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  1. #1
    Hi!

    I made solo arrangement of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile". Are those arpeggios in the intro too much? What do you think?

    Cheers, Mikko



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  3. #2

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    Great playing and arrangement Mikko, and the intro works for me

  4. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Peter C
    Great playing and arrangement Mikko, and the intro works for me
    Ok! Thank you Peter!

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  5. #4

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    You remind of Bireli Lagrene...




    Cheers,
    Arnie..

  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by arnie65
    You remind of Bireli Lagrene...




    Cheers,
    Arnie..
    Thank you! Well, I have listened a lot of Bireli's playing and gypsy jazz overrall.

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  7. #6

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    I liked that! I do wonder what your thought on the introduction you played was. I know everyone else loved it, and I have listened to this several times (enjoying each time) but could you give me some idea of your thinking, what purpose the introduction serves you, what you were going for when you played this intro?
    I'm familiar with the piece itself, maybe that's why I don't get the transition so it'd help me appreciate a little about what you hear and feel in the piece you played so beautifully, to know what you're highlighting, or what the introduction is doing for you.
    Sorry if I'm being dense. Who are other players you're inspired by who can help me with some clarity in your approach?
    Thanks for your patience with my question.

  8. #7

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    I like the piece and playing, but share Jimmy's questions about the intro. It's not so much the arpeggios in themselves, but the way you play them (and the rather determined look you take when transitioning to the piece itself). Maybe our questioning comes from the fact it doesn't evoke smiling. Maybe try to play them a bit more freely/lightly, playing with the tempo to make people actually smile?

    If you don't know them, look up the few YT videos of Tony Rice (and Brynn Davies) playing Summertime. He does a comparable intro that works better for me because it breathes and you can actually recognise the theme in it (but it still always makes me wonder where he's going with it all).

  9. #8

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    although beautifully executed I didn't care for the intro as it didn't really seem pertinent to the piece.
    that said you're an excellent player and I've enjoyed many of your posts here.

  10. #9

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    Superb !

    I wish I had half your chops !

  11. #10

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    Creative people sometimes do things just because, like this intro. It may be interesting to know what Mikko was playing before the arpeggios

  12. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by Peter C
    Creative people sometimes do things just because, like this intro. It may be interesting to know what Mikko was playing before the arpeggios
    Exactly, Peter C.
    An intro is as much a reflexion of one's playing as is the body of the piece, the improvisation and the ending.
    Some people use an introduction to acclimate the listeners' ears to the time, tonality or harmony of a piece... old tin pan alley tunes often had a verse that made great introductions. I didn't hear that here so I asked.
    Some people use introductions to establish a feel or a commitment to a certain approach to the improvisation; the feel is the goal, Kurt does this. I didn't hear that here.
    Some people use introductions to set a groove, or a rhythmic motif that sets a unique take and loosens the soil of the sound, so to speak, so a new approach can be introduced when the head is revealed for the first time. There's a nice latin intro to "All or Nothing at All" that many players use these days, and like the now famous Charlie Parker into to ATTYA announces what's about to break from the bandstand. I didn't hear that here.
    Some people write an entire "pre-solo" almost composed composition that is in itself a worthy mate to the tune that follows. I hear this in Keith Jarrett and I hear this in Bill Frisell's live solos. I didn't hear that here.

    I kinda wanted to hear from you Peter C, since you were an enthusiastic thumbs up, what was it about the intro that pulled you in, what do you think that intro does to set the stage for the Charlie Chaplin reading that follows? Do you think an introduction has to be related? I'm honestly asking you because I think a really interesting conversation can happen here.

    I happen to spend a lot of thought about what a reading of a piece is going to be and I happen to chose an intro carefully to act as a transition from silence to the elements that I'll use in playing the head/solo itself. That's just me but I'm curious as to what other people see the function and execution of an introduction is. That's why I asked the OP so carefully what his thought and other influences are/were. I really want to know, for a deeper appreciation.

    Truth be told, the introduction to Smile almost lost me the first time I heard it. It was wonderfully played for sure, but my humble and untrained ear couldn't find the "glue" that held it together and that stuck to me and pulled me in. But that's a shortcoming on my part, I'm not good with lots of notes if I can't find myself in the turbulence.

    I want to know.

  13. #12

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    Mikko you are an excellent player.
    Your question about intro's arpeggio is the same of listeners'.
    So I guess you know the right answer.
    IMHO your La vie en rose outro fits better.

  14. #13

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    I'd like to hear the same exact thing but with a heavier pick.

  15. #14

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    Btw, the intro doesn't suck at all.

    edit: i know what you did there. its good.

  16. #15

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    Jimmy, I work long hours, so in a few words...... What pulled me in first about the intro was the fact that our friend Mikko was playing it, and I always try to listen to what he puts out. I hear a deliberately agitated (or frantic) approach which very soon shows that it wants to settle into something tuneful and defined, but not before going through a little bit of tension/dissonance. The whole works well to my ears, though I understand this is a very individual matter. Thanks for asking and for the excuse to go back and listen to it another couple of times.
    Last edited by Peter C; 03-29-2023 at 04:27 AM.