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Day 22: Final week begins

Writer's picture: Kevin KellerKevin Keller

Updated: Feb 23, 2021




It's Monday again, and I sense a theme: after taking a couple days off, I feel simultaneously refreshed and totally unsure. I suppose that's a good place to start from, since I usually find myself somewhere unexpected. At this point in the project, though, I think I've become a bit too "self aware", and I don't know that I can turn that off and just create.


Today, I picked up where I left off on Friday, with the "water" track that takes me back to the American River in Sacramento, circa 1985.


I had a couple ideas about where to go with this, including really ratcheting up the tension and driving it home from there. But this ended up taking the piece in a direction that didn't feel right. I even asked myself "Is this track trying to be something it isn't?" By that, I mean that it seemed a bit on the "dance" side of things, and was losing its fluidity.


After abandoning this, I took it in the opposite direction, really breaking things down to just a few elements, and then slowly building back while bringing the vocal sounds from earlier in the album back into the mix. What do you think?



Also, for those of you who'd like to hear the whole album (still in progress) in the proposed running order, here's the playlist. Enjoy!






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deborah
Feb 23, 2021

just went back to listen to 12, since someone mentionned it. really like the speed and energy. and, as per usual with me, i wanted the sustained notes to be a real instrument, like a violin or i don't know - the moogy sound always takes me out of emotional truth of the music... but you know that's my bias;) xoxoxo

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johnlicwinko
Feb 23, 2021

Best of luck this week.


Hope you have a good week.

I listened to Day 22 and had these thoughts on the first playing.

Like the opening

0:50 nice

1:18 nice

1:55 nice

2:30 nice

3:31 - 4:40 works (4:10!)

good finish with the vocals


By the way, I just love Day 12 and the opening theme keeps running through my head….


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Paul Vogt
Paul Vogt
Feb 23, 2021

On 22 I would have dumped the modulating sound in the beginning and the later "Jarresque" sound I would have had a clean string sound (same pattern) with some choral sounds underlying (close to what you had around 5:22 but more pronounced- like Bill Douglas Earth Prayer synthesized.... Or if you want that pace- something new- maybe inspired from the bamboo sounds in "The Oh of Pleasure" by Ray Lynch- maybe metallic like "hang". It's a bit too "moogy" in the sense that it isn't seem refined enough to your style... if that makes any sense. Then again, I probably know nothing and it's always easier to critique than praise.

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Kevin Keller
Feb 23, 2021
Replying to

Thanks, Paul. That's very interesting, what you've said about style. Honestly, I don't know what my style is, or if I even have one. There are certain things that I've come to be known for, and on this project I'm consciously avoiding them. Thanks so much for your observations.

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deborah
Feb 23, 2021

like day 22 the best so far....

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bartpetterle
Feb 23, 2021

Busy, breathy, purposeful and beautiful! The meditation is over, time to pack up and emerge from this sacred space with newfound wisdom and purpose. Do not delay!


...........At least that's how it speaks to me :-)

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