Month: May 2015

Sounds From The Circle VII !

SFTC7-CoverI’m so thrilled to be a part of this incredible MP3 Compilation (for the second year in a row) with my piece for electric dulcimer “Louie – Very Free and Easy”!! This is a compilation of 49 artists from the New Age Music Circle (a ning community) put together by New Age music pioneer Suzanne Doucet, and Beth Hilton. There is an enormous amount of work in a project like this, and in this case, the end product is just spectacular: the music flows effortlessly, and you can just let it play for a soothing, relaxing, yet uplifting experience. Here is the official text:

About The New Age Music Circle & Sounds from the Circle VII

The New Age Music Circle – an online community of almost 1700 artists, industry professionals and fans –presents its seventh MP3 compilation in as many years with Sounds from the Circle VII. Produced by Suzanne Doucet, founder of the Circle, the compilations have become favorites among music fans as well as professional radio programmers and wellness practitioners who appreciate the ability to play almost four hours of music without stopping.

Just a sampling of the New Age music sub-genres included are Mystical, Chill, Ambient, Meditative, Vocals, Nature, Trance, World, Solo Piano, Space, Electronic and more! Sounds from the Circle VII is available in both physical format and duplicated in online playlists in Spotify and iTunes for all tracks available there by our launch date of 5/12/15. The Sounds of the Circle compilations are always eclectic, showcasing the wide range of inspiration, interpretation and musical vision within the New Age genre from countries across the globe including the USA, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, England, Scotland, India, Malaysia, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Singapore, Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Venezuela and more.

Sounds from the Circle VII will have increased promotional presence this year, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Spotify, iTunes and Instagram. Find out more about this music, or join the New Age Music Circle at http://newagemusik.ning.com

For more information, or for media review copies, event distribution, and promotional giveaways, contact The B Company, bethhilton@theBcompany.com, at 310-560-8390.

The Artists of SFTC VII

SFTC VII participating artists and groups include:

Ricky Kej & Wouter Kellerman – Fiona Joy – Minstrel Streams – Bryan Carrigan – Sean Christopher – Lia Scallon – Isadar – Spencer Brewer – Michael Dulin – Sherry Finzer – Jennifer DeFrayne – Pamela Jamian – Rupam Sarmah – Mythos – Lisa Downing – Peter Kater – Kristin Amarie & David Lanz – Denise Young – Anima – Merrill Collins – Bill Wren & Frank Ralls – Mark Pinkus – Tron Syversen – Louis Colaiannia – Michael Hoppé & Giuditta – Heidi Breyer – John Morgan – Joniel – Sensitive Heart – Peter Garnvik – Jerry Rockwell – 7and5 – J. M. Quintana Cámara – Peter Calandra – Vibeke Sonora – Dr. Sounds – Michael Joseph – Anaya Music – Elise Lebec – Antje Nagula – Lynn Yew Evers – Natascha Wilczek – Tajalli – Zamora – Luna Blanca – Sunsaria – Suzanne Doucet – Jon Richards – David Vito Gregoli.

E minor Hexatonic Jam-A-Round

I think this 6-tone or hexatonic Em – D Jam-A-Round is the most fun of all so far!! The Jam-A-Round idea is very simple: over a repeating chord progression, often using a descending scale, we just plug in parts where the 8-bar progressions begin. You never know how parts interact until you try, so if you have a playing partner with another dulcimer, you are in for a fun time! With a room full of dulcimers and a little imagination, there could be some amazing music!!

This EminorJAR1 is the first melodic sketch around these chords:

Em / / / | D / / / | Em / / / | D / / / | Em / / / | D / / / | Em / Bm / | Em / / / :||

There are basically three parts here: part one is measure 1 – 8, part two is measure 9 – 16, and part three is measure 17 – 24. If you do it as a traditional round, you can play all 24 bars as written, with 2nd and 3rd players coming in on measures 9 and 17. The most fun, though, is where you assign one player to part one, one player to part two, and one to part three. With a little playful messing around, each part can vary according to each players’ ability and imagination. It certainly doesn’t hurt to have one or two of these parts just repeating without variation, because this will act as a great anchor for the more daring improvisers!

Measure 24 is an incomplete measure: I have beat 4 wide open for you, in case you want to put in those high B or E pickup notes into variations of part three from measures 17 through 24. Have FUN!!!