The direction on the lines, the dynamics between them, simply amazing! But I gotta ask, how do you work those tight and very specific rhythms that Lyle improvised? I'm interested in hearing your take about it. Thanks for sharing :)
Thanks for listening! And thanks for your question. Cognitively, I think I've just built up an extensive collection of audiation equivalences in my mind; that is, I've learned what the sound of a lot rhythmic and melodic phrases looks like on paper (it helps that I have perfect pitch). I've always had an interest in crazy rhythmic concepts (e.g. tuplets, polyrhythms) and I wanted to "get to know them", so I spent a lot of time with them. This applies to pretty much every aspect of transcription (and music in general) for me; I think of music as a (infinite) group of cool-seeming people, and practicing and playing around with music is the means of getting to know those people. I guess you could say transcription for me is like a description of the "people" I've met in a given piece/passage. Practically, when I come across rhythms that aren't immediately discriminable, I just slow the video down until I figure out what's going on; I try not to jump to 0.25x immediately so I can challenge myself and hopefully improve even more. It's also worth noting that slowing the recording down actually sometimes removes some of the context necessary to figure out what the performer was trying to do (that's what I'm seeking in my transcriptions: the intention of the performer, mediated by observation of the actual result; it makes for a more organic result, eliminating the danger of producing a New Complexity score, an otherwise inevitable danger due to the inevitability of "human touch" in performance). I think it's that the tiny microrhythms are magnified to the point where they become actual rhythms instead of those "human touches". Just a theory though (A MUSIC THEORY). Transcription is fun, man.
@@oscargill423 I just love the way you interpret music as a group of cool-seeming people and the awareness that we do need context to understand how the artist is expressing him/her/their self. I'm really interested in learning more advanced rhythmic concepts such as polyrhythms, metric modulation and tuplets: where do you think I should start? Last but not least, this is by far the most cool and human and music-caring answer I've ever got on internet. Guess that just prove that internet can create powerful sharings amongst people and it's not just all hate, insults and 10 second videos.
@@juampsmusic I'm so glad you love it! The main reason I post on RU-vid is to share music and ways of looking into it, so I'm glad it resonates with you! For learning advanced rhythmic concepts, I think it's a matter of doing similarly to what I've done: familiarising yourself with them. My recommendation is to find a clip of a polyrhythm (you can just search up the polyrhythm, e.g. "5:3 polyrhythm", and you'll get a range of helpful results), and then just play it over and over again, trying to tap along if you want. Eventually a phenomenon occurs (whose exact name escapes me) whereby the brain starts to make musical sense of even the most unmusical repeated audio segments. After some time, the polyrhythm will just... make sense. What's even better is if you can find an example "in the wild"; that is, an organic usage in a piece of music; this will, I have found, speed up the process dramatically. These are just my thoughts; take them with a grain of salt. Regarding your final comment, to be fair, RU-vid, like any entertainment platform, is a place of taking, of supply and demand. People come to be entertained, to relax, and this means that when the content they consume is not up to their very subjective, often very particular standards, they vent their dissatisfaction (and other external stresses) in strongly worded comments. Conversely, creators receive money, or at the very least dopamine, when consumers engage with their content, and so they manufacture it on an industrial scale, hundreds of bitesize videos a cocaine-infused sparrow could sit through. However, there remains (and, I believe, as in many other cases of interconnected creativity, always will remain) those who are looking for something deeper on both sides; those who seek to share themselves with the world, and those seek to take up that offer. I love music more than almost anything in the world, and have for most of my life. I'm just glad I can channel that love into something refreshing and uplifting.
His solos were always transcendent. Usually began very simply and calmly and then increase the intensity on a slow curve. Watching this transcription helps to illustrate that he floated in such a silky way across time that wasn’t prescribed or confined by any meter or typical harmonic structure. Elegant, silky, lyrical, and deeply musical, always. What a gift he was, and thanks to his recordings, still is.
This whole album is brilliant. I had the pleasure of hearing Lyle's work live with Pat Metheny several times in the mid 80's with that amazing lineup and some of his solo's were just mesmerizingly beautiful, flowing seamlessly between piano and synth. The last show I saw with Lyle Mays was The Way Up tour with PM and once again was just blown away. His legacy will live on and rightly so.
Fantastic job transcribing a fantastic solo. Idid “Highland Aire” back when the album came out. I just listened the “Street Dreams” for the first time in many years and was again blown away by Lyle’s composing and playing. For me, he and Bill Evans are my favorite players. I told him this after a PMG concert back in ‘89. He then showed me his Steinway with midi and his pedals to control the setup. He told me that he didn’t practice, but he composed. That was an amazing tip. Super nice guy. Still have the signed tour sweatshirt. Lyle should have gotten the kind of attention Jacob Collier is getting.
My pleasure! I'd say Shorter's is a bit more chaotic (in the best possible way); at least Lyle's have some clear patterns he follows (again, in the best possible way). Definitely still similar in terms of complexity and "freedom", if you like. Glad I could help!
I've listened to some of your music. Suffice it to say that Lyle Mays was an infinitely more talented composer and performer that you are or will ever be.
@@Jamienewman0 It just goes to show that music is subjective and there will always be someone who doesn't agree with an otherwise universally agreed upon idea. But, as a certain cynical British music RU-vidr once said, everyone has a right to their opinion... even if that opinion is wrong.
A marvelous and very detailed transcription of one of Lyle´s most elegant piano solos, congratulations!. Lyle was one of the very few pianists who´s solos are like finished compositions. His genius to deliver structure, crystal clear ideas and color while improvising has no pair, and so many of them are also underrated (First Circle, Street Dreams, Better days ahead, to name a few...). Long Life to Lyle´s legacy.
Your outstanding transcription helps illuminate the sophistication of this amazing solo. Thanks for advocating for its wider appreciation by all. Looking forward to your future transcriptions! Really impressive!
I remember finding Mays' solo debut in a used record store CD bin not even looking for it, tho I'd been a PMG fan a couple years by then. I bought it more curious than expectant and was overwhelmed the first listening. Slink was the track stood out. Many years later now, I realize Close To Home even more magnificent but Slink always will remain a revered piece. RIP Mr Mays.
There is something about Slink that is completely unique on the album. All the others seem to be (fascinating) responses to different cultures (Scotland, Japan, and most notably Alaska), but Slink just seems to be theoretical brilliance; intricate counterpoint built from a simple ascending motif, all while still sounding cohesive and natural, and certainly listenable (if you're not overwhelmed by its complexity, as some may be). Close to Home is beautiful too, being the other stand out aside from Mirror of the Heart, although these are more reserved and, dare I say, quaint... and I mean these in the best way possible.
Well this is just phenomenal. In just over a month, this video has received almost 3000 views, more comments than any other video I've uploaded (almost combined), and earned my subscriber count a 50% increase. Thank you all so much for stopping by! Edit: Well this comment has aged well
Magnificent. So many of Lyle's motifs and transitions and peaks. Great start to a site. Lyle's amazing work needs to be represented by much more transcription. Best wishes for your site.
A few more under-represented masters in terms of transcriptions: Dave McKenna, Jimmy Rowles, Bobo Stenson, Steve Kuhn, Paul Bley. Again, best wishes. @@oscargill423
When art is incredibly complex and layered, as Lyle's music was, it can be difficult to fully absorb what is happening through perception alone. This transcription reveals the complexity and subtlety of a master musician and composer.
@@MaxIsBackInTown As much as I appreciate the defence, I don't think OC is comparing them; they're simply expressing that they enjoy Monk and Jarrett. No need to get all antsy about it.
thanks for posting this - I've never heard it before. I do think it would take multiple listens to better understand it, since it is rolling over complex changes; it might make more sense in the context of the full song. I had the same problem listening to Allan Holdsworth (incidentally, every time pianist Alan Pasqua shows up on his recordings, he shines...)
Jesus Christ you must have never listend to jazz if you think this is hard to follow. I’ve got some Barry Manilow if you need something a little more you speed.
@@oscargill423 not really, just disappointed. I knew you were trash when you replied to me so stupidly. But to think you were this terrible... it's literally no different from someone who has never studied music for a day in their life and has just been playing around with garageband or fl studio for 3 years.
@@EvantheHutch he's a terribly incompetent musician, that is incapable of making music, he uses a ton of worthless parlor tricks and pseudoscientific ideas like negative harmony, to pretend to look smart to the uneducated. He's not a "complex mind" he's just a cult leader.
@oscargill423 Oh I have TONS of requests but since you posted one of the Tim Waurick videos we can stay on those: True colors Clouds on Fire Soliloquy Something Good Lost Not while I'm around Come what may Just to name a few. And don't get me started on @barbershopraz and the Ringmasters tags. But yeah I'd love to see more [ASCENDED] barbershop tags. Such a cool concept!
1000 views??? Where did you all come from? Thank you all so much for stopping by, I hope you've enjoyed your time here, and that you'll stick around for more content to come in the future!
@@aquinuofficial Well stay tuned! I've been a little busy lately with university and such, but as soon as I can find the time, there'll be more epicness to come!
