great - and very nice playing there...

	michael2 said 619 days ago
	outstanding this is a great piece of music. i would categorize it as jazz, but that's me. sometimes the genre thing can be confusing, this really beautiful whatever you want to call it. i love when the dissonance creeps in, and the little runs are reminiscent of Debussy. truly inspired.

Artist Profile

TobinMueller

Artist Bio I am a professional musician, composer, playwright and director. I lead a charmed life. I'm married to fellow MJer Suzanne and MJer Twonicus is my son. See my Spotlight Interview - Tobin Mueller: Talking With Myself in the Macjams Music Blog. You can ...[more]

Artist Music

Finding No Path

Last Song On Vaudeville (early mix) w/ bbarner

Vortigern's Fortress (EKNM)

Dare To Sing (AUDIOCRACY w/ Tadashi Togawa)

In The Great Dream (Robin Hood)

One Less Child (Robin Hood)

Lay Your Burdens Down (Robin Hood)

Hail To The Sheriff (Robin Hood)

Out Of The Forest (Robin Hood)

Too Many Years (Robin Hood)

Happy Birthday World

Seven Buttons On A Nehru Jacket (w/ Mcboy)

Sitcom Psychedelica (Woodstock after-party)

Puzzle City (AUDIOCRACY)

Emerald Path

Chromatisome Swing (tribute to Oscar Peterson)

Eruption of Previous Life

Caught In The Current (v2) - feat. BBarner & Komrade K

You Can't Touch Me (LSP)

I Wanna Fly (v2)

Lightning Strikes (v2 w/ more organ)

Lightning Strikes (v1)

Bring On The Storm

Hold On (w/ Komrade K)

Door In My Heart (v2)

Be My Love

Walls (Analogapalooza - from Robin Hood)

Sweet Liberty (Analogapalooza - Statue of Liberty dedication)

Pose For You (Analogapalooza - w/ Jessica Flood)

You Make My Heart Skip A Beat

We Are The Ones

Can't Complain (w/ Komrade K)

Speak Truth To Power (w/ twon, Darren Chapmen, Audiocracy)

When The Future Comes (w/ Twon, Alimar, Audiocracy)

To McBoy: 2 Peas in a Chili Pod

A Monk Caught in the Thelonious Sphere

Before There Were Gods

Chaos of the Subconscious

The Gumshoe Wears A Rag

Crazy Story (vers. 2 w/ Thoddi)

What I Was Thinking While You Were Talking (w/ Ziti, Mungo)

I Have Dreamed In Another

I Am Yours (Last Embrace Behind The Wall) w/ Mystified

Caught In The Current (w/ BBarner and Komrade K)

My Heart Still Beats (w/ Thoddi, etc.)

Icarus II (w/ Texasfeel)

House of Cards (...When I Sing)

Dreams III (featuring Woody Mankowski)

Lady of the Lake (w/ Mystified)

Tobin's Sampler

Revolution's Son (v2, w/ dchapman, twon, Alimar, Audiocracy)

When You Left

Revolution's Son (w/ twonicus)

Under A Western Sky

I Sail On (arr: Troy)

A Promise (w/ Woody Mankowski)

Let Me Play (w/ McBoy and BBarner)

I Sail On

Turn The Key

The Waitress (version 2)

What Thou Lovest Well (w/ Packo)

The Waitress

Morning Whispers

River Runs Through Me

Escaping The Fray Zone

Just Above The Ground

Final Words

Pilgrim of the Return

Secret of Life (w/ bbarner)

At Her Window

If I Could Live Long Enough (w/ IVANJS)

Windowshade

Save the Planet

Can't Complain

Dreams II (w/ Emily Rohm)

Borate Zone: Please Eat

Was There Once A Time

Forge A New Life - Part 2

Forge A New Life - Part I

	TobinMueller said 1374 days ago
	Started out great... For the 5-note scale, just think of the black keys. This was based on a whole tone feel, too, where I went up the scale without using half notes: C, D, F#, G#, A#... which also equals 5. But I never stuck with any rules, just played what I thought sounded right.

	TobinMueller said 1375 days ago
	Dance Just another day on board The Macjammer. Yes, I'd love to see this danced! My first commission (30 years ago!) was for a ballet and I have always loved working with dancers. That gives me an idea...

	TobinMueller said 1365 days ago
	Nice pict with the music too. Thanks. I tried to create open lines and dissonant chords, as a contrast, but voiced everything to sound free. I actually started it less jazzy, but it grew more so as I played and replayed. Thanks for the careful listen.

	TobinMueller said 1374 days ago
	nice. The swing of the 3/4 kind of sounded like 9/8. There were sections I just played and didn't know what time signature it was until I had to score it out, letting the line run as long as it seemed it wanted to be. Thanks for your comments.

	TobinMueller said 1374 days ago
	I can't wait to ruin it! It'll be totally fun. I was never thinking of any other sound besides piano when writing this, so everything will be a surprise. Thanks for enjoying the piece so much.

	TobinMueller said 1365 days ago
	Wow! Thanks for noticing how it progresses. I try and write sections that are related to each other yet not actual variations, and I try to never repeat a section exactly, and then combine differing sections in the later part of the song to bring it all together. I love writing complex stuff, the thrill of the challenge, the synthesis of genres. It is very cool that you dig it.

	said 1374 days ago
	Excellent P.S. Former navy myself, but mostly shore duty .... --- Mungo

	TobinMueller said 1365 days ago
	Blow me away Thanks. I really enjoy your descriptive and imaginative comments. You help make the comments section as entertaining as the music.

	TobinMueller said 1365 days ago
	Simply Thanks. I added a lot of complexity to this one. Lots of internal shifts in keys and wonky hand positions to make it all come out. Didn't want to ever get bored while playing this one. Lucky I have a long nose to handle the odd middle C.

	TobinMueller said 1365 days ago
	Tone poem Thanks, Del. I always have stuff in my head, like places and images, and try and hold things in my chest, like emotions and longings, to help get me where I end up going in a piece. I dig the way you seem to know what I'm trying to do with my stuff, whether it is poems or music. Thanks for listening so closely.

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	TobinMueller said 1096 days ago
	A very good track Thanks. I try for that balance between unpredictable and enhanced tasteful entertainment. I appreciate your comments from a master of the jazz style as you are. I never made the transition totally into jazz with this piece (it was originally written with no jazz stylings in mind) and I hope its between genre feel made it more unique.