Music: by Clark

grimdarkthroes: I showed my friend Heat from Medium and she said it “was the music you play in a...

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:07:41 -0500

I showed my friend Heat from Medium and she said it “was the music you play in a walkthrough museum exhibit on space” and so I showed her Frogs and she was like “this is the introductory 5 min video to the rainforest exhibit” and I showed her Light and she was like “this is the wonders of the caribbean. alternatively, the childrens section of the space exhibit.”

And then I showed her Flare and she was like “NO YOU DONT UNDERSTAND THIS IS THE FRENCH REVOLUTION EXHIBIT”

she asked why the artists soul isnt owned by a museum because of his “supernatural ability to make exhibit music”

so tell me plazmataz

which museum owns your soul?

I visited the Science Museum of Minnesota dozens of times as a kid, and then did a bunch of volunteering there after high school. Were it possible, I’d love for them to own soul.

They’d be like, “You’re interested in selling us your soul?”

And then I’d be like “No, I want to donate it.”

plazmataz: It’s time to take a short break from our usual...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:51:00 -0500

plazmataz:

It’s time to take a short break from our usual genres of music in favor of something with a little bit of history and a whole lot of class. I’m going to tell you about the best singer who ever lived.

Her name is EllaFitzgerald; Queen of Jazz, First Lady of Song.

That song up there is called “You’ll Have to Swing It” or “Mr. Paganini,” a classic jazz standard that was popularized largely by Ella herself. This particular recording is my favorite one, it comes from her legendary twelve-night gig at the Crescendo club in Hollywood. There at the top of this post, take a look at that photo. The audience is enraptured, and center among them is Duke Ellington, world famous composer, songwriter, pianist and bandleader. Even the Duke himself was known to be in perfect, worshipful awe when Ella sang her songs.

This lady is incredible. She started off in a pretty bad way, being born in Harlem to a father who left and a mother who died young of illness, leaving her in the care of an abusive stepfather. Before her career in music she is known to have worked street jobs, the stories say at a brothel or as a mafia numbers runner. Even after her career started in 1934 she was married twice; both ended in divorce.

She was known to be shy and quiet, mostly keeping to herself. Band members she worked with would say that she was a lonely person. She even said once “I don’t want to say the wrong thing, which I always do. I think I do better when I sing.”

As for her voice, she had an astounding three-octave range, and a perfection of tone and intonation that is simply the best there ever was. Beyond that she was known for invention, popularizing the scat style of improvisation. Over her career she casually took homethirteen Grammys, not to mention the two awards given to her personally by two U.S. Presidents. The world has never seen and will never see again the likes of Ella or the divinity of her vocals. When writing a memorial piece after she passed away in 1996, music critic Will Friedwald had this to say:

Unlike any other singer you could name, Fitzgerald has the most amazing asset in the very sound of her voice: it’s easily one of the most beautiful and sonically perfect sounds known to man. Even if she couldn’t do anything with it, the instrument that Fitzgerald starts with is dulcet and pure and breathtakingly beautiful. As Henry Pleasants has observed, she has a wider range than most opera singers, and many of the latter, including Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, are among her biggest fans. And the intonation that goes with the voice is, to put it conservatively, God-like. Fitzgerald simply exists in tune, and she hits every note that there is without the slightest trace of effort. Other singers tend to sound like they’re trying to reach up to a note - Fitzgerald always sounds like she’s already there. If anything, she’s descending from her heavenly perch and swooping down to whatever pitch she wants.

That guy Friedwald just mentioned, Henry Pleasants, doesn’t even care about jazz; he usually writes about opera singers and classical vocalists. But this this is what he has to say about Ella:

She has a lovely voice, one of the warmest and most radiant in its natural range that I have heard in a lifetime of listening to singers in every category. She has an impeccable and ultimately sophisticated rhythmic sense, and flawless intonation. Her harmonic sensibility is extraordinary. She is endlessly inventive… it is not so much what she does, or even the way she does it, it’s what she does not do. What she does not do, putting it simply as possible, is anything wrong. There is simply nothing in performance to which one would take exception… Everything seems to be just right. One would not want it any other way. Nor can one, for a moment imagine it any other way.

As for me, I own eight of Ella’s albums, and they’re the most treasured pieces in my personal music collection. Even if you’re not into jazz, I seriously recommend checking her recordings out. She’s one of my greatest musical heroes, and she’s someone I think every lover of music should be familiar with.

Today is Ella Fitzgerald’s birthday! Were she still alive she would be turning 96.

“She was the best. She was the best there ever was.” — Johnny Mathis

Shine on, Ella. We miss you down here.

Did you use Logic Pro to produce music from the very beginning of your digital music career? I got Logic Pro recently, but I don't really have any experience in music production and I have no idea what any of the technical stuff means. Should I just stick to Logic Pro, or should I start with easier software first?

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 02:13:54 -0500

I feel your pain; Logic is the most complicated and confusing piece of software I’ve ever had the privilege to learn.

I started out using Garageband, which, like its sister Logic, is also made by Apple. Both programs run on the same engine and their interfaces and functionality are highly similar. The difference between them is that Garageband is designed for those who are new to making music, and since it comes installed on every Macintosh computer it is much more accesible and intuitive than Logic, which Apple markets more in the direction of professional producers. Making the transition from GB to Logic was silky smooth for me, and probably would be for you too!

I would recommend that anyone on a Mac computer start their musical journey with Garageband; I personally spent my first few years there. When you start to feel the program holding you back, you’ll know it’s time to move on to more complex software.

And remember that these are Apple products, which means that there is an unbelievable level of online documentation and customer support. I’m constantly checking the manual for Logic Pro, even after four or five years of using it nearly every day.

how'd you come up with plazmataz? it sounds really cool

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:08:25 -0500

It was a nickname given to me long ago during the early days of my internet-using career. I’m afraid I can take no credit for its inception.

Do you like Gymnopedie by Erik Satie? The beginning of Day That Never Came made me think of that song, and I really love the beat you put into it. Also, would you happen to have an instrumental of Day That Never Came?

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:06:24 -0500

The beginning of Day That Never Came is an effected sample of the iconic first Gymnopedie! In answer, I do like Erik Satie.

I do not have an instrumental of it, I never felt that was one necessary! Astro Kid and Diana Ross go together like peanut butter and marshmallow fluff.

I want a The Sorrow doll with a little chalkboard attached to...

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 20:46:00 -0500

I want a The Sorrow doll with a little chalkboard attached to his hands so I can write messages on it and leave him sitting around the house for people to find.

Hey! I just want to say that I adore Austin, Atlantis. I actually want to ask about it: What, besides Pärt’s Magnificat and Dirk Strider, inspired you to write it like you did? What can you tell me about it? I'm using Austin, Atlantis as part of a project in Music class (if that's OK), and I just need a bit of information about it. I'm sorry for bothering you.

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 10:53:24 -0500

Like most of what I do it was a really organic composition process, coming together as a result of fruitful experimentation and exploration of sounds.

It started off with me tinkering around with audio processing. I used a highly effected Beatdown to create the opening soundscape. Sampling Arvo was a whim; I had to modify the pitch of Beatdown to match the choral performance, which I discovered was somewhere on a flat quartertone. I really liked the way it sounded, and I started to improvise some piano to follow it up (I had pull the piano down in pitch as well, 33 cents flatter than standard), and I had fun working in Homestuck themes like Explore and Flare. The second processed soundscape was derived from Atomyk Ebonpyre, in keeping with the Strider aesthetic. The off-beat percussion is a sliced up clip from a Battlestar Galactica episode, which was also an experiment-gone-right.

As a composer, happy accidents are my best friend.

Download: Austin, Atlantis (piano duet) I decided to remaster...

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 19:27:00 -0500

Download: Austin, Atlantis (piano duet)

I decided to remaster the piano duet and choral interlude from my old Homestuck tune Austin, Atlantis. Track art by the magical Tynic.

Happy 4/13, Homestuck!

I composed this song as a commission for a company that produces...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:16:29 -0500

I composed this song as a commission for a company that produces board games, specifically for their most recent game Baldrick’s Tomb, which is currently Kickstarting (I played the prototype, it was a blast).

Composing this song was an interesting challenge, because I decided to write music that sounded the way that playing the game felt. In the end I went for a cautious curiosity, and arranged the parts for various stringed instruments. I think it came out well!

You can download the song from my Bandcamp page.

Do you have any plans to release sheet music for Symphony Impossible to Play? I am very interested in playing this piece.

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 06:42:38 -0500

I’d love to put out a piano reduction of the symphony, but I just don’t have the piano experience to do something like that.

Maybe I should hire Tyler to help…

So, I read that you created, or helped to create, crystalmethequins. I noticed the beginning of that song sounds similar to songs from the video game series Metroid: Prime. Is that purely coincidental or was that inspiration?

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 03:19:38 -0500

Kenji Yamamoto is always, always an inspiration.

See my commissions info if you’re interested! Whether you...

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:30:00 -0500

See my commissions info if you’re interested!

Whether you have a project that needs a killer soundtrack or you’ve got a musical idea that you’d like to see through to its end, I am your expert. Like most self-employed artists, I am always looking for work, and no job is too small.

Even if you aren’t looking to commission me at the moment, giving this post a reblog is an awesome way to support what I do!

NEGLECT YOUR BOWELS.

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:23:15 -0500

NEGLECT YOUR BOWELS.

Hey I'm new at your tumblr i wonder is it YOU who are playing or writing the songs for homestuck Sorry for my english and stuppideness.

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:59:18 -0500

Nothing to be sorry for, friend.

Andrew Hussie writes and draws Homestuck, but the music and sound come from a small team of musicians. I am one of them! This means I wrote and performed some of the music in Homestuck, but not all of it.

If you’re ever unsure of who did what, take a quick check of the sound credits list on the MSPA site. The full collection of songs and albums for Homestuck can be found on Bandcamp, where you can also see detailed credits for all of the rest of the music.

Is there somewhere I can download the short "song" called "foley" that appears at the very beginning of homestuck?

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 23:48:14 -0500

Look for the upcoming Volume 10 bonus track entitled Ten Minutes of Wind Chimes.

Hey, Clark! First of all, great job on all your new music. I plan on buying both your albums, 'cause I think they're amazing! I also wanted to ask; Do you plan on publishing the sheet music/a MIDI for Serenade? I'd love to be able to play it myself.

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 01:30:47 -0500

Unfortunately, I do not have any official sheet music for most of my songs. If I were a decent pianist I would put together sheets myself, but like the Tories and the Whigs, the piano and I have never quite figured out how to properly get along.

Over on the MSPA forums there is a conclave of gentlemen and ladies who are nobly dedicated to transcribing sheet music of Homestuck songs; it doesn’t look like anyone there has tackled of Serenade yet, but you could always ask around! They are friendly people.

My recommendation would be to try to pick out the melody and accompaniment by ear. Serenade has an extremely simple progression that is broken into basic verses and choruses, and the melody itself is simple enough to be played on just about any instrument with a few minutes of figuring.

astrokidmusic: a new Homestuck remix, this is actually a remix...

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:30:54 -0500

astrokidmusic:

a new Homestuck remix, this is actually a remix of a remix by myself and Clark that’s going to be on an official release that is going to happen sometime in the future and that is all that I can say on the matter.

(download)

USDA choice beats, right here.

andarix: Andarix’s Monthly Commission Sale! (March Edition) Hi...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:30:40 -0500

andarix:

Andarix’s Monthly Commission Sale! (March Edition)

Hi everyone! This month’s commission sale is going to be pretty nice and cheap. I only need to make 25$ a day or so, so I’m offering a wide variety of pieces.

Tier 1 and 2: Sketches: 10$ - 15$ each, accent colors are free!

Tier 3: Sketches to completion: if you’ve ordered a sketch from me before, you can get it completed now, email me for your rate.

Tier 4: Full Pieces: 25$-60$, backgrounds are simple but free.

NEW! Tier 5: Squarefaces! Just 8$!

How to get one:

Send an email to me at bidelle@gmail.com with what Tier you’re interested in, your price, and attach as many references as possible.

All pieces will be finished the same or next day as when payment is received.

BY THE WAY, I LOVE DOING FANTROLLS AND OTHER HOMESTUCK COMMISSIONS. If you ask me for a Homestuck piece, I will LOVE YOU FOREVER.

Oh, and if you want to see any of the example pieces larger, just check here.

Bidelle is my beautiful girlfriend, and you should buy some art from her. We both make out entire livings as freelance artists, and your patronage will help us continue to do so!

Coincidence? I think not.

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 08:03:00 -0500

The nine quadrants of leprechaun romance correlate to the shapes of marshmallows in Lucky Charms cereal.

Lucky Charms is a brand owned and operated by General Mills.

General Mills, of course, is the corporation that owns and operates the longstanding brand and imaginary spokeswoman…

…Betty Crocker.

It’s my track from the new Homestuck album! It’s an...

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:32:15 -0500

It’s my track from the new Homestuck album! It’s an ugly, noisy song for Caliborn, because he is an ugly, noisy dude. The gorgeous track artwork is by Elyse!

Buying the album supports the Homestuck musicians! And if you would like to go an extra mile and help support me as well, you can buy my music here.