Cosmosomum Myriduriam, for Double Bass, Piano and Live Electronics

This is a piece I wrote for exploring the virtuoso possibilities of the Double Bass, along with the use of effects: Metal-like distortion, phaser, and rotary + tap delay.

Cosmosomum Myriduriam, for Double Bass, Piano and Live Electronics

is it experimental for the sake of experimental? i am not a fan of that kind of music - music that pushes limites of an instrument - it can be too self-conciously trying to be different or explore just cause someone can however... the sounds are cool - i like them. it sounds aleatoric - is there some kind of score? this would be even better live - sense of theatre wud work with this too. it is all so gestural i felt a little bombarded at times. but i am glad i took this trip anyway something cosmic alright :cool:

Well, I had never written a piece like that before, I mean, the one that pushes the limits of an instrument... But I had to take that opportunity, because the double bass player for whom I wrote it is an excelent one, and when one is a student, having the chance to work with a national contest winner is not common. He wanted precisely that: a piece where he could explore his instrument in ways he hadn't (he had only worked with classical repertoire, and the "rarest" piece he'd played was Psy by Berio).

However, there is a clear consequence of my... too enthusiastic exploration: I'm aware that this piece might sound a little episodic. You're right about the huge amount of gestures. I'm still in the proccess of learning to filter the ideas in such a way that I don't use every single gesture I think of for a single piece heheh.

And yes, the theather helps a lot, you have to feel the distortion resonance all over your body, just like in a rock concert :happy:

I will upload the score soon (there's a couple corrections I haven't finished).

Thank you for listening and writing your comments, they are pretty useful to me.

This is fantastic. What are you using for live electronics?

Well...this is interesting!

Sometimes this piece bored me to death (like from 2:00 to 3:00ish, I about went to sleep: sparseness can work for music, but I wasn't feeling it in this case), but sometimes it went from sleepy-time music to hypnotic music (like at about 6:30ish, i.e.), where the neat sounds you used formed to create this bizarre, think atmosphere (and with so little actual music used, which is impressive). All-in-all, I think this is fairly hit-or-miss, but I'm glad you uploaded it: nice to see some very different pieces every now and then ;)

Thanks for sharing, and welcome to Young Composers! Feel free to explore the site! :D

This is fantastic. What are you using for live electronics?

I used a guitar multi-effect processor, a Digitech RP250. I thought it wasn't going to work with the double bass, since it has so many low frequencies, but it did... Not with all the effects, off course, but these ones did. I connected it with a fretted strings pickup (it was originally designed for a violin, but I'd been using it on my viola with good results, and the double bass player is also a luthier, so he came out with a solution for adapting it to his instrument). I combined the parameters for my effects there, editing the presets...

Sometimes this piece bored me to death (like from 2:00 to 3:00ish, I about went to sleep: sparseness can work for music, but I wasn't feeling it in this case),

Yes! That is precisely one of the moments in which I went away from the concrete ideas I had and the notion of development went to hell hehehe. It is exactly one of my weaknesses in my technique, and I'm working on it right now (just like when, on the instrument, your teacher picks a specific study for you because you need to solve a certain technical problem).

As a string player, I always found the ideas of using amplification and fx pedals interesting in and of themselves. I can remember listening with vigor in Middle School to a local jazz violinist (Kathy Morris). She brought her electric violin and let us test it out. Was a fascinating experience. This piece is interesting and I hope the Bass player enjoyed playing around with it. It has an almost 'trippy' vibe to it that I really like! Thanks for sharing and I hope you enjoy our community here.

well the fx unit you are using isnt the best in the world and it really shows in the overdrive effects. But pretty cool idea. some of it was pretty neat sounding.