Pomegranate County Irregulars (@pomcountyirregs.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy)

Sustain Creativity – Pushing Too Far – part 2 ### Please share! * Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * More * * Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * * Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * * Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X * In my previous post, I wrote about pushing. And not pushing. ## Keep Pushing Specifically, I wrote about _not_ pushing down a sustain pedal while pushing _too hard_ on a creative project. Well, some of you thought that I needed to provide examples. Ideally, those would be audio samples. The idea is that these would demonstrate the different sounds that range from the initial inspiration to the overdone (and now abandoned) version. I want you to get what you ask for. So, here you go. ## Sustain This Normally, when I play a piano, I make ample use of the sustain pedal. Basically, this keeps the felt dampers from stopping the sound. In other words, the sound keeps going even if I lift my hands off of the keys. The ankle fracture is on my right leg. That means I can’t put too much weight or pressure on that ankle. So things like driving and sustain pedal are “out” for now. Piano without the sustain pedal can sound a wee bit odd Click To Tweet ## Sustained. Not sustained. I started my new composing/recording project with piano improvisations. That’s not unusual. However, this time I intentionally played without any sustain pedal. (Though I thought I wouldn’t be able to use my left foot to press this pedal, I later discovered that I can.) But first I need to give you an idea of what these improvisations sound like with a “normal” sustain pedal throughout. Press the play button and listen… Sustained Piano (from “Rudimprenatz”, Copyright ©️ 2024) Here’s that same segment as I originally improvised it (with no sustain pedal). Unsustained Piano (from “Rudimprenatz”, Copyright ©️ 2024) ## Hearing Is Believing When I listened to that unsustained improvisation, I thought, “No one will ever listen to this. It sounds stunted and unreal.” So, I set out to make an arrangement that sounded better. Using a broad range of sounds, I created this trying to overcome the “stunted and unreal” sound of the sustainless piano. No Piano at all (from “Rudimprenatz”, Copyright ©️ 2024) Which of these 3 sound examples do you like best? Choices are sustained piano, unsustained piano, or no piano. Let me know in the comments or via social networks. It only took me 3 days of listening to this pile of sound to decide that I could not continue. I had started with stunted and moved on to a weird barrage of noises. Choosing which way to go with our creative work can be complex or simple Click To Tweet ## Let’s Start At The Very Beginning One thing I could have done is gone back into all of the piano improvisations and added sustain pedal. That seemed very contrived, plus it sort of made me go back on my word that I would create these without that particular crutch. So, I listened to the original recordings again. To my surprise, they sounded like the most authentic of the options. There was a vulnerable beauty in those raw performances created in the moment. (I reserve the prerogative to mix in some of the other sounds, of course.) Soon, you’ll be able to listen to these recordings. Thanks for your support. Main photo is by decrand via pixabay. ### Please share! * Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * More * * Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * * Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * * Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X * ### Like this: Like Loading... ### _More for you_ * * * ### Discover more from Stan Stewart - @muz4now Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email. Type your email… Subscribe https://muz4now.com/2024/sustain-creativity-pushing-too-far-part-2/