Instruction - Song of Abandonment

NARRATIVES

The following pages contain detailed instructional explanations of Studio ideas, thoughts, techniques, and processes used in the construction of artwork and media products.





TO JOURNAL

CONTACT

Don Bergland
redjello@shaw.ca

STUDIO NARRATIVES PROJECT

SONG OF ABANDONMENT
EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC

By Don Bergland

This site provides a detailed presentation of the Studio processes used in the construction of the experimental music composition called "Sound of Abandonment" (From the Album titled, "Hymns of Apostasy").

Play Composition Here

This piece is based on some of the principles of experimental composition described in the Manifesto of Dark Blues.

This experimental composition was started and completed in the Victoria, BC Studio in June 2015. It was published on SoundCloud as part of an album of experimental compositions called - Hymns of Apostasy (SoundCloud Album Here).

The general playback of the entire composition inside the Audacity environment can be seen in a YouTube presentation (YouTube Channel Link Here).

STUDIO CONSTRUCTION - This composition was constructed using the following Studio components:

-	Keyboard - Korg X5D - Improvised Tracks - Not used
-	Software - Finale PrintMusic
-	Software - Audacity - Assembly of all components
-	Software - iPad ThumbJam - Viola, Melodica
-	Zoom Audio Recorder - Voice Recording
-	Recorded Voice (Don Bergland)
-	YouTube - Metronome Tracks
-	GarageBand - Effects for VoiceTrack
-	Diatonic Accordion - Thought about and eliminated

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2015

029-DIEGO

Location - Audio/029-Diego

Last Worked on -

I'm really starting from the ground up on this one. I have no ideas at all. How do I start this? - Keyboard Exploration - Accordion Pumpings - Find a Blues Bass Exemplar - Improvisation on the Warr - Finale PrintMusic
I guess I could start by establishing a key and bpm. Then, I think....Keyboard? Maybe. Themes and Bass?
1.	I set up the keyboard for some playing. Note - I wired the keyboard to play through Audiobox and then into Audacity on my laptop computer. I set the sound (G*3:Musette). I launched Audacity to do Recording. Then, I just banged away trying to get the shape of a theme.



	So, something started to emerge in the key of F - at about 84 bpm. I need some established rhythm.
2.	I'll open a previously constructed BeatTrack I built in Finale PrintMusic (if I can find it). I changed the bpm to 84 and ran it off as an .aiff file.

3.	Now, I'll just sit at the keyboard with a Metronome Track running at 84 bpm, and invent some note improvisation. I'll record these ramblings in Audacity.
	I saved these as 12 wav files - Key01.wav to Key12.wav. I think I'll listen through these and see if some sort of theme presents itself.
4.	And then, on the keyboard, I just had some ideas about the general structure of the piece.


	Hmm. I'm noticing some sound artifacts in this recording. I need to check this with the other Keyboard work I did this morning.
	DAMN. All the files have a crackling in them. This is a real setback. What the Hell is going on here?
5.	I made sure all Studio wiring was secure, and then did a test recording.


	Ahhh. A small crackling artifact. This is annoying and also eliminates the 12 tracks I constructed this morning.
	A setback. I might have to go back in and reconstruct all this stuff in Finale PrintMusic (PM). What a waste of time. I also get a different quality of sound out of PM that I'm not very fond of.
	I wonder if I'm getting this crackling from other instruments, such as the Warr?
6.	Okay. I think I have a drudge-like theme. I should probably try to construct a basic structure in Finale PrintMusic (FPM).
7.	I'm thinking of using the Accordion in this work. But first, I wonder if I have the proper tonic notes on the Accordion for this piece - F, C?

	Yes. I have both an F and a C, so I'll be able to collect some Bass notes from this instrument.

	But, maybe I should lay down a Foundation Track in Finale PrintMusic first.
8.	I'm going into Finale PM to lay down a Foundation Track. - Key of F, 84 bpm
	I set up the following instruments: - Bassoon - Tuba - Cello - Double Bass
9.	I just made up a basic foundational Track (Rail) based on some of the thematic sounds I was getting out of the keyboard this morning. I'm not looking for anything revolutionary in these foundation tracks. Just something to work over.
10.	I completed 24 bars, and then put a Repeat on it. We'll see how long this ends up being. I exported an .aiff file from Finale.



	I Imported the Finale .aiff file into Audacity and examined it. Only around 2:20 long.
11.	I went back to the Finale PM Score, and produced two separate parts and exported them as .aiff files: - Bass Only - Diego01-BassOnly.aiff - Upper Part Only - Diego01-UpperOnly.aiff
	This will give me much more control in Audacity.
12.	Now, I need to construct a Master File with Metronome. I'll open Audacity and Import the following: - Diego01-BassOnly.aiff - Diego01-UpperOnly.aiff - 84BPM.aiff (Metronome Track)
13.	FINALE ERRORS - I recorded the FinalePM Track at 84 bpm. But when I tried to line up the Metronome Track with the Finale produced Tracks, they didn't synchronize. Once again, there is a discrepancy in the bpm between the Metronome Track I created and the actual finished production. The production doesn't line up with the beats in the piece. Very disturbing. I recorded both at 84 bpm.
14.	I'm going to bring in a real Metronome Track to test this out. I collected a Metronome Track from YouTube.
	So, the YouTube Metronome Track turned out to synchronize with the Production Track. Hmmm. Strange.
15.	Okay. I played around a bit and got things lined up in Audacity. The MasterDiego Track is constructed.
16.	I tried Importing some of the Keyboard Tracks I made this morning, but the crackling artifacts are too disturbing. I'm going to have to construct some alternatives, or try to fix the Keyboard output.
17.	I'm going to launch Thumbjam on the iPad - Set Viola as the instrument, and use a Minor Blues Key. I'll start creating some Tracks and emailing them to myself.

18.	I emailed a variety of TJViola Tracks to myself and then switched to Melodica on Thumbjam. I emailed myself these Tracks also.
	That's as far as I'm going to get this morning.

THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2015

029-DIEGO

Location - Audio/029-Diego

Last Worked on - Yesterday, Wed. Jun. 3, 2015

I've got a basic Foundation Track and some Viola and Melodica stylings.
Key of F - 84 bpm
1.	I'll launch Audacity and open the Master file.
2.	I'm just going to start adding the Viola files, sliding them in, arranging them, and assembling something that sounds interesting.
	I opened all the ThumbJam Tracks I created yesterday, and then just cut and paste elements into the Master Audacity file.
3.	I added a bass drum at the end. I like the deepness of this.
4.	And then, I added a simple blues drum track through the whole thing.
5.	Okay. Some hours on this. I probably need to sit back a bit and reflect on what I have.


	This is interesting, but still needs a lot more work.

TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2015

029-DIEGO

Location - Audio/029-Diego

Last Worked on - Thursday. Jun. 4, 2015

I've got a basic Foundation Track for this piece.

Key of F - 84 bpm
I analyzed it a while ago, and came up with the following. - Volume too high in Viola parts - Needs a Voicetrack
I want to add Blues Voice to this piece. I want it to be spontaneous, unplanned, improvisational, and sung by a non-singer. My plan in all this is to listen to the piece a few times, then turn on the recorder and just improvise a voice part. I have to keep and use what I have unless it is really bad.
1.	I hooked up the Zoom and listened to the piece a few times. I then started a recording.

2.	I'm offloading the VoiceTrack to the Project Folder.
3.	I'll open the Master File in Audacity, and import the Voicetrack, to see how it sounds.
4.	The Voicetrack sounds okay. I'm going to open it by itself and process it somehow. I'm looking for something really weird and unsophisticated. I duplicated it and changed the pitch of the second track. I then duplicated it again and I took it up a third.


	Interesting, but I don't quite like it yet.
5.	I'm going to run it off as a mixed down .wav file and take it through GarageBand Effects and see if something results.
6.	I added an effect in GarageBand. I Imported the resulting file into the Master File and then created a blank Track for the Voice. I'll cut pieces out of the Imported track and assemble them on the blank track.
	I worked through this, cutting and assembling voice parts over the instrumental. I then took down the volume in some of the Viola parts and added more bass drum effects.


	Okay. I'll include that amongst the other compositions for the Album that I think are complete.

SONG OF ABANDONMENT - Experimental Music - By Don Bergland

You can explore further Studio Production Instructional Details through Don Bergland's Online Journal