Composing Smooth Jazz: Evolution of a New Song – Transcendance, Part 4

(Part 3 can be found here.)

Next, I started doing something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

In the sequencer that I use, Digital Performer, I have installed a plugin sampler called MachFive. And in MachFive you have the ability to load any sound into it and then trigger that sound on your keyboard.

In my case, what I’ve always wanted to do, and have done here, is load a bunch of sax licks into the sampler, then bend, fold, and mutilate them – that is, edit them – to see what I could come up with.

Here’s an image of the MachFive sampler with a bunch of the sax licks I’ve already recorded in this song loaded and ready to be triggered by each keyboard key:

So, after much experimentation, frustration, persperation, conflagration, and consideration of my situation, I’ve come up with a working version of the song with a bunch of triggered sax licks, some of which play backwards.

My goal is to not only experiment with the sax-in-the-sampler idea, but also to make it pleasing, musical, and transcendental. With this in mind, I’ve decided to change the name of the song to “Transcendance”.

Here it is. Enjoy!

Transcendance

(I’m going to leave it here for a while and move on to another song; I’ve got several lined up in my head.)