Okay folks, here is the place to talk about the songs. You can listen to the songs HERE.

Moved from the other thread.

Just some thoughts.

Track 01 - Robin Burk: nice use of the drone, especially in that opening stab.

A Sunday Kind of Day - Richard Brooner: a hurdy-gurdy? That keltic/irish atmosphere is very different and absolutely wonderful.

Butterflies - Hans VanGurp: romantic and sweet.

Cloud Symphony - Jason Chaplain: nice use of percussion. Even some of the flute parts are percussive.

Contest Ensemble 09 - Ted Moldenhauer: great piece. The guitar and the shaker give a good drive to it, and the multiple flutes are arranged very creatively.

Flute in Da House! - Victor Eijkhout: did you get lost on your way to a disco or something?

In Stillness Excerpt - Kevin Reams: very pretty, and the only piece that actually shifts keys. It's always good to hear something that goes beyond the obvious. (What happened with the ending?)

The Shore - Mark Reinheimer: almost a solo, since you only have a drone and sound effects with it. Beautiful pensive melody.

Shadow Of The Rainbow - Pat Wilson: I love the piano and love the high flute, but they sometimes sound like in different keys to me. Compliments on the creative piano part!

She's Coming Home - Robin Schneider: the doubled flute in the beginning is wonderful. Do I hear a mandolin in the background. I like the somewhat assertive main melody and the low second voice. Very nice arrangement.

Guardian - Stephen Cumberworth: nice polyphony!

Under A Blue Moon - Jim Cook: great playing against that moody synth. Lovely sound and great solo.

What The River Said To The Earth - Paul Van Heuklom: is that Udu live? I find it such a hard instrument to record, but you play well. In some places your flute playing goes quite a bit beyond pentatonic. Nifty!


Victor.

Thanks for the feedback, Victor. Yes, the udu is live, me playing. I only just started listening to the other pieces so will say more later.

Just wanted to take this opportunity to post the full version of the tune "instillness". I had to cut not only the ending but the intro as well to fit it into the contest guidelines. Thanks again!
Kevin

Congrats to everyone. Lot's of great music. Way to go Jeff and Kevin.

So brief comments on my entries - - -

Ensemble: "A Sunday Kind of Day". Used a Melodica (two hands which is a bit weird with the left hand playing upside down), a Meinl fiberglass Udu, a Mid F#m Flute and Low Bbm flute. Piece is in Db major with a 5/4 beat.

Solo: Neveseri Never Again - Mid Am flute - playing a Neveseri Scale. (Planning to play it in Turkey with a Thunderstorm background.)

All Woodsounds Flutes - F#m Cocobolo, Bbm Ironwood, Am ERC.

A small note about my ensemble track. Listen closely: apart from the bass (and the drums of course) everything is flutes. No matter how it may sound, it's all NAF. Eight or so tracks and tons of processing.

Victor.

Oh yeah, Richards post reminded me, flutes used on my entries are:

Instillness- Two Gomez/Heartsong flutes, a D# in lacewood followed by a D in Blackwalnut

Spiral Dance- Colyn Petersen/Woodland voices port orford cedar in D

I'd definately love to know what everyone else used for flutes on theirs!! Back to some more listening! (I have to say what I liked right off the bat was all the great names for songs, like "What The River Said To The Earth", very cool)

Kevin

I believed it was all flutes (except for the parts you noted.) It's pretty amazing what you did with it. Lot's of work I imagine.

Mine was simple, Black Limba SOTW Low A for my solo and my Earl Tharp Spalted Maple G on the ensemble Cloud piece. Just listened to my solo piece again and I like it, I know it's kinda mellow and calm but that's just how that flute likes to be played and it's one of my favorites. Still glad I entered, was fun no matter what.

Congrats Kevin and Jeff,
Wow am I glad I wasn't in the jury.
Soo many different styles of playing, that makes it even more difficult to the judges.
I am not able yet to listen to them all just now....am at work , but Kevin, just listened to your entry and I was blown away by it. Beautiful piece. Well done.
This evening I will listen to the rest of the entries.

Nnnnnnnnice

Greetz
Hans

My entries were both played on a Colyn Petersen walnut mid A. You'll notice, actually, that the solo and ensemble are the same flute track. The ensemble just adds the udu.

I can't listen to all the tracks right now (I am supposed to be working ) but couldn't wait to listen to the solo winner track. Jeff you are really a worthy winner! A wonderful song!

Wow, these are amazing... well, except mine. lol. Mine is terrible.
I'm not saying that to just put myself down... it is. This was sort of weird for me, I've never done an amateur contest before.
Maybe some of you others are 1st timers too. Anyway, I had been reading my "Idiot's Guide" music books a lot right before I did this, trying to teach myself how to turn an improv into a song, so to speak. I wanted to take a line or something cute I may noodle, and be able to build on it... repeat it or something, let it grow into an actual song on the fly, play around with it and then be able to come back to it and end it cleanly.
I was also reading a lot on how a song is actually written and structured and such into lines and verses, etc.
My solo submission was the first song I did that really reflected this. The problem is it was the first... and although at the time I was OK with it, the second attempt was better, and the third better than the last. Then I got that Fallen Branch Sunflower flute and started wailing on it...

... and I found when I went back and listened to my submission I hated it...lol. Well, didn't hate it. But there were so many mistakes, so much more I could do with it. It's only been a few weeks, but I have gotten so much better since then, at least I think so...lol... but I'm still just scratchin' the surface, I got a lot more learning and practicing to do... hehehe.

So seriously, this song was not the best I've done, but for me still kind of a personal milestone, because it was the first thing I've done that actually had a solid structure to it. Unlike the stuff I had done before it, this wasn't just improvised. It was the piece I've done that by definition could be called a "song". But listening to it now I realize I was concentrating TOO much on the structure and not enough on the melody, if you know what I mean. It's kinda stiff...

Anyway, my submission was called "Stardust". It's named after another one of my cats.
If it's even on the other page, just skip over that one... trust me!!!
But if you want, I was listening to it again about a week ago and decided to try a newer version.
I'm not sure if I like it yet or not, but this is "Stardust III".
I wish the contest had been a month later, this is 1000 times better than what I submitted..lol..

Click to view attachment

I agree, lovely song indeed Jeff....and Gerard...will you get back to work now

Hey Jim, also a first time for me entering a competition like this. I rather just play for a live audience, no time to think about the music, just play and hope it will be well received. For projects like this I tend to think too much about how to create the music. From what I read, Jeff just played the song...came from his heart....no hard thinking, no how to manuals....inspiration and emotion....yep...that is the best way.
Again well done winners.......uhm...however...before you all receive your flutes they just have to be checked by all the other members of the forum to see if they are good enough for you guys to play.....so it might take a while before the prices end up at your doorsteps I believe Tenzin wants to try them out first.....then Gerard and me....

Again well done winners.......uhm...however...before you all receive your flutes they just have to be checked by all the other members of the forum to see if they are good enough for you guys to play.....so it might take a while before the prices end up at your doorsteps I believe Tenzin wants to try them out first.....then Gerard and me....
[/quote]


ok, I will be next !

hey, we are one big family - we are kinda one - and we all have the same needs... or the same need...
... what was it again ....

all we need is ... can it be that I forgot this phrase... ah yes, there we go... flutes

all we need is flutes !

Thank you.. its an honor believe me. There are a lot of great tracks!!



Yes, it was recorded as I played.. no planning, just from me. Thanks..

It's called spontaneous composition.

I want a sticker for the back of my car that says that. " Got Spontaneous Composition?"
You know how on the E channel, they have a show called. "Best Week Ever" about what celebrity this week is having all kinds of great things happen to them? Well this is Jeff's best week ever. Last week he had like a $500 repair bill to his truck and was broke and this week won like $500 in flutes and I'm mailing him (and Richard to) a money order for another $200 from cd sales because we had a couple really good back to back events. We just received another request to perform for a Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser on the 11th and didn't think we'd get time to practice again until we were in our hotel room in Konya and then this call comes. We sold so many flutes for our maker that he is sending more and to thank us for selling so many for him he said sell them and keep it. So, Jeff. Best Week Ever You've given so much, you deserve it, time for payback.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Va--BTpRg

It's in the "Share your art" thread as well but just for fun will put it here. This one was one of my choices to add, I played something similar at the studio when recording my submissions. Hope you like it.

dang, I want all of these songs on a cd so I can listen to them in my car.

I see text.....no links....no music.....no nothing....what up? please help

I just went there and everything is fine. It might be your browser--what are you using?

Lower your security setting and click on the word "Here", enable cookies.

Now I have listened to all entries. I am glad I was not in the jury. So many fantastic songs! Also in the ensemble category a worthy winner, I think.
All songs are beautiful, but some do speak a bit extra to me. Hans both entries for example. Sissys song also, as well as Nunc Dimitis of Pat (what flute is that?) ...
One feels humble to have entered the contest in such eminent company...

Mark, what flute did you use for that fantastic song Armadillo dreaming? It is so very special.

Thanks for your kind words on my entry, Nunc Dimittis.
I used a special flute that I bought for the purpose of Palliative Care playing. It's a low C verdi by Bob Child (Ugly Boy). It's the one without the SAC. I actually call the flute "Nunc Dimittis", from the prayer, "Lord, lettest now thy servant depart in peace..." It is an amazing flute.
I painted a rising dove on it, as well as a band on the bottom which covers the full nunc dimittis prayer in Latin underneath.
Pat

just listened to all the ensemble pieces... there are some very talented people on this portal
while it's a shame there can be only one winner, i think it demonstrates the true meaning of competition (literally, striving together, urging each other to be the best that we can be).

kudo's to everyone who entered and a special thanks to the judges who took the time to listen to them all.

Thank you Victor. I can really get into this song and enjoy punching the drone as well.

This song is titled "Bear Island". I didn't label electronically as I understood that no info was to be tagged. I regret that the title was not included as was in the email, I had plenty of time to correct.

I am currenty on vacation and look forward to listening to the other songs upon my return!

Robin Burk

Robin ... what's the name of your other track so I can change it on my downloaded file.

Much talent in this group. I also enjoyed listening to all the songs. The variety of music is amazing as is the quality. Some great players around. I guess next year the competition will be even harder
I played my buffalo song on a low D by Raymond Redfeather. The song is undergoing some editing and I hope to put the song with really nice video on youtube this weekend. It was meant as a prayer for the buffalo nation (Tatanka Oyate). The song butterflies I played on a Gm flute by Butch Hall and as you can guess has to do with having butterflies. Allthough that is a long distant memory

You know what...this is a really nice flutefamily. I am grateful being part of it.

My solo is titled "Song In Her Heart". Thanks for asking Paul, should have included in other post. Mind apparently in vacay mode!

Thanks, Robin .... Okay, now where's Ted? Reminds me of my students who title an essay: Essay #1.

Just when I thought I had been robbed ... I downloaded all the songs to Real Player (which has a 5-star rating system) and finally finished listening to and rating them all for myself. I gave all five stars to 11 entries in both categories (none of them my own ). Congrats to the deserving winners, but I honestly don't know how anyone could be singled out of this elite group of talented and creative artists. You've all set the bar high and inspired me to give up the flute ... just kidding! I'll be back next year leaner and meaner.

I've been up the last two nights listening! I think everyone did awesome, and I know it's been said several time already but we certainly do have alot of talent here on the Portal! I do want to give a shout out to some of my personal fav's, along with a few questions here and there.

First, the ensemble pieces-

Hans, I love the guitar on Butterflies, I'm jealous!

Ted, your rhythym track to your ensemble entry kinda reminded me of the soundtrack to one of my favorite movies, "The Wicker Man" (the original one). Spooky!

Victor, I have to admit your piece scared me at first (we fear change), but by the time you broke it down in the middle, I was groovin in da house!!

Mark, I just have to say that I really loved "The Shore", it felt very celtic to me and made me want to break out my low whistle and play along! What did you use to get the drone note? Was that computer generated or a keyboard?

Robin, I liked how your piece has a rhythmic melody, so often we get stuck in the new age free form noodling on the NAF (which don't get me wrong, I love that too! But something different now and again is good as well)

Jim, I really like "Under a Blue Moon", it's one of the ones I'm know I'm going to listen to again, I find it to be mornfully magestic.

and Stephen, Richard and Jason, it is pieces like yours that truly made me believe that I did not have a chance at winning this category with just a flute and a guitar. Please let me say again how honored I am to have been chosen from such a group of talented players, thank you.

(to be continued for solo entries...)

(...continued)

Solo entries-

Carlos, "Taxutsanti" would have had my vote, very cool. What kind of flute did you use and who made it? It's a melody drone I assume?

Stephen, one of these days my fingers will move as fast as yours.

John, I like the way your piece "Songbird" gave the impression of bird song without resorting to actual bird call mimicry, I think I would have liked it better without the drone though, but that's just me.

Hans, I LOOOVE the sound of your flute on "Honoring the Buffalo", very earthy, nasaly, in your face traditional sound, but still haunting like all good NAF should be. Yet another one that would have had my vote.

OK Gerard, you have to tell the story behind the name of your piece, I gotta know.

Jason, truely beautiful, reminds me of my favorite place to play naf, on the edge of a lake at dusk.

Jeff, thank you for reminding us what the NAF is all about and what makes it so great, just step aside and let it flow. Well deserved.

OK, who let the bum named Kevin in?! Spiral Dance? More like spiral out of control!

Coolest review yet....

Beautiful! The name is very fitting! I was thinking of that context when I saw the title and heard the song.

I hadn't planned saying much about that... but OK. I had had a conversation about certain dreams in life which never had come through (yet), and wondering about why things do not turn out as you dream of even if all parts try ever so hard. I was thinking about that conversation later in the evening, sitting on the balcony under the midnight sun, looking out over the mountains and then this song came. My wife said she felt it is seeking, asking, wondering... to find a way forward. Something like that. Could have called it searching for a dream, or something like that.

May not be so clear but I'm not going to tell more

Ahhhh... but you've been playing so much longer than I have, I'm thinking you can do it by instinct at this point.
I haven't downloaded your solo, I didn't download any yet, yesterday was kinda busy. But I watched your video, and even though you may be making it up on the spot, there is still a structure to your piece... it is still a "song", not just a rambling improv.
Not that I'm putting down rambling improvs... they're what I do best...lol
But you've been playing long enough that even without having to plan it, you're still playing something with a form to it... does that make sense??? I'm getting now where I can finally do it without thinking about it as much. Give me until next year and then I'll give you a fight...hehehe

I've snuck away from our gathering to make a quick check of the forum so this will be fast. I've not listened to any of the recordings yet-no time.

Jusat a quick comment -Kevin your review is Honorable ,gracious, supportive and encouraging!

I must be doing something wrong. Everybody keeps talking about downloading the entries. When I visit the website I just get a page full of players with no save or download option.

Is there another site that has the entries available for download or something?

You might have to disable the plug-in that is showing the player, or get a downloader type program (DownloadThemAll! is an add-on I used in FireFox.)
Or if you had quicktime pro - I think it would allow you to download them from the plug-in player.

- Richard

Pat,

It sounds like you recorded this in a church as well. I loved the quality of the reverb.

I may be able to help with that--I'll try to get download links for the entries posted on the forums so people can just click and download. It might take a day or two.

Or you can go...File save page as....in your browser!
When you want to call up the page...go to where you saved it...click on the browser icon within the file...ta-da there it is!
And no, you don't have to be online...once you save the page it captures all the content on your PC.

Thanks for that Geoffrey!

Geoffrey,

That would be helpful. I have been trying to down load the music but it keeps locking up the computer.

There is some excellent music here. Excellent. I have listened several times and will continue to do so. My hats off to EVERY entry. You are all players to admire. The talent and the friendships here are nothing short of amazing to say the least.

Thank you Geoffrey for making this place for all to gather.

I am using Firefox 3.0.10

thanks!

it is an ceramic armadillo made by Nash

flutesbynash.com

I included a picture from his website....my flute is similar...or it might be the same one...