Lusk, Lingle and Torrington (as a set)
When I started In the Hands, I also started recording little unplanned improvisations. I’d done some of this same sort of work during college in the Macalester New Music Ensemble, and some things like it at Keys Please, but it wasn’t until last year that I started putting a regular, concerted effort into playing and recording these.
They’re perhaps not always as interestingly layered or as structurally satisfying as the compositions, but they have a raw energy and spirit of playfulness that I like. They’re also good calisthenics: doing them helps keep me loose and flexible for composing. Writing music, it’s easy to get bogged down in endless revision or over-conceptualized note derivation; these improvs help me maintain the balance between conception and intuition. And sometimes…sometimes I listen back and think, “Yeah, that works.”
I originally had the idea of giving the improvs nonsense word names, like “Fleedle” and “Scrunkic”, but when I recorded these three, they somehow fit perfectly the names of three little towns in Wyoming my family has always loved for their too-good-to-be true poetic names: Lusk, Lingle, and Torrington. Since then, I’ve been naming all the improvs after Wyoming towns and counties — it turns out that the state is a gold mine of wonderful words!
LinglePaul Cantrell, piano, improvisationDownload (2:22 / 3.2 M)
Torrington LopePaul Cantrell, piano, improvisationDownload (1:05 / 1.7 M)
LuskPaul Cantrell, piano, improvisationDownload (2:15 / 3.1 M)
These three make a set of sorts: I sat down with no plan or preconception and played them back to back, just as you hear them here — in this order, in fact. My little Wyoming triptych!
Comments
This is so exciting for my beloved home town - Torrington, WY! To have a piece of music with my town in mind. I agree 100% Paul, Wyoming is truly a gold mine in so many ways and a great place to go and collect more good ideas!
Regards, Lois from Torrington
Wow!! This is why I love the internet!
These are simply gorgeous. They remind one of Satie and of Webern at the same time, and maybe even a bit of Ned Rorem.
In any case, they’re really themselves, these pieces, and I’m grateful to you for having written, shared and played them.
Very intersting melodies. I always wanted to improvise in modern styles, unfortunately classical tunes appeared to be my niche. Your improvisations have inspired me to sit back at the piano and try again. Thank you for that
I really liked Torrington Lope
hey, i’m discovering that piano blogs exist throughout the internet, this great! i just started me own almost three weeks ago.
so far, what i’ve heard is great, sounds impressionistic to me, like “Sad Birds” by Ravel.
cheers,
Andrew
Your music reminds me of college and my composition classses. 12 tones scales and all that. Very interesting. You have a much better sense of it than I ever could. I’ve taken to more popular and jazz piano in recent years. I even teach online piano lessons if you ever want to stop by for a free lesson you’re more than welcome.
Cheers