“Our Time”

[Mark Kleinhaut]

This piece was spontaneously performed-improvised-composed, or whatever you want to call it, this early morning in the attic studio here in upstate NY. "Our Time", is my further reflection on that short time which we get to consciously exist here.

[ccroft]

Good one! I detect a bit it of a 20th century European vibe. Excellent organization of musical 'things'.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

Good one! I detect a bit it of a 20th century European vibe. Excellent organization of musical 'things'.

Thank you! I hear that too but I’m a bit at a loss where that comes from. You see, I’ve studied zero classical repertoire and don’t know even one piece. Never studied classical techniques or methods. I rarely ever listen to classical music for that matter though when I do it’s almost overwhelming in its complexities and beauty. My approach is entirely improvisational too, and I couldn’t reproduce this piece if my life depended on it, yet I could play another similar one at least as good or better with no effort. Needless to say I take the path of least resistance

[Jimmy blue note]

Thank you! I hear that too but I’m a bit at a loss where that comes from. You see, I’ve studied zero classical repertoire and don’t know even one piece. Never studied classical techniques or methods. I rarely ever listen to classical music for that matter though when I do it’s almost overwhelming in its complexities and beauty. My approach is entirely improvisational too, and I couldn’t reproduce this piece if my life depended on it, yet I could play another similar one at least as good or better with no effort. Needless to say I take the path of least resistance

Classical guitar has always had a strain running through it that was very integral with the instrument itself. Villa Lobos's preludes are SO idiomatic of the natural characteristics of the guitar that I see them as liberating vehicles in really getting to know the instrument and its strengths. Augustin Barrios Mangore was one of the most important composers of the repertoire, a mainstay in some communities with a huge output, and his compositions, as complicated as they could be, are firmly rooted in the reach and instrumental forms of the guitar itself, and interestingly enough, he was not literate. He played those pieces by his inspired memory and the familiarity of the instrument on an intimate level, and somebody else had to actually write them down into manuscript form. Isaac Albanez is one of the MOST guitaristic composers, yet HE wrote for piano, imitating the sound and feel of the spanish guitar in dedication to Spanish cities, yet what comes to us are guitar transcriptions of piano interpretations of guitar music as a sound (get your head around that).
There is a beautiful and native resonance inherent to the guitar as an instrument. Once you find your own personal net and filter, what transcends the genre is the instrument and the player. That's what I hear here.
Thanks for this Mark

[Mark Kleinhaut]

Classical guitar has always had a strain running through it that was very integral with the instrument itself. Villa Lobos's preludes are SO idiomatic of the natural characteristics of the guitar that I see them as liberating vehicles in really getting to know the instrument and its strengths. Augustin Barrios Mangore was one of the most important composers of the repertoire, a mainstay in some communities with a huge output, and his compositions, as complicated as they could be, are firmly rooted in the reach and instrumental forms of the guitar itself, and interestingly enough, he was not literate. He played those pieces by his inspired memory and the familiarity of the instrument on an intimate level, and somebody else had to actually write them down into manuscript form. Isaac Albanez is one of the MOST guitaristic composers, yet HE wrote for piano, imitating the sound and feel of the spanish guitar in dedication to Spanish cities, yet what comes to us are guitar transcriptions of piano interpretations of guitar music as a sound (get your head around that).
There is a beautiful and native resonance inherent to the guitar as an instrument. Once you find your own personal net and filter, what transcends the genre is the instrument and the player. That's what I hear here.
Thanks for this Mark

thanks for this thoughtful reply. Maybe if I lived in the predigital era there would be more likelihood I’d need to reproduce my pieces from night to night. A wandering minstrel needs their soup and bread to survive, right? Now, I can record instantly and post within minutes to share. It’s documented and done and over with, so every session is a blank slate because no need to duplicate. I think this has its pros and cons- oh well, I am what I am and I is where I is

[ccroft]

Thank you! I hear that too but I’m a bit at a loss where that comes from...

I think you have an open ear and it seeped in. It's all around us in movie scores for EG. It's also influenced some of the jazz people you've heard, though I can't think of a particular guitar player. Carla Bley, Dolphy, and obviously Jarret come to mind. ECM stuff. At our age we've probably heard many hours of it one way or another, even though we may not own the records.

Me: at seventeen I enjoyed the more...um... advanced(?) jazz of the 60's. I got a couple of Stravinsky & Schoenberg records and tried to play along. Actually, I worked hard on trying to fit in with that. In those days I was learning guitar almost entirely by ear, so to me it was just more ear training. And I was attracted to this music for some reason.

Now He Sings, Now He Sobs has some of the same vibe as Our Time in spots. That record was a big influence for me.

Come to think of it, maybe it's mostly piano players who dip their toes in that water? I hope to hear more of this sort of thing from you.

Oh yeah... Mr. Mackillop!

[Mark Kleinhaut]

C

I think you have an open ear and it seeped in. It's all around us in movie scores for EG. It's also influenced some of the jazz people you've heard, though I can't think of a particular guitar player. Carla Bley, Dolphy, and obviously Jarret come to mind. ECM stuff. At our age we've probably heard many hours of it one way or another, even though we may not own the records.

Me: at seventeen I enjoyed the more...um... advanced(?) jazz of the 60's. I got a couple of Stravinsky & Schoenberg records and tried to play along. Actually, I worked hard on trying to fit in with that. In those days I was learning guitar almost entirely by ear, so to me it was just more ear training. And I was attracted to this music for some reason.

Now He Sings, Now He Sobs has some of the same vibe as Our Time in spots. That record was a big influence for me.

Come to think of it, maybe it's mostly piano players who dip their toes in that water? I hope to hear more of this sort of thing from you.

Oh yeah... Mr. Mackillop!

So, you believe in osmosis? Actually, so do I. There’s no other way to explain what’s coming out of my guitar. When I was 17, now that you’ve mentioned it, I was jam buddies and band mates with a guy who since has gone on to be one of the premier classical guitarists of our time. I copied how he held his instrument and who knows what else

[ccroft]

Yeah man, I believe in osmosis. Here's an example. A buddy of mine dreamed a song, developed it a bit and did a demo. (he has a recording biz.) He really thought he had a hit on his hands. I had to point out it was almost exactly something that came out in the 90's. Note for note and even some of the main lyrics. He'd never heard of it, but it was on the radio. I had to send him a youtube to prove it.

It was either osmosis or early onset Alzheimers.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

Yeah man, I believe in osmosis. Here's an example. A buddy of mine dreamed a song, developed it a bit and did a demo. (he has a recording biz.) He really thought he had a hit on his hands. I had to point out it was almost exactly something that came out in the 90's. Note for note and even some of the main lyrics. He'd never heard of it, but it was on the radio. I had to send him a youtube to prove it.

It was either osmosis or early onset Alzheimers.

.

I think you mean reverse osmosis

[ccroft]

You blew my mind :-)

[Jimmy blue note]

.

I think you mean reverse osmosis

Vulcan mind meld.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

Vulcan mind meld.

that’s cheating