WX5 Videos

I just realized that I haven’t shared my WX5 videos here. I did them a while ago and posted them to Youtube but I’m guessing some of you haven’t seen them before. The WX5 is really fun to play because you configure it to sound like a variety (hundreds) of different instruments, and the voices allow you to inject your own personality and expressiveness.

If you don’t like one of the tunes, just click on the < or > buttons to the left or right of the videos to move on.

You can see more of my WX5 stuff here.

Be a kid for 60 seconds

I recorded this tune today just before Sunday Lunch.

Being a kid is a lot of fun, and sometimes you enjoy music more when you suspend your “grown up” mind and just be a child again – even if its only for sixty seconds.

This is a three-part tune I did on the WX5, using Trombone (8), Clarinet (99) and Trumpet (5). If you can pick the tune before the trumpet comes in at 35 seconds, you’re truly a kid at heart!

Enjoy!

Bach Fugure in G Minor (BWV 578)- my jazzy attempt

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been working on this rendition of Bach’s Fugue in G Minor “The Little” (BWV 578).

I’ve driven our entire house crazy with it, and now my poor wife, Liz, can’t get the tune out of her head. And I can’t stop whistling it and humming it as I walk around.

I think I could do better than this, but I’m sharing this with you because if I know someone listens to it, I’ll try harder next time. Despite my clumsy attempts and the slow pace I took it at, I love this piece. Bach is a genius. This music is just as enjoyable now as it was hundreds of years ago when he wrote it. I love the way the different phrases echo from each part.

This arrangement is in four parts, for four saxophones. I recorded each track separately on my WX5 using the Floboe for Soprano and Alto parts, Trumpet for Tenor part, and Baritone sax for Baritone part. At one place, when the trumpet had a two bar sustained note, I was really tempted to throw in an improvised jazz lick, but in the end I decided not to because I need to play it better before trying something like that.

It’s hard to play this on a wind instrument because you have bars and bars of semi-quavers, and no room to breathe.

Anyway, if you listen to it, please let me know. I’ll try hard to play better next time!

Lullaby

Here’s a simple lullaby.

I picked out the simplest chord progression I could find, (I IV V) threw in a simple bridge (ii I ii V) and played a few different parts on different tracks. (Air Sax, Floboe, Bass Clarinet). The piano accompaniment is a what I got when I plugged the chords into Band in Box).

It’s amazing how something beautiful can come out of something so simple.

The pics are of my sister, brother and me as babies.

Hope you like it

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