Susan Alcorn
From:
Baltimore, MD, USA
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Posted 18 Jul 2024 3:39 pm |
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For the past few years, Longform Editions had been asking me to record a 25 minute piece of completely improvised music, but I was busy with other projects and, I should admit, was a little wary of the prospect of improvising for 25 minutes straight which I had not done solo (nothing to play off of) in quite a long time. Finally, one evening this spring I thought, the hell with it, I'll just start playing and see whatever happens happens. I crossed myself (atheist in a foxhole?) put my picks on, pressed record on Pro Tools, and started playing. I stopped 26 minutes and 64 seconds
The result is the the recording "In-Yu" (a typo of the Korean word In-Yun) released last month by the digital record label Longform Editions. The recording is only pedal steel guitar - no effects other than reverb and some slap-back delay), no fixed tonal center or meter, and no overdubbing.
Nothing in improvisation is ever free - our roots tend to peek out, and there is a tendency to play the patterns that lay well with your fingers and strings. Though "free" improvisation is not easy, though it doesn't have to be difficult either. You just have to get into another frame of mind, and if you can, be fearless. There's nothing really to screw up, but if you play something that feels questionable, you can find a way to give it some perspective with whatever you play next.
Also, it helps to have a bit of fluency on your instrument, a part of your brain that can tell you when an idea may be getting old and another part of your brain that is just running along with the flow. And though you do this for art, knowing that its appeal may be limited, I think it is helpful to remember that what you are playing is for an audience, and to respect those who take the time and energy to listen to adventurous music.
Beauty can be hidden, but the personal road to realizing it can be rewarding. If you listen, I hope you will find something to enjoy or at least something that, for a moment, you are able to feel something that you can relate to.
https://longformeditions.bandcamp.com/track/in-yu?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0dh34oh2MKl5ONq-7b8q6Qpgt2rhJ9oDs6K--yC19qGqvnog0CLtldhps_aem_53wz_q8P4aqSDgUofmBogA
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www.susanalcorn.net
"So this is how you swim inward. So this is how you flow outwards. So this is how you pray."
- Mary Oliver |
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Dale Rottacker
From:
Walla Walla Washington, USA
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