Background
My experimentations continue. In this one I explore the arpeggiator. What I have found is that some “happy accidents” that I could never have planned can happen when manual playing and an arpeggiator interact.

Some will not like this song because of its length, that’s OK. But I find it almost impossible to cram a complete musical thought within a 2 minute timespan. FWIW this started its life more than 6 minutes long but I was able to reduce it some. Some of my favorite instrumentals written and performed by pros exceed 15 minutes.

Comments always welcome.


Technicals
90 BPM
Mixed in Studio One

BIAB
RealTracks in style: 912:Piano, Electric, Rhythm SmoothPoppy Ev16 090
RealTracks in style: 1236:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm SmoothJazzPoppy Ev16 090
RealDrums in style:SmoothJazzPoppy-4-XStHiHt,SnrHHt [Multi]

Me
Electric Bass
Korg Drum Pattern (Intro)
Korg Vintage Saw (Manually Played and Arpeggiator)
Korg Noize Dark (Manually Played)
Korg Acoustic Piano (Manually Played and Arpeggiator)
Korg Electra 368 (Arpeggiator)
Korg FM Vamp Pad (Manual Played)


Poem
Of Anisoptera, dragonfly what an interesting creature you are
I have observed you up close and admired you from far

With 3000 known species and more to discover
You fly forward, backward, straight up and down and have been known to hover

Today your wingspan is but a few inches; between 2 and 5
And that is plenty for you to survive

But the fossil record shows your ancestors too could compete
And their wingspans were much larger, up to 2 feet

With such a large dragonfly on the prowl day and night
They must have filled early man with fear and fright

Were you food for us or were we food for you?
Or could it be possible that both were true?

Two compound eyes, four wings and six legs
Your larvae can swim quite well and develop from eggs

You are a hunter who catches insects mid-flight
Most of your head is eye so you have excellent sight

Arial acrobatics consume energy as you chase your prey
But not a problem as you can consume hundreds of mosquitos each day

Dozens of you may gather to feed in swarms
Thru the branches, thickets, meadows and thorns

One species can migrate clear across the Indian Ocean
11,000 miles of fantastic locomotion

Engineers are working hard to copy your skills
They want a robot to fly undetected thru valleys and over hills

So the next time you see one sitting in the sun or flying close by
Consider all that is the magnificent dragonfly

Dragonfly

BT...this is really cool...it's great background for contemplation and relaxation...the longer the better with this type of piece...I enjoyed every moment...thanks for posting!

I like this kind of electronic music and enjoyed the listen a lot.

I have no problem listening to this stuff even if the song lasted 15 minutes. However, it is a great challenge for the composer to captivate the listener for such a long time, especially in a time when the average listener's attention span tends to zero.

I think you did a good job, even with the original 6 minutes I would have listened to the end!

BT.

what can i say except SUPERB.

there is a 'feeling' evoked by this song i'm haveing difficulty describing....except to say loved the 'soundscape' of the piece.

ok i got it...when i was a kid i spent lots of time in africa..and your song made me think of africa.
i'll share something with you mate.
at night we used to sleep on the flat roof under mosquito nets and we could hear often the distant music of african villages. it reminds me of that time.

this is a very subtle great song which drew me in.

GREAT JOB MATE.

om

Nice one Steve,Mix wise I'd suggest lifting the bass/kick drum to about the same level as the bass.
Speaking of bass...REALLY good.
I can hear a faint but lovely melody from chords of the piano.
I can also imagine this lifting into an Osibisa style groove.
Nice one.

Nothing wrong with a long instrumental just so long as there is enough movement and variation to keep the listener engaged, and you proved that you have the knack for doing that with your last few uploads.

Really well done, enjoyed.

Hi

Instrumentals are normally not my cup of tea but I found this riveting and also quite hypnotic.

I enjoyed it very much - thanks.

Best Regards
Nigel

fs, thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you're not put off by a 5 minute song.

And contemplation is good

Hey BD, thanks so much for the listen. I'm glad your attention span is not tending to zero

Hey om, so glad you enjoyed this, I worked on it for awhile.

Africa!!?? Wow, you must have so many awesome menories. I've never visited that continent.

Hey Ray, I always appreciate your insightful analyses. I'm glad you enjoyed this. The kick is embeded in the Korg drum track so I could raise it a bit. Good point.

I had to look up Osibisa: Osibisa are a Ghanaian-British Afro-rock band founded in London in the late 1960s by four expatriate West African and three London based Caribbean musicians. I need to explore them a bit.

Hey Dave, thanks so much for kind review. And I totally agree about keeping the movement moving. I try to do just that.

Much appreciated Nigel. So glad you enjoyed it.

Isn't music wonderful? I find it so neat how we can communicate musically to one another.

Very nice, the opening buildup was especially engaging.

4:45 is nothing. I want the 6-minute version for the whole thought. Man, I remember first CD player in car. It would always start the last song played at the beginning. I was only 15 minutes from work, and often listened to he same Jaco or Dead song for weeks.

Back to your thoughts... All of that thinking into 2 chords. WOW. This is more meditative, allowing all other thoughts to rest while the truth is revealed. I'm on my second listen (what a rebel, huh?), and already forget what I wanted to say. The truth is this is very entertaining AND relaxing. Many would call this one a simple bass track, but they obviously never tried it. Most of the pros will say that keeping it straight is the hardest part, and you have mastered it here. Well done.

Hi Bass Thumper,

Nice construction, very progressive in intensity and volume. Composition rich in instrumental variations. Well done.

Kindly regard
Derochette
alias JaniJackFlash

Nothing but good stuff to say. A very pleasent sound indeed. Well done my friend.

Nice instrumental.

Pleasant and relaxing, with enough variation to keep things interesting.

Mesmerizing in an uplifting mellow manner.
How's that for alliterations?

Odonatas are our fav insects and we thoroughly enjoy watching them.
So it was quite easy to get lost in this well done composition ... listening and reading.

Well done!

J&B

PS Bud had a bicycle once for which the model name was odonata.

Steve, you have come a very long way in a very short period of time.
You know that I love this genre and you did it perfectly....brilliant
Super bass part.
Outstanding instrumentation and mix.
This is your best to date IMHO.

Thanks Mark, I appreciate the feedback.

Ahhh, the Greatful Dead. Saw them live on my college campus one lovely Spring day in the football stadium. Took a well needed break from the books. We got good and close and was mesmerized by how their 2 drummers played off each other.

Yep 2 chords, C and Bb hovering with the dragonfly

Many thanks for the kind words Marty, you are one of my mentors here.

Hey Derochette, many thanks for your listen and kind comments. I appreciate your ears

Thanks a bunch Dan, glad you liked it.

Many thanks David. I'm trying to pay more attention to "keep things interesting".

Many thanks Janice for your kind words and clever alliteration. Dragonflies are indeed unique creatures.

Thanks so much Mario, you have been a musical inspiration to me since joining this forum.

Don't you find it interesting that everyone here has a unique style; a "music fingerprint" if you will. That's one of the many things I love about music; one can internalize it.

Definitely too short, I couldn't read all the comment to this song while listening to it
I really enjoyed the hypnotic groove. Very nice combination of BIAB instruments, your bass playing and the synths. Sounds very professional work. Would be an excellent fit for a dragonfly nature document.

Good poem full of information but still artistic. Only 63 dragonfly species have been observed here in Finland. I have noticed that they are very difficult to photograph when they are flying, but when they bath in the sun, they are very pleasant target and have very beautiful and sometimes scary details.

BTW. I think I have exactly the same species on my computer's lock screen as in the picture you attached

Janne

Hey Janne, many thanks for the listen and thoughtful feedback. I'm finding that BiaB and my Korg are a great combo. The Korg allows me express creativity with my hands; there's just something satisfying about pressing keys on a physical keyboard. And BiaB provides the backbone that I don't have the skills to produce.

Yes, dragonflies can be beautiful and graceful and yet scary if it has a 2 foot wingspan

Lovely piece BT. Nice atmospheric piece. Loved the basslines. Gave the song a cool groove. Well done..