Episode 43 Keeping Up the Pace

Episode 43

Things get off to a bit of a rocky start, with the first two pieces not quite locking in. But I finally find something in the third piece (which starts about 13 minutes in). The fourth piece is my favorite, with a nice groove and shimmering chords, built around an initial harmonic figure that I love to reuse. The fifth piece has a cool groove to it, but the format is a bit hard to lock down progression wise, and this is one I’d be tempted to edit at a future date so that the transitions happen sooner and more concisely. The final piece is a fun one, with a nice lively groove and some cool arco parts with a nice bass line. I think things get gradually better over the course of the session, although that’s much easier to do when things get off to a shaky start!

Episode 41

This episode comes from the Youtube stream on September 5 2023. Things get off to a mellow start, with a thoughtful and meandering pizzicato loop, which allows for some arco expansion and contraction, venturing into the melancholy at times. The second piece grows even more melancholy than the first, thanks to some long arco loops that make a bit of a drowsy bed to things. This is followed by a much more driving piece, with a baseline that moves things forward in a space operatic way. The fourth piece has the halting rhythm i’ve used before but really gets going towards the end with some nice flowing layers. Things continue in a halting fashion for the fifth piece. With the 6th piece I need an ‘ambient reset’ as I’ve come to call it, self sampling and working less about progression and just trying to capture different textures. The last piece takes a bit to get going, but I really like the rhythmic arco layers that build up and drive the piece forward.

Episode 39 Playing Catch up

This episode comes from the youtube stream on August 29 2023, things start off pretty mellow, with a meandering exploration. To be honest when I first started listening back to the second piece I wasn’t sure where it was going, or if it would ever get there. The piece isn’t without its missteps, but I find a lot more interesting sounds than I was expecting, once the staccato loops are laid and the middle eastern sounding line is introduced things find something of a form. I decided to spare the listeners the somewhat painful search for the chords in the third piece and begin when I finally find a pattern I like, whilst still stumbling a bit to find what works. One interesting thing about doing these streams and podcasts is how much more clearly I can see the stark difference in my on and off days. Some days things just seem to materialize with ease and others it’s a much more laborious process. At the same time however it’s encouraging to see that I can eventually overcome initial hiccups by sticking with it and allowing the wrong notes to fall away leaving the core of what works. This third piece is one such example, and fittingly it ends up sounding like some sort of witchy concoction of disparate elements. Things get smoother in the 4th piece, with a more uplifting piece as is the 5th, which continues in a very similar pace and tone. The 6th piece stands out as my favorite from the stream, as I find a nice almost reggae like uplifting groove towards the middle.

Episode 37 We call that Jazz

The first piece takes a little while to develop, but becomes a nice expansive piece with some nice contemplative elements to it. The next piece I find in the revised second half, after redoing some of the chords I find a more natural feeling groove. The next piece ventures into some ambient spaces, with some wayward explorations. The fourth piece has a bit more of a lively start, but is in a key that is a bit harder for me to naturally land on the right note it seems. I try again in the fifth song to do the same progression with a different tempo to see if that helps, but it’s still a tossup which one has fewer wrong notes. As someone in the comments tried to reassure me - ‘we call that jazz’

Episode 35 Summer Rain

This episode comes from the live Youtube stream on August 15 2023. If you’d like to get all episodes and some advanced EP’s, please consider supporting me directly by becoming a bandcamp subscriber. Things get started with a lively piece built around a rapid pull off riff, that gets built on and echoed with the bow, and builds into something that reminds me of a summer rain. The next piece starts off in a familiar way, but takes on a nice driving rhythm, that feels like an extension of the first piece. With the third piece I build things from a glitchier percussion sound, which works well with the sub bass effect to create a sweeping after-the-storm reckoning, with all it’s technological re-integration. Things get a little bit darker and more determined in the next piece, with some nice marching rhythmic sections, which help to build into a more epic and resolute piece, which may have also resulted from catching part of the Magnificent Seven on tv the night before. Things get more contemplative and brooding in the following piece, with smaller thoughtful figures and a back and forth feel, a bit like weighing a decision. The final piece has a hopeful and wandering sound to its arpeggiation which is a nice sentiment to end on.

Episode 33 Up and Airy

This episode comes from the youtube stream on August 8, 2023. Things get off to a nice atmospheric start, with some sweeping pizzicato lines that shift and sway. It’s fun to find an arpeggio that works over the chord changes, and build from there. Things get dreamier and dreamier towards the end. The next piece develops slowly out of a murky ether. Sort of like a ship emerging from a dense fog. The weather changes a couple times through this piece, and the ship eventually emerges to a sea sparkling with sunlight, but there’s a storm on the horizon. The next piece develops into a nice airy piece, thanks to the pulsing reverb effect throughout. This is followed by a bit of a running rhythm, with a bouncing bassline, that stretches and expands.

Episode 31 Farmhouse Summer

This episode comes from the stream on August 1 2023. The summer has been so hot, this piece kind of has a bouncy summer feel to it. The heavy bowed layers kind of add to the headiness of things, but then things open up nicely in the second half with an even bouncier/reflective pizzicato section. After the boisterousness of the first piece, the second one starts out a bit more hesitantly, but then evolves into a more self assured piece, with some nice arco bits towards the end. The third piece gets off to a much weirder start using some fun effects, but then comes together in a much more familiar place once the arpeggiated chords start. I think the effected sound provides a nice contrast, and results in a digital hoe-down canon, or maybe an electric farmhouse jam. The fourth piece has a very nice laid back to feel thanks to the little lick at the end of each chord, and i like the fun simplicity of this one. Something that’s been happening a bit more lately is that I’ve started to second guess the initial chord progression I come up with, feeling like it’s too simple or similar, which when I listen back is a bit of a source of consternation, and moving forward I’m going to try to stick with my first instinct. This really isn’t an exercise in coming up with some mind blowing new chord format, really more of an attempt at just capturing textures and textural feelings. As a result there are a lot of repeated sounds, but it’s more about the subtle variations and the groove.

Episode 29 A to Z

This episode comes from the Youtube stream on July 25th, and follows a string of technical difficulties that I couldn’t seem to shake. What would have been the previous episode clipped to the point where it was unsalvageable, and during this episode everything crashed and I lost the first 20 minutes or so of recording. As a result though i’m a bit more warmed up than normal when the recording starts, so things get off quickly to a nice loop with some little figures that sound like a song from the 80’s to me. Something about the quicker chord changes or the forward moving pace is reminiscent of some of the Arthur Russel/David Byrne stuff I’ve heard, which I’m happy to imitate. The next piece has a happy dreamy quality to it - a very nice person in the chat mentioned that it was his daughter’s 10th birthday the next day and that she’d been born with my music as the soundtrack to her birth! I felt very honored and inspired by this wonderful bit of news. The third piece has a bit more of a grandiose sweeping quality, i think thanks to the weight of the bass, it’s also reminiscent of something I’ve done before. This one is followed by a bit of a sleepy lullaby type of piece. Finally a short rendition of a piece originally composed on the stream called Kickin Rocks, which is still unreleased.

Episode 27 Frisson

This episode comes from the twitch stream on July 13, 2023. To access all episodes please consider subscribing on my bandcamp page, where all episodes are available in high quality downloadable format. For this stream I was able to sort out most of the technical difficulties this time, although I didn’t start recording until I’d started the first piece already, so we jump in as the loop is already going. Things are nice and hopeful and light right off the bat, with a bouncy yet driving little pizzicato loop. Things get nice and full with some bowed loops, and I think I cut things off at just the right point, when I was out of ideas and before it got too messy. The next piece has a nice contemplative feel to it. Still driving, but darker and more inquisitive sounding. Once the arco parts are played down and the bass comes in it really sounds like some sort of mission that needs to be accomplished. The nice one has a nice linear progression to a swinging fullness. I like throwing the high whistling effect in when things are really full to be able to make the melody stand out. I like the little doubled chord progression that develops, which is very mellow and wandering, and not without an occasional misplaced note. Things get a bit jazzier in the next piece, with a more blue sound. Someone in the chat commented that the piece gave them the sensation of frisson, which I then pursued further in the next piece with some harmonic looping, which I always feel has a more ethereal quality.

Episode 25 Eight Minutos

This episode comes from the Twitch stream on July 6 2023. The idea behind this stream was to limit myself to (relatively) shorter jams, with a target length of 8-9 minutes, instead of the more usual 12 minutes. The first piece takes a little while to get going, but I like where it gets to in terms of fullness and the bowed parts. The second piece gets to a nice place texturally pretty quickly, with a very mellow and pulsing echoey flow to things that allows for some fun improvised noodling. Next there’s a bit of a computer-y element to things, like the sound of things processing, which develops into something more contemplative and emotionally explorative. Things get much more lively at about the halfway mark, with a nice uptempo piece that feels very dance-y. I often feel the need to do a little reset with a more ambient sound after a cohesive upbeat piece like this, but I like how this next one evolves through a couple of different parts. Then things get a bit more straight forward and waltzy and contemplative, short and sweet, as is the next piece. I really like the final piece, and think it could be reworked into something more fleshed out and cinematic. The bass works well and I like the longer arco themes.

Episode 23 Running Away

Episode 23 Running Away

This episode comes from the twitch stream on June 22, 2023. I deliberately decided to start things off a bit slower in this stream, trying to get back to the mellow cello namesake. I really like how things start here, with a very laid back vibe. It’s easier to noodle around with the bow when things are more sparse and relaxed like this, as it doesn’t feel like a lot of layers are necessary. When I add in the bass of course a little more laying feels right.

I keep things mellow in the second piece as well, with a nice progression that has a call and answer aspect. I think the simple arco layers work to add some depth to things, and provide a nice bed for some soloing. I kind of tried to imagine this as a more vocal song and use the cello how vocals might sound, as this progression reminded me of some kind of ballad. Things pickup a bit in the third piece, with a bit more of a stomping rhythm, and a more blue grassy progression to go along with it. I like the bowed riff that goes along with things, kind of adds a dramatic action feeling to things, pushing things forward.

As usually at about the half way point it’s time to try something more ethereal, which involves an airy looped bow part over a spacier rhythm. Things start off a bit dreamy and then coalesce into a more coherent piece that has some nice textural twists and turns. I like when I’m able to build up some initial loop textures, take these away and build new ones, and then build up new ones yet again and take away the previous ones.

The next piece is built up with the idea of escaping something or running away from something, which I think the slightly tense sounding initial loop is able to help accomplish. I played the piece after telling the story of when Kathryn and I tried to camp in a very remote site in bear country in Idaho and encountered a mother moose and baby upon entering our site.

I end things with a more laid back piece with arco layers that breathe a bit.

Episode 21 Meta Cello

Things get started off with a fun driving beat that develops into a bowed line that feels like it’s racing ahead to me, on its way to somewhere. I’m starting to feel like I’m almost as comfortable rhythmically with the bow as I am pizzicato, which is a goal I’m striving toward. The bow is always going to be slightly less rhythmic just because of the nature of the attack, but I like feeling like it’s close. Things slow down a bit in the second piece, but still keep a driving forward sensibility. I like the melodic theme I find here, there’s a lyrical aspect to the little bowed figures. The third piece keeps up the quicker pace, and I find a chord progression that I’ve done before, but with a new twist, which seems to often be the case, especially at the end with the layered lyrical arco figures. For the fourth piece I was inspired by Mark Summers, who’s piece Julie-O was one of the earliest pieces that really opened my eyes to alternative possibilities with the cello. I think I’d like to develop this piece a bit more and try to have another section, as it’s hard to keep this fast pace throughout without some sort of break in the action as a bit of a respite to the sound, but I think it sounds cool as a short little jaunt. We return to the driving forward feeling of things, with a cool rhythmic piece. It takes me a little while to find an arco line that works, but I eventually get there more or less. Things get a little darker, but I kind of like when I can slightly transform a darker sounding piece with little spots of brightness here and there. I think the final piece actually has some nice finality to it, so to speak.

Episode 19 Dark Bowings

This episode comes from the Twitch stream on June 8th after I was away on a break, and I can hear myself getting back into the swing of things when I listen back. Things start off with a piece that develops into a bit of a jaunty theme, built around a bouncy pizzicato loop. The second piece is a bit more contemplative and downtempo. I think things started to come together for the fourth piece where I developed a bit of a darker sounding groove. I used my bow a bit more than usual throughout this stream/episode, mostly to try to practice regaining control of it, as that tends to be the first thing that goes after a break away from playing/practicing. I kept things going with the bow through the end, building up a lot of rhythmic arco layers for the final piece. I think the different staccato textures allow this piece to continue driving forward and provides a nice bed for the faster paced melodic runs.

Episode 17 Cellohmm

Episode 17 is a throwback episode that comes from the twitch stream on February 24 2023. Episode 16 is a subscriber exclusive which you can find on my bandcamp subscription page. I start things off all arco, which is rare for me. I usually prefer to do things pizzicato to start with to give things a rhythmic base, but I think I should do more of this type of thing. There’s something a bit more cinematic about a driving bowed rhythm, but it’s more difficult to keep the conviction going I think with an all arco loop. Listening back there are times I wish big drums could come in, but I think there’s still something that works about the starkness. I like the shift that happens about 11 minutes in, where things open up a bit. After this I play The Voyage Home from Momotaro. The third piece takes a little while to get going, but I like the vibe when things start to come together. It’s an upbeat piece with some nice moments. The 4th piece at about 33 minutes in is a bit more frenetic and has some nice opportunities for a more brooding feel. Finally I end things with a Reversing from the album Reversal.

Episode 15 Cello GPT

Episode 15 is a throwback episode from the Twitch stream on March 28 2023. Episode 14 is a subscriber exlusive episode available only on my bandcamp subscription page. Things take a little while to coalesce, but I really like the chord progression that develops, simple as it may be. The percussion plays a big part in the feel of this one, with a nice little shuffling drive to keep things moving forward. The second piece takes on a more brooding tone, with a slightly darker sound to things when the bowed layers get going. I change the chord pattern halfway through keeping the same percussion to brighten things up a bit, which is something I haven’t done in a while, but I like hearing it (at least when I can get it to work). The riff I land is something that has come up several times in other jams, and is something that I just like to use now and then. Third is a rendition of Kickin Rocks, which devolves into a bit of a deconstruction of the piece. After this is a sort variation of my song Watersong, and finally Toki Doki.

Episode 13 On the Mend

This 13th episode comes from the youtube stream on May 16 2023. Episodes 11 and 12 are subscriber exclusive episodes over on my bandcamp subscription page. Things start off kind of contemplative, as I build things around a nice delay effect I found. I like the way the delay effect kind of creates a shape for me to explore, almost like a colorful tunnel I’m moving through and I can explore in different directions and decorate the walls as I move through the space. I always feel like it’s nice to explore the higher end first, which feels like the ceiling, and then to find the foundation in the lower notes. I continued this idea in the second piece, building on a delay effect again. This piece feels more like skating on a river though, less 3 dimensional somehow. Maybe it’s the slight iciness of the delayed repeating effect. When things get going halfway through and more color comes in I like to imagine myself skating down a frozen river under the aurora borealis. The third piece is built around the sort of shimmering drone effect and percussion loop. The strumming beat kind of lends itself to an almost reggae sound here. And I think the progression has a light vibe, which I felt suited the high pitched whistling effect. The next piece is more ambient and wandering, eventually filling out. The final piece has some more flow to to it, and I like some of the arco figures here.

Episode 10 One time at Bandcamp

This podcast comes from the Youtube stream from May 2, 2023 and it’s the 10th episode of the podcast! With this episode I’ve launched my bandcamp subscription page, where you can subscribe and support me directly, and get early access to ad free episodes, individual song downloads and more.

Things start off to a nice relaxed pace with a slightly swinging shuffling pace to things, with an almost waltz like feel to things. The second piece expands on some of the themes from the first jam, which I find is often the case with these sessions. I like the bowed figure in the third piece that starts to develop, which I think adds a bit of cinematic drama. After this is an instrumental rendition of Traveling Light. Then it’s New Groove, from the Sushi Tapes EP, which was first composed on an earlier stream. The next piece has a bit of a nice forward drive to it, and I like the legato layers that give it a kind of meandering river feel. Things get a bit dance-y feeling with a nice bouncy pizzicato riff with some fun arco harmonies over top. The final piece takes a little while to develop, but I really like the melody that finally develops. It’s funny to listen back to it how I can hear hints of the final melody start to trickle in and I keep wanting it to land, and thankfully I think it finally does.

Episode 9 Nineties Feel

This twitch stream from Thursday April 27th 2023 started off with a nice mellow vibe, reminiscent of some of the jammier bands I used to listen to in the 90’s. I’m not sure what it is that gives things a 90’s sound to me, maybe it’s a feeling of optimism I associate with the time, or the lighter sort of dancey sound to the notes, but maybe it could just be the emergence of Spring that’s putting me in that mood. Things get a little more contemplative and moody with the second piece, which takes a little bit longer to coalesce, but I think there were some nice melodic moments here and there. About halfway in I start to develop a simple descending theme that I try to develop over different progressions. I think I almost get there with it, kind of creating a 50’s dreamy bop sound like a Chad and Jeremy song or something along those lines, or hints of it anyway. I ended things with a song that I’ve developed over the course of streaming and will eventually release as a standalone song that’s called “Regular Sick.” Thank you so much for listening!

Episode 8 Quicksteppin’

Things started off to a quicker pace in this Youtube stream from Tuesday April 25, 2023, with a couple of fun little uptempo pieces. So much of the feeling of a piece is dictated by the percussion loop, and I just like to wing it and see what comes from trying out the first thing that comes to mind. The second piece is much jazzier, partially inspired by what I was listening to earlier in the day - my recent discovery of incredible jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby and her album Afro-Harping. For the third jam I kind of brought it back to a 90’s kind of feel, ending with more of a roots rock type of all hands riff. A couple of meandering pieces half way through, I think I almost got where I was trying to go with the 5th piece, sometimes It’s hard to truly arrive when you’re searching in the dark for a resolution to things. At 44 minutes is Midnight Bloom from Conclusion, followed by the Voyage Home. I finished things up with a piece that was originally written for a soundtrack, but has evolved over the course of streaming to a newer version that I will eventually release as a standalone song called Bamboo 2.

Episode 7 Cello Godzilla

This episode comes from the twitch stream on Thursday April 20, 2023. I had just been messing around making some AI art, specifically images of Godzilla playing cello over his most recent destruction of a city in Japan. This imagery, as silly as it may seem was the inspiration for the first couple of pieces, which have a bit of a sad destructive tone to them. Things lighten up quite a bit for the third jam at around 18 minutes in, with a nice little riff that grows out of a strange delay effect I found and ending up with a fun whistle effect I also have, and am always careful to use sparingly. After that was a little Toki Doki. Around 45 minutes in I kind of hit on an interesting darker and heavier theme, more in the vein of the destruction of a city by a giant monster. I land on some cool ideas I think, not without some occasional wrong notes, but they kind of add to the ambience of doom in a strange way. Then a more mellow meandering piece followed finally by Dreams.

A little AI art I created of Cello Godzilla using the second piece from the stream