Open Mic Adventures XLVII: “Bavarian Bop”

I’ve been composing like a madman while I still have a free demo subscription to Noteflight.  I’ve already composed Spooky Season, and have a sequel composed and set to release on 6 October 2023 on Bandcamp, then to all other streaming platforms on 13 October 2023.  The sequel, Spooky Season II: Rise of the Cryptids, is ten tracks, and will be loaded with bonus features, including the videos featured in today’s post.

One of my favorite pieces from Spooky Season is “Bavarian Bop,” a short piece for small instrumental ensemble that I also rearranged for solo piano.  It’s a little Oktoberfest-inspired bit of musical whimsy.

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Open Mic Adventures XLVI: “Canon Event”

As I’ve delved deeper into YouTube, I’ve discovered the platform has a little blog for creators that points out the major Internet trends of the moment.  The Internet is constantly evolving, with new trends and memes coming and going the shifting tides—but faster!  Apparently, Gen Zers are running around calling charisma “rizz.”  We have always been at war with Eurasia!

One meme doing the rounds is the “canon event” meme.  The meme comes from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), where multiple Peter Parkers (or their equivalents) from multiple universes all experience certain “canon events,” which are (allegedly) unalterable:  the bite from the radioactive spider; the death of a beloved family member; the loss of the love interest; etc.  In meme form, YouTubers and TikTok(k?)ers will feature milestone or rite-of-passage events as “canon events,” often remarking, “I cannot interfere.”  These events are typically something cringe-inducing or silly, like picking a weird name for PlayStation online.

I find the concept of “canon events”—what we used to call a “rite of passage”—interesting, and thought I’d hop on the Internet bandwagon with a little piano piece called “Canon Event.”

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Open Mic Adventures XLIV: “Skeleton Dance No. 1”

Ah, yes—another Tuesday, another edition of Open Mic Adventures in which I thwart Ponty’s dreams and feature a super short, experimental piano miniature instead of a gutsy, flabby live performance.

No worries—there will (probably) be more sweaty, robust live performances soon.  But as we endure the heat and misery of August, I’m already looking ahead to the coolness and fun of Halloween.

So, what better way to get in the spooky mood than with a little skeletal gyrating?

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Lazy Sunday CCXVI: Weird Piano Music

There is little I love more than playing and singing my humorous original songs.  But a close second is subjecting my readers to my bizarre short piano compositions.  So, why not look at back at some of my weird piano music?

Happy Sunday!

—TPP

Other Lazy Sunday Installments:

Lazy Sunday CCXV: TJC Deep Cuts

It’s been the Summer of Deep Cuts for yours portly, as I’ve been digging deep into my songwriting book to play tunes that I rarely play live.  It’s been a fun experiment, as I can see how my songwriting has evolved (or not!) over the years.

That’s it for this quick, almost-back-to-school, musical edition of Lazy Sunday!

Happy Sunday—and Happy Listening!

—TPP

Other Lazy Sunday Installments:

Open Mic Adventures XL: “Parada”

I’ve just got a couple of more open mic nights before I get into my school year schedule and become a slave to the grind, but I’m going to do my best to keep pumping out the goods.  This time in two weeks, I hope to have a new song uploaded for your delectation; stay tuned.

In the meantime, I’m continuing my deep dive into my obscure deep cuts, songs that I’ve never managed to get recorded in a studio.  Some of these songs are very good; some need some polish.  Whatever the case, I’m realizing that I have enough material for another EP, and I might need to get back into the studio.

This week’s feature is “Parada.”  I wrote “Parada” in 2015 during a particularly fertile period of open mic attendance. The Spanish word “parada” roughly translates to “stop” or “bus stop/station” in English. I wanted to capture the notion of lingering in a moment—stopping a poignant moment in time, trying to freeze it in place as long as possible.

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Open Mic Adventures XXXIX: “(I’m in the) Business of Love)”

After a brief hiatus, I’m back with more tasty jams.  I’ve dedicated this summer’s open mic excursions to performing my “deep cuts,” which is a bit of a misnomer, as most of these tunes have never been “cut” to  a recording at all!  Fortunately, I need constant content to feed the insatiable appetite of the YouTube beast, so it gives me a good excuse to play these forgotten pieces.

I wrote “(I’m in the) Business of Love” back on 7 February 2019, one week out from Valentine’s Day.  The song is about the woes of a “beta male provider” who is just looking for a little “transactional romance.” Is there any topic more tragically postmodern than that of the “nice guy” finishing dead last in the reproductive sweepstakes? This song is a humorous exploration of that phenomenon.

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Lazy Sunday CCIX: Original Music, Part II

By the time you’re reading this post, I should be about an hour or so into a long drive to Indianapolis, where I’ll be visiting my older brother for a week.  We’ll laugh, we’ll cry, we’ll vomit—well, probably not those last two, unless I overindulge on the chicken sausage dogs he picked up for the Fourth of July.

In the spirit of keeping Lazy Sunday lazy, here are three more pieces of original music from Open Mic Adventures, the series that keeps on giving:

  • Open Mic Adventures XXVIII: ‘Song of the Bigfoot’” – “Song of the Bigfoot” is designed to be a simple étude (a “study”) for acoustic guitar to help students learn the notes on the B and E strings.  It also teaches note durations, with quarter, half, dotted half, and whole notes.  I like the slightly mysterious sound of this simple piece.  Listener consensus says that the guitar version better captures the mystery of the piece, and I agree, but I like the more robust piano version, too.
  • Open Mic Adventures XXX: ‘Chorale for a Sleepy Wednesday’” – I composed “Chorale for a Sleepy Wednesday” during one of my planning periods.  I thought it would make a fun sightreading exercise for my Middle School Music Ensemble, and eventually I’ll upload their full recording of this piece (audio only).  When I write chorales, I tend to do so as a music theory exercise, so it was fun to see my more astute student-musicians notice some of the stepwise motion in this little piece.
  • Open Mic Adventures XXXI: ‘Carousel’” – I wrote “Carousel” as a Haydn-esque little gigue or dance in 3/4 time.  My Middle School Music Ensemble students nominated two possible names, “Carousel” and “Ambata,” and “Carousel” won the day.  I promised the student who proposed “Ambata” that I would composed that piece, and I still need to do so.  I already have a good sense for what it will sound like in my head.

Happy Sunday—and Happy Listening!

—TPP

Other Lazy Sunday Installments: