'snowfeet' [piano piece]

[MarijaEnchantix]

Hey there!

I love this composition! You're a natural talent!

I'm a piano player myself for many, many years now (I'm only 18 :D ) and I'm trying to compose a piano piece for my friends on his birthday, just like you did. Could you please tell me a little bit closer how this work of magnificent music was made? I would really appreciate it! How long did it take for you to write this?

[TheraminTrees]

@MarijaEnchantix Thanks ;8) I used to spend months working things out and rehearsing, etc. But now I tend to record some improvisation and edit the bits that work together in Logic. I typically play around with two different melodies, and see if I can fit them together — which is what I did here. This piece took around an hour to record all the improvisations, and probably another hour to edit it into shape.

[MillCityPersons]

The eyes need to be fixed just a little bit.

[lepthymo]

thats beautiful man, a beautiful expression for a beautiful person.

[eliwalks]

zounds & props :)

[amazingbollweevil]

Astonishing portrait example. Much obliged (not that I could possibly do it myself!).

[aquabat2206]

This is beautifully done :)

[ReligiousFiction]

Sound + Image = Sublime

[TheraminTrees]

@ReligiousFiction Hey Religious, thanks ;8)

[NisseHult101]

TheraminTrees, did you make BOTH the music AND the drawing? Then you, sir, have quite a remarkable talent! Thanks for sharing it! Very nice.

[TheEpicion]

A human, through music. What a challenge, to create a living, breathing piece of music to describe a human. Each trill, each note, adding another layer, again and again until it shows a more complete picture.

I'm going to try this. Thankyou for the inspiration ^_^ this was wonderful as always. I heard it before, but I never left any comments on your music.

[TheraminTrees]

Hey TheEpicion. Well, it occurred to me that so much classical music tried to reflect real things and events — I thought why not try with a person. I had to just run with the fact it was going to be impossibly abstract and subjective ;8)

[NavinJohnson90]

This all completely improvised? I love how raw and expressive it is, yet when it grooves, it grooves.

[TheraminTrees]

Thanks Navin. The opening few bars were a vague melody that had been knocking round my head with no definite form for a while, and the rest flowed from that as I recorded and over-recorded improvisations.

[amazingbollweevil]

Very cool video. I'm always amazed watching a blank screen slowly evolve into a clean, recognizable image. Well done!

[Tolrias]

I wonder what drawing software did you use :)

[TheraminTrees]

Hello. The drawing software here was Adobe Photoshop.

[CityzenJane]

wonderful....

[TheraminTrees]

Hey CitizenJane, thanks ;8)

[Nowzies]

The music is great and the drawing too. In the end it looks like a blurred photo :)

[TheraminTrees]

Thanks Nowzies

[jursamaj]

Good work.

I wish I had *either* the musical or artistic talent. :)

[Politicimo]

She's a very beautiful woman.

[TheraminTrees]

She is indeed — in every sense ;8)

[anderstc47]

Beautiful work! Both piano and painting, very inspirational!

[StaulkHolm]

thats beautiful

[tinySpectacle]

I've been promising myself a look at your music videos. I am so glad I finally made the time; this is just a beautiful expression. You are one talented guy.

[TheraminTrees]

Thanks Tiny! Attempting a musical portrait was woefully subjective — probably, to some, to the point of pretentious! But there are some incredibly special people out there who I want to celebrate, and I don't have your amazing feel for words — I end up chucking clunky hyperbole and sometimes it all gets a bit syrupy! ;8)

[Relativisticism]

The piece is pretty good, but i think i enjoy the last 50 seconds the best. It seems to be more awake and moving then the rest.

[walkingmap]

Beautiful, What a wonderful Muse.

[TheraminTrees]

Thanks for your question. For me, doing this piece, I gave myself freedom to express myself in a completely subjective way. Like an abstract painting. I see the things in there that I'm responding to in Snowfeet — her brightness, her seeming simplicity giving way to complexity and dexterity, etc.. But I fully accept — and expect — that the abstract nature of this piece will offer little specific detail to others. My work's often concerned with pinpointing detail — I like the flipside.

[Kylevilhelm]

I must say you have an incredible ability on piano and photoshop, to create both sections must have been immensly difficult, but the effort creates such wonderous results.

Fantastic *big thumbs up*

[MBava67]

Well done. Indeed, she is quite beautiful.

[phekwig]

I don't know the person you're depicting, but the music and the drawing show me what true admiration is like...

[TheraminTrees]

Hey Fehquig/Phekwig ;8) Due to one thing and another, words have not been my best outlet of late — but it kind of fits in with this experiment in musical portraiture: words can seem so flat, cliché-riddled, and tiredly hyperbolic, shifting to a different medium sweeps all those verbal bear-traps aside. Of course it potentially opens up other ones .... ;8)

[QualiaSoup]

*Beautiful* piece of music for a truly beautiful person.

I love watching the image gradually emerging. It's compulsive viewing, all the little snippets of recognition as the shapes and colours click into that dazzling 'Sophieness'.

An audio-visual feast! ;^> x

[TheraminTrees]

Thank you Doug ;8) There were so many stills to choose from — with such a photogenic subject — but I particularly liked using the frame I used for reference here — really felt like 'caught in a thought'. x

[CapaxScribendi]

I am so used to seeing "Round 1" at the end of your songs on the Jamming channel! Listening to this I would actually love to jam with this. But it is obviously a very personal piece. Love it! :)

[TheraminTrees]

Hey Capax! Funnily, as I mentioned to someone else, I had toyed with the idea of putting it up as a special jam — exclusively for musicians who knew Snowfeet, to make a composite collective portrait. But it just didn't sit comfortably, and I went with my first intention and posted on here. I do hope we'll be hearing more jams from you! ;8)

[thinkmorepink]

amazing piece, theramin dear. Snowfeet is amazing.

[TheraminTrees]

Thanks Shan ;8) Snowfeet is indeed amazing isn't she — accomplished in so many areas, and still a grounded, warm-hearted, empathic human being. She's a peach in a snowdrift.

[hairyreasoner]

Fail. Snowfeet is the pinnacle of lovely.

What an extraordinary face.

What a magnificent fail.

[TheraminTrees]

What a shame — I'd not associated you with just leaving putdowns before. 'Don't like the painting,' is fine by me. 'Don't think you've caught this or that,' again fine. I happen to think Snowfeet is the pinnacle of lovely, and of beauty inside and out. If you don't feel my expression of that here coincides with yours, that's cool. But this 'fail' phrase was pure putdown — I don't respect that.

[hairyreasoner]

Trees: I'm really sorry. I expressed myself poorly.

What I meant was that nobody could ever do justice to how lovely snowfeet is, but that your attempt was magnificent. It was amazing.

Sorry to have expressed it so poorly.

[TheraminTrees]

Thanks for explaining that hairyreasoner. I'd got up this morning and saw that first message and just thought, 'I really don't know YouTube these days'. But I understand — and very much appreciate! — what you intended to communicate now. And I fully concur — nobody could do justice to Snowfeet's loveliness.

[hairyreasoner]

Really sorry for the misunderstanding. I accept full responsibility for having caused it. Thanks for your reply, sir!

[CapaxScribendi]

What a magnificently miserable comment.

[matrixcmitech]

this is a very nice example of communication in 3-dimensional format. 5☆★☆★☆

[TheraminTrees]

Thanks Matrix. I did wonder to myself before uploading, Is this just way too abstract/subjective? But after all life's there to try new things out.

[snowfeet]

Dear Mister TheraminTrees,

I have never been so honoured. It is such a pleasure just knowing you and sharing the art you make, but to be wrapped up in it and even claimed as an inspiration--I am rendered speechless. I've been playing this beautiful song again and again (and again). Thank you for this unforgettable birthday gift.. <3

[TheraminTrees]

Ah — happy birthday! I think I shared with you that words had been a little difficult of late, so my mode of expression for the last few weeks has essentially been music. And, for those last few weeks, you and sock-monkeys and Oscar Peterson have been swimming round my brain — I'd been toying with doing some kind of dedicated piano piece, but then thought about a piano portrait. If I've captured a shade of your brightness, reflectiveness .... and your *grooviness*, I'll've done ok. ;8) xxx

[Nofaris]

Beautiful.

[Maiyanna]

That was spectacular! I loved the slow build, and then it just ended... delicious to my eyes and ears! ;)

[TheraminTrees]

Hey Maryann, thanks! So lovely to see your video yesterday — put a big smile on my face to see yours. ;8)

[flaze3]

TT, that picture was fantastic. I could not even hope to get to the result you finally produced. Also, I liked the piano cadenza. Nice :)

[TheraminTrees]

Why thank you Flaze. The piano was two or three layers improvised over each other towards the end — me and bCurious2 have a running joke that our piano stuff usually requires about 37 fingers. ;8)

[flaze3]

haha, the best kind! One of my favourite jazz standards is 'my baby grand' (I think tis called) which is a duet on two baby grands. Tis lush.

[TheraminTrees]

I did a search for 'my baby grand' on here, and couldn't find it — but it sounds my kind of thing. If you come across it in your travels, do please send me an alert. Cheers flaze.

[flaze3]

I definitely will :)

[featherdude]

You are a multi talented guy. Art, music, philosophy, theology, comedy... But what really impresses me is the polish & effort you put into your vids. It would be so easy to stop when they were "pretty good" as most people do but yours have that extra effort that makes them special. My thanks to you for producing true quality and giving it away for others to enjoy!

[TheraminTrees]

Thank you for your VERY kind words Featherdude. I was saying to momoftwo, there are a few names who, when I see them, always make me smile — remembering they were there at the start of my YouTube career. Yours is one of those few. ;8)

[UnknownVisions]

Thats astounding.

[bcosten2007]

i'm a fan of your cultural creations, good sir

[msginca]

I've got a lifetime of great memories with a ton more to come ...

You having a channel, and posting these amazing videos will be some of the sweetest to remember when that last breath is taken.

[TheraminTrees]

I'm so touched by your words MSG. Thank you! It's certainly the core of wonderful folks on here, including you and snowfeet, that keeps me coming back. ;8)

[msginca]

snowfeet? ... Mr Trees?

yes, ... she's "ok", I guess, ... but I doubt I'd ever use her in any highly detailed productions requiring weeks of maticulous attention to detail and 1 - 30th of a second, precision timing ... no, I'm sorry to say she just doesn't command that kind of respect from me.

=)

[TheraminTrees]

Ah — 'A nod to the ladies' — I remember that superb production. I think that was when your videos weren't appearing on your channel page and I stumbled on it through a 'related link', and thought, Is he *hiding* these amazing videos?? Surely not! ;8)

[sporkfighter]

My daughters' take piano . . . not bad at improvisation. I hope they stick with it so they can do stuff like this for people they love.

[thorntizzle]

That was beautiful.

[AbbeyNormal]

I love watching the process of producing art, I love to see the work that goes into it. It also helps me when I'm struggling to figure out what order to do everything in :D I also love your piano work, I remember the theme from the "cabinet" video was especially haunting.

[TheraminTrees]

Oh me too Abbey — love to see the mechanics of things, especially sculpture, but anything creative. ;8)

I should mention that the piano piece from the Instruction Manual vid was my brother QualiaSoup.

[AleximusMaximus]

Wonderful work :)

[TheraminTrees]

Thanks! ;8)

[doriansdream]

Your artistry never fails to impress me. This piano improv is the sort of music I could listen to for hours.

[TheraminTrees]

Thanks Marc! ;8) Improv's still a relatively new thing for me, after years of rehearsing pieces to almost o.c.d. level. But it's nice to just 'go with the flow'.

[vault312]

I knew you were musically gifted, but I was pleasantly shocked to see such an amazing rendering. How long did that take you in real time?

[TheraminTrees]

Thanks Vault312. I think it was about 45 minutes.

[AncientAtheist]

Impressive TheraminTrees! I subbed for your insightful thinking and get things like *this* as a bonus.

[TheraminTrees]

Why thank you, AncientAtheist — twice. ;8)

[dualranger]

WOW!! TT. This is fantastic.

[TheraminTrees]

Hey Dualranger! ;8) Thank you — glad you enjoyed it.

[a2zdiy]

So good to hear this...

A fine tribute, and a lovely listen!

Thank you, as always, for sharing the results of your combined talents and hard work - we are so very much the richer for your generosity!

[TheraminTrees]

Hey a2z, I have you and BC2 to thank for bringing me back into music and this kind of expression. Two substantial layers of subjectivity here — how I see Snowfeet, and how I experience music. A few months ago I wouldn't've even thought of such a woefully subjective enterprise — but in the spirit of experimentation, which you and BC2 have encouraged no end, I thought, Let's give it a go! ;8)

[trick0171]

Amazing!

[EMTRUE]

Youtube 2009 Artist of the Year award goes to:

........

just a sec... sorry for the delay...

We need to do a recount as it's so close between a couple of people.

It appears that QualiaSoup came in as a very close second, but our winner this year is------

TheraminTrees!!!!!!!!

[TheraminTrees]

You are VERY kind EMTRUE. Thank you. ;8) Me and Qualia do eschew notions of competition between us — if there's an antonym to 'sibling rivalry', that's where we're at. ;8)

[bCurious2]

Fabulous and irresistible!

[TheraminTrees]

Hey BC2! ;8) Thank you! xxx

[prer0gative]

Simply outstanding!

[PerthPete1]

Brilliant piano improvisation, matching an equally superb piece of artwork. Well done L.

[TheraminTrees]

Thanks Peter. Snowfeet is an inspirational subject — so much to work with. ;8)

[Glagoroth]

Wow, look at that work.

A fine looking lady I might add.

[nbwulf]

You sir are one talented bastard... and I'm glad you share this via the Tubes. Loved it. (=

Cheers... J.

[TheraminTrees]

Hey thanks J! It was certainly an experiment, trying to capture someone in music — especially someone with as much to her as the recherché Snowfeet. Sometimes we fail, sometimes we succeed, but experiment we must! ;8)

[ProfMTH]

Theramin, you are a multitalented delight. VERY nicely done. :-)

[TheraminTrees]

Hey Prof! Thank you kindly my friend. ;8) By the way, WiseMonkey's been stirring — getting that yearly itch — and has been hearing the strangest things about atheism. He wondered if you might be amenable for a minute or so of interview? He's also consulting Snowfeet and Qualia.

[BaileysBeads]

Now that's good to hear.

Beautiful work as well.

Keep itup.

[ProfMTH]

I am amenable indeed. His WiseMonkeyness (or an appropriate designee) should contact me with details. ;-)

[LeSaMilano]

you must have been a very good child- when they were handing out talent you got extra helpings! I love your style.

[TheraminTrees]

Coming from a renaissance woman such as yourself Lesley, that's some compliment! Thank you. M-Audio of course — everything else is SO last year ;8)

[xXRoBeRtXHaYdNXx]

OH. MY FUCK! i bow to you, O mighty god of both music and art.

[vicepresidentfru1tly]

I don't what's more impressive, your piano skills or your painting skills.

[TheraminTrees]

Hey V.P. thanks. ;8) I was going to put this up on the Jam channel, with the condition that only people who knew snowfeet could jam with it — as a kind of experiment in musical portrait painting .... but then I thought, That's pushing niche a little too far! ;8)

[CousinoMacul]

Nice!

[TheraminTrees]

Thanks Cousino ;8)

[2bsirius]

You are amazingly talented!

I'm going to check out snowfeet's channel...

Great video, as usual!

[TheraminTrees]

Hey 2bsirius! You're very kind, thank you ;8) Snowfeet is one of those gems in life. An outstanding artist — I'm aiming to do a multi-shoutout sometime, and I've asked her if I can show off some of her incredible science sock-monkey work: DNA monkey, Mobius monkey ... ; an outstanding academic, who's just won an incredibly competitive, prestigious scholarship; but most of all, a wonderful, warm empathic person. So quite a lot to pack in! ;8)

[Bobbiethejean]

Whoo! You do faces pretty much exactly the same way I do! Only I prefer a modled brush.

Very lovely work and the piano is great as usual. :)

[TheraminTrees]

Hey Bobbiethejean, thanks. I saw you *stunning* paintings on your website the other day. Magical, eerie, disturbing, richly evocative worlds you create — gorgeous work. ;8)

[TheraminTrees]

Thanks momoftwo. You know, the other day I found a file with names of my very first 30 subscribers 18 months ago — and smiled at the lovely folks on the list, including your good self!! Seems like so much longer somehow. Hope all's well with you. ;8)

[emkoirl]

Amazing as always :)

[TheraminTrees]

Thanks emko ;8)

[momoftwo99]

Really nice, you just got that talent thing going for you.  Great video as usual.

[Animavore]

Long time no see.

When are you going to make another speaking video?

I miss your cheeky commentary.

[TheraminTrees]

Hi Animavore. I'm planning two videos which will hopefully be up soon, exploring the emotional and cognitive changes involved in transition to atheism.

[Animavore]

Sounds cool. I look forward to it.

[misokatsu99]

Sounds interesting ,as a life long atheist I have no experience and thus limited understanding of that subject.

[ticobassie]

It was a pleasure listening to that from beginning to end!

As a Christian-turned-atheist I am very curious about your new videos.

[TheraminTrees]

Thanks ticobassie. I've been getting mail from some religious people who've shared that some of my videos have resonated with them and left them with various thoughts and emotions — I wanted to honour what they've shared by openly sharing my transition with them. It'll be interesting to hear the overlaps and differences in other christian to atheist stories like yours.