03/12/2015 Continuous Resonance Solo Improvisation

Continuous Resonance Solo Project
Date: 03/12/2015
Instrument: Tenor saxophone / piano
Location: Practice Room B at South Whidbey High School (Langley, WA)

Notes:

Today’s improvisation is a continuation of a current theme in my work, which includes a reliance on a very select number of pitches to capture a mood. I recorded this piece between teaching my students this afternoon. I was a in a very melancholic mood and worked to capture this through singing and playing into the reverberant strings of an old upright piano. I used quarter tone fingerings with a three-note motive, and explored the oscillation of my sound in the horn and the piano.

The image Untitled, Hamburg, 2008 accompanying today’s post by Dirk Stewen

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03/08/2015 Continuous Resonance Solo Improvisation

Continuous Resonance Solo Project
Date: 03/08/2015
Instrument: Tenor saxophone
Location: Home studio in Clinton, WA (Whidbey Island)

Notes:

I recorded this improvisation towards the end of a short practice session. During this piece I explored singing a simple melodic framework: 3-5-3-1, alongside an improvised harmonic accompaniment.

The image “Landscape” (2009) accompanying today’s post by David Ratcliff


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03/07/2015 Continuous Resonance Solo Improvisation

Continuous Resonance Solo Project
Date: 03/07/2015
Instrument: Tenor saxophone
Location: Home studio in Clinton, WA (Whidbey Island)

Notes:

This morning I further explored the decay of my practice space. I have 2 remaining weeks to live in this house, and I feel in mourning today to be moving on from my home on the island. This improvisation explores an inner search–a yearning to understand the life changes I am currently facing. The piece focuses on three pitches: Ab, Bb, Eb. They are interpreted freely, as tiny contained units of energy.

The image “Growup” (1955) accompanying today’s post by David Smith.


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03/06/2015 (Continuous Resonance Solo Improvisation)

Neil Welch, Continuous Resonance Project

Date: 03/06/2015

Location: Home studio in Clinton, WA (Whidbey Island)

Instrument: Tenor saxophone

Notes:

This improvisation further documents the decay of my practice space as I prepare to move out of my house. The room is now nearly empty, save for a small desk, a chair, and a half empty bookshelf.

The image accompanying today’s post by Eileen Quinlan.