tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326339.post2201479999027735467..comments2023-10-21T07:14:37.880-07:00Comments on Jazz: The Music of Unemployment: Madness for textureAndrew Durkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471871547839907538noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326339.post-27751152977981214602010-09-01T21:59:11.028-07:002010-09-01T21:59:11.028-07:00In part I think of texture as a synonym for "...In part I think of texture as a synonym for "timbre," or "color." And in part I think of it in the way you describe, as the "sound" of a piece -- maybe, in a way, the gestalt of a piece, the overall impression it makes as it hits your ear. Maybe too it has to do with the sort of attention a listener brings to bear with a particular type of listening -- listening for an experience of overall enjoyment, as opposed to listening analytically. And of course the material aspects of the performance -- recording medium and playback equipment (if it's a recording), the acoustic characteristics of the venue (if it's a live performance) -- are all part of texture in this sense too. All this, to me, is the residue of the piece, the way the piece is realized, and it can be distinguished from the underlying compositional concept or concepts. <br /><br />So, for instance, if I perform "Frere Jacques" on a flute, and then perform it in a very dense arrangement for an orchestra, those are instances of two very different musical textures (in both senses of the term). And yet there is something that links them, that makes me realize them as both instances of the same underlying idea, or concept, or basic "Frere Jacques-ness." <br /><br />In my own work, the sort of writing I shoot for (I'm not saying that I always achieve it) is something that could survive the translation from big to small (e.g., big band to solo piano, or maybe piano four hands). This is because I happen to think that one of the pitfalls of writing for big band is getting caught up in the pyrotechnics that are suddenly available in that format, even when you don't have a particularly compelling idea to express. I'm always worried about the quality of my own ideas.<br /><br />And in that last quote, I meant "sound" as in "worth listening to," or "solid." I wish I had been clever enough to deliberately insert it as a pun!<br /><br />Thanks for your comments.Andrew Durkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11471871547839907538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326339.post-73002161820830443992010-09-01T16:47:14.063-07:002010-09-01T16:47:14.063-07:00you were speaking of textures layered on top of th...you were speaking of textures layered on top of the idea. what exactly are these "textures?" are these the auditory bits you mean? <br /><br />when i'm talking about music--the music part;)--i tend to use "the sound" to describe the big circular thing that contains everything else, i.e. harmony, timbre, texture, tempo, instruments, etc. i'm aware that sound can be a species of texture but in what context? "In music, texture is the way the melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic materials are combined in a composition (Benward & Saker 2003, 131), thus determining the overall quality of sound of a piece." <br /><br />you explain that you consider a successful tune one that can survive a translation. exactly, what kind of translation? instrumental? personnel? <br /><br />also, is this a pun or a freudian slip?: "If they can, I know the underlying ideas are sound." do you mean your underlying ideas ARE sound in the physical sense or logical?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326339.post-64048369768026673002010-09-01T14:42:33.157-07:002010-09-01T14:42:33.157-07:00Ian -- that's probably a much more efficient w...Ian -- that's probably a much more efficient way to make the point I was trying to make in the post.<br /><br />Anon #1 -- "Would the ideas still survive if there was only a single melodic line? or just the drums? another band covering the tunes?"<br /><br />I can't say whether any of my pieces would definitely survive such drastic reductions, but yes, this is the sort of thing I aspire to. <br /><br />I was rehearsing the show with our Portland contingent (bass, tenor sax, and piano) a few weeks ago, in prep for our recent tour, and some of the tunes actually sounded kind of cool in that pared down form.<br /><br />Anon #2 --<br /><br />"when you're talking about texture, when is it about the testure of concepts and ideas and the texture as it relates to the auditory bits?"<br /><br />Personally, I think of it as the auditory bits. Can you explain what you mean by the texture of an idea or concept?<br /><br />Thanks for the comments, all.Andrew Durkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11471871547839907538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326339.post-68404482967600036242010-09-01T14:33:13.245-07:002010-09-01T14:33:13.245-07:00Sorry -- Anonymous left a comment that I accidenta...Sorry -- Anonymous left a comment that I accidentally deleted because the "Publish" button is right next to the "Delete" button, and when I'm monitoring these things from my iPhone, my thumb sometimes hits the wrong one. <br /><br />Here is Anonymous's comment:<br /><br />"when you're talking about texture, when is it about the testure of concepts and ideas and the texture as it relates to the auditory bits?"<br /><br />Again, sorry for the accidental deletion! I may turn off the spam filter for a while...Andrew Durkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11471871547839907538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326339.post-12569848574072869302010-09-01T13:57:17.979-07:002010-09-01T13:57:17.979-07:00"Thus, in terms of writing for a big band, I ..."Thus, in terms of writing for a big band, I consider my own tunes "successful" only if they can survive translation to a substantially reduced ensemble, or even a single piano rendition."<br /><br />Would the ideas still survive if there was only a single melodic line? or just the drums? another band covering the tunes?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326339.post-54415959093451137812010-09-01T13:39:17.878-07:002010-09-01T13:39:17.878-07:00I didn't find the video all that entertaining-...I didn't find the video all that entertaining--it was kinda boring.ian!noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326339.post-19404750357286274442010-09-01T10:54:23.912-07:002010-09-01T10:54:23.912-07:00I would classify "sound" as a species of...I would classify "sound" as a species of texture.Andrew Durkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11471871547839907538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326339.post-13107514042984710662010-09-01T09:53:12.265-07:002010-09-01T09:53:12.265-07:00maybe it's not the texture but 'the sound&...maybe it's not the texture but 'the sound' that they're searching for.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com