Jope Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 After I had finished and published my Sol, someone suggested a lunar companion piece would be nice… Oh well. Little nasty bee in the bonnet. Compared to the sun with all its energy and its pure size, what is the moon? Nothing! Just a small ball of stone and sand, dead and cold, borrowing its pale light from the sun… But what is anything as long as we don't realize what it is. From here, from earth that we live on, the moon is about the same size as the sun. The moon moves our seas and our minds. The sun enlightens what can be seen, but the moon has its inner dimension… It is magic. It stands for our dreams, our desire and yearning. All we should have done or said. Oh, while it travels across the sky smoothly, it rouses our soul and brings up all those questions. As the moon reflects the sun's light, we need it for reflection… It wakes up all the confusion and clamor of voices, but it also leaves us… Silent. It doesn't answer our questions. I had to. Again there was my ambition not to use any samples. The only (almost) ready-made sound in this piece is the piano sound of Pianoteq which doesn't use samples either but a physical model that has been built by Modartt - I just tweaked its sound a litlle and sent it through Amp Designer to make it somewhat unreal. Although all sounds are synthetic, they are divided into the ones standing by it and those imitating real instruments - strings, flutes and brass. In the beginning there is a sound that once came into my mind when I viewed a picture of noctilucent clouds - which have nothing to do with the moon, but I decided the sound fits for clouds lit by the moon, too. There are some eerie voices talking to us… Night. Peace. No, not quite - bad memories come to mind, a feeling of tension - and relief. And idle wishes… I guess I can't explain any phrase within this piece, and I don't want to. Funny how such things develop by themselves - this time it was even more so. I felt what I wrote, and I listened and wrote what I felt. Luna is me. I hope you like it. [soundcloud] [/soundcloud] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordi Torres Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Sehr gut Jope, enjoyed it very much! I felt what I wrote, and I listened and wrote what I felt. Yes, it sounds like feelings were involved...the piece transmits them J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jope Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 Sehr gut Jope, enjoyed it very much! I felt what I wrote, and I listened and wrote what I felt. Yes, it sounds like feelings were involved...the piece transmits them J. Thank you so much. Really happy you wrote this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camillo jr Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 That goes to many interesting places... a lot of sturm und drang in there! Nice one, Jope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jope Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 That goes to many interesting places... a lot of sturm und drang in there! Nice one, Jope. Sturm und Drang - thank you. Yes, I think this describes a lot both what is in it and why we need music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Nahmani Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Really nice, Jope. I like how you've made synthesized sounds rather expressive... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jope Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 Really nice, Jope. I like how you've made synthesized sounds rather expressive... Thank you, David. For the orchestral sounds I use NI's FM8 (flutes, harp and brass) and Absynth 5 (strings) exclusively - Logic's synths are good, but for some details needed to fool the ear they are not sufficient (and sometimes produce aliasing artifacts that can't be ignored). But what makes up the main part of expressiveness is the control of dynamics - hyperdraw is my friend (for the strings) and also my good old Yamaha breath controller (for brass and flutes). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeboxterry Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Jope, Very musical and thought provoking. I enjoyed the evolving nature of the piece, and the crystal-like quality of the instrument sounds. Thanks for posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev. Juda Sleaze Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Excellent stuff Jope, I'm glad I suggested it! Of course, now you have the rest of the solar system to do Maybe you'll finish with the Oort cloud a few decades from now? That was really enjoyable to listen to, it really started off bringing a clear image of clouds scudding in front of the moon, then drifting off into reflection and fantasy. Well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camillo jr Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Excellent stuff Jope, I'm glad I suggested it! Of course, now you have the rest of the solar system to do Jope's "The Planets" ? Or go the other direction and maybe do one about that big asteroid that's coming around this Friday..... it's gonna be even closer than the moon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jope Posted February 13, 2013 Author Share Posted February 13, 2013 Jope, Very musical and thought provoking. I enjoyed the evolving nature of the piece, and the crystal-like quality of the instrument sounds. Thanks for posting. Thanks for listening and for your comment, especially the part about the instrument sounds. Since i've listened to Wendy Carlos' Switched-On Bach and viewed the pictures of the Moog Synthesizer when I was three or four years old, synthetic sound design has been an important part of musical creation to me. Excellent stuff Jope, I'm glad I suggested it! Thank you - so am I. Really. The rest of the solar system - Phew! Well, of course this thought has come into my mind, but there is a fundamental problem with that. With introducing the Luna I've made the Sun and the Moon a pair of opposites: Outer and inner world. What does, say, Neptune stand for? And I'm not talking about this astrology stuff. Some planets can be seen by the naked eye if you know what to look for, but they don't have this evident importance to us, do they? So I think all the objects forming "the rest" of our solar system can only be accessories in my context. Hmmm. Hmmm. Yes, something has to follow. Maybe the planets in general, and the stars... Comets... Or: Or go the other direction and maybe do one about that big asteroid that's coming around this Friday..... it's gonna be even closer than the moon. Yup. I am just playing with Ultrabeat's Step Sequencer and have named the project "Asteroids" for fun. No deeper meaning yet, and no intention to give it some. But as an accessory... Maybe. With respect to 2012 DA14, it will be finished too late (if ever), though. Well, thank you all for your thoughts and comments Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nublu Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 Really enjoyed that. Thank you. I liked your introduction to the piece nearly as much as the piece itself. And... I just got back from the moon. It's just like that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jope Posted February 18, 2013 Author Share Posted February 18, 2013 Really enjoyed that. Thank you.I liked your introduction to the piece nearly as much as the piece itself. Thank you, Nublu. Do you mean the verbal introduction? Well, everybody is free to have their own pictures along with the music, and there is plenty music written to the Moon... And everything is true in a way. I tend to explain in detail what and why and how... Always afraid someone might think here's just a confusing conglomerate of notes and noise that doesn't make sense. (That said, it still doesn't make much sense with an introduction if it didn't without. Music is a language that can't be translated into words.) I just got back from the moon. It's just like that! Good - tell me what you found when you're back from Neptune Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nublu Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Yes I meant the written introduction in your Post... As far as Neptune goes.... I haven't been to the planet yet. But I did converse with the Roman Deity in a coffee shop once Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strimmer Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 loved it, the composition itself is superb, the sounds used are lovely, but for me, its the soundscape and fullness of the piece that stands out. great piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jope Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 loved it, the composition itself is superb, the sounds used are lovely, but for me, its the soundscape and fullness of the piece that stands out. great piece. Thanks a lot! To be honest, sometimes I doubt the overall sound is convenient or even sufficient to most people's ears - is the mix alright, does it need some mastering and so on. I do hear the difference to many other pieces that could fit into the same category. On the other hand, what is the category at all? I can't even decide whether I want natural sounds or something else... I want something special in a way - chords are very important to me, harmony, but dissonances and noises as well... Anyway, I'm really happy there are listeners who seem to appreciate what's in it - whatever it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.