May 16, 2012
I was proud of the way I started tonight. As I got ready to sing, my mind was racing with ideas and possibilities, so much so that I wished for some quiet... just so that could feel "the opening". I found it at the last possible nanosecond. My mouth was open and so many ideas were clamoring to be heard that I literally closed my eyes and some totally unknown music came out of my mouth. It was sweet!
Of course, I then had to develop whatever this was becoming and mine the possibilities for all they were worth. I went to some spoken word early on in the improv. After that, I was only aware of a meandering through a landscape that seemed uniform and flat. All of the musical ideas seemed to be the same and I was on auto-pilot for a while.At some point, I decided to break the monotony and sang a little bit of Afro Blue to shake things up. It worked, because I was no longer on auto-pilot. I could actually experience the act of creating and discovering... simultaneously!To listen to DailySing - 105, click here.
Posted by Emile Dyer. Posted In : Daily Sing
May 15, 2012
Tonight's DalySing started as a fast jazz oriented walking bass line which quickly morphed into something a little funkier, and after several permutations , my solo voice sang sotto voce and building to a bluesy passage.
I sang in the living room while my wife sat by and spun yarn. I wasn't embarrassed nor was I using her as an audience to work that energy up in myself. However, I think her presence affected my performance in some subtle way.I played with rhythm a lot, yet, I was able to balan... Continue reading...
Posted by Emile Dyer. Posted In : Daily Sing
May 14, 2012
I didn't have an easy time of it this evening. I started with a melody that just wouldn't stick in my brain, so I kept doing variations whenever I tried to get back to the head (top of a song).
I finally just started playing a djembe rhythm on my chest which helped cement the melodic phase I had in mind at the time.I was able to flesh out different ideas that came to mind. Melody with rhythm, unacompanied melody, vocal percussion as a verse, vp as a bridge, drastic juxtapositions in rhythm, a... Continue reading...
Posted by Emile Dyer. Posted In : Daily Sing
May 13, 2012
Tonight was fun! I still feel the effects from our Improv Family session last night. One of the people there has a unique interpretation of rhythm. She is steeped in West African music and I find myself not simply drawn to her rhythmic expression, but entranced by it. Her phrasing is also very West African. I find strips of Wolloff, Serere and Bambara rhythms in her choices. Singing with her is deeply satisfying... like comfort food. Melodically, her sense of phrasing is unique... very Africa...
Continue reading...
Posted by Emile Dyer. Posted In : Daily Sing
May 12, 2012
I've been enjoying these last few DailySings because of the dynamic quality that's come through each session. Tonight was no different, but the cause was unique.
Tonight was the first meeting of what I like to call Improv Family. Several of us got together and improvised in different configurations. I then left and got dinner out in downtown Culver City. By the time I was ready to do my DailySing, I had the richness of this entire evening to draw upon.Towards the end, I even tried to sing word... Continue reading...
Posted by Emile Dyer. Posted In : Daily Sing
May 11, 2012
I was tired and sleepy when I started tonight's DailySing. As groggy and grumpy as I was, I've now been energized!
I began with an exploration of my voice in its middle range, then ventured into falsetto solo territory. I explored different avenues, but eventually found myself playing with a riff from Deep Purple's Sweet Child In Time. This allowed me to play with various rhythms on my chest while exploring how to sing best with fists and hands slapping my sternum.Vocal percussion came to the ... Continue reading...
Posted by Emile Dyer. Posted In : Daily Sing
May 10, 2012
Dynamic...! That's the best way to describe today's DailySing. I've been listening to Carlinhos Brown and Kurt Elling lately and I could feel the bits and pieces I've been picking up, start to gel and make sense inside me.
I started with a rhythm which I then layered (a la Carlinhos Brown) into polyrhythms using my hands and mouth. I then added my actual voice, played with made up language, and rhythmic counterpoint. Later on in the improv, I explore how I use my voice to solo with my falsetto... Continue reading...
Posted by Emile Dyer. Posted In : Daily Sing
May 9, 2012
I was proud of the way I started tonight. I had had several very cool ideas and improvs throughout the day, but by the time I was to sing, I had a particular idea I wanted to revisit. I caught myself, and when I opened my mouth, I allowed anything to come through. I was rewarded with a direction I had not considered.
I was a little dissapointed about the fact that I fell asleep 3 separate times during my improv. Last duty after an unusually long day. Whatcha gonna do?To listen to DailySing - 9... Continue reading...
Posted by Emile Dyer. Posted In : Daily Sing
May 8, 2012
I feel totally uninspired and mechanical. However, when I listen to the playback, it doesn't sound half bad and I wonder at the role of perception in my life. We (humans) alter our appearance, what we say, and even what we think in order to be perceived a certain way.
I had fun exploring my upper register again, but a harder time returning to the melody... and it changed all throught the 15 minutes. To listen to DailySing - 97, click here. Continue reading...
Posted by Emile Dyer. Posted In : Daily Sing
May 8, 2012
Well... it didn't happen. I was so exhausted I fell asleep after putting my daughter to bed, and woke up at 12:30 AM.
I had been meaning to sing all day, but never got around to it. Always, later later later...Well, the best thing to do after you fall off your horse, is to get right back on.I'll sing and blog tomorrow! Continue reading...
Posted by Emile Dyer. Posted In : Daily Sing