Episode 51: Ambient Jazz House

This week the effort was a straight through composition. I wanted to break some patterns and try some new things. So I started writing this episode with experimentation in mind. One of the things I played around with was time signature changes. It starts in 4/4 then moves to 5/4 then to 2/4 before finally ending back in the comfortable 4/4 timing. I also went through some key changes, but that is not a new thing for me. 

Another thing that was experimental about this week, the entire episode is written as a a whole piece. So there are some chordal progressions which get repeated throughout as a motif. These were transcribed to fit the key changes. I did not change their timing when they were reapplied in the time change areas, because I wanted the broader and slow moving aspects of this motif to be retained.

There are symphonic type voice changes for the motif and other themes. By this, I mean that Ione synth or texture channel will carry that for a bit and then it shifts to another texture channel. Finally, because my trumpet chops need work, and playing is the best way to do this, I put a solo trumpet into the mix. Naturally, this is me, so the trumpet gets an effects chain of its own to make it slide into the textures and tones of the electronic music. 

One of the areas I really struggle with lately, is with my drum patterns. I could utilize some standard loops which come with Lopic Pro X but I want to write music from top to bottom. So, trying to create grooves with the e-drum kit take some work. There are places where I programmed the beats and there are places where I played the beats on the kit. I am confident as I progress with this podcast project that these will become more groove based and much tastier. 

Ultimately, I feel like this episode is a broad success. It gives the very ambient electronic vibe with strong elements of jazz improvisation. It does not venture too deeply into more hardcore electronic music and I feel like it will be a pleasure to listen to this on a drive home from work or whilst soaking in the tub. 

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