Implications

A concise instrumental fantasy.

This started with a personal challenge to eschew percussion and write for mostly traditional instruments. (I would love to record this with real woodwinds instead of samples at some point.)

• play
• pause
• min volume
• max volume

posted by mubba (3 comments total)

I like the oboe's lead throughout the first part. You've done a good job of giving it a quasi-improvisatory feel, and I was impressed by the vibrato, which is pretty lifelike (true of the flute, too). I found it a little peculiar that it simply gives over its lead role and doesn't ever return in that role, even to comment a little bit, later on. The flute takes on that role, but its sound blends in with the rest of the ensemble a lot more, rather than cutting through. The overall texture is nice, plush and deep, but not thick or heavy at all. The very end sounds quite unresolved and (to my ear) a little premature. I was still expecting a bit more there.
posted by Wolfdog at 1:24 PM on July 14, 2011

You are correct, Wolfdog — the ending is about as dissonant and abrupt as I could manage while making the progression leading to it seem natural. It actually makes me laugh, but I understand if the jokey aspect doesn't come through. (Same thing with the unfulfilled promise of the romantic oboe theme.)

I could definitely see revisiting this material in a non-irrational context. My favorite is the pseudo-counterpoint part in the middle (1:12), which would be fun to hear that brought back in the more bluesy style that comes in towards the end.
posted by mubba at 7:13 PM on July 14, 2011

I kind of forgot about the "irrational" thing and it only clicked when I noticed the tags long after listening. I used to have an idealized concept of music developing endlessly, ever-changing and never-repeating but with everything seeming to flow naturally from what came before it. In the end, though, it never seemed too satisfying to me - I couldn't write up to that ideal, and I've never really found any great pieces that embody it, either. Endings are a big part of the problem.
posted by Wolfdog at 9:49 AM on July 15, 2011