Hear The Songs of Ice and Fire EP on Spotify! (and other platforms!) Ryan Yunck 2021-04-21 | At last! open.spotify.com/album/6aIBZNLdVtgwXRJ7Gx2OpkAfter many requests, I've finally gotten The Songs of Ice and Fire EP out on Spotify, Apple music, and pretty much any streaming platform you could hope for. Enjoy hearing these songs in a newly polished, remastered light. Brave Danny Flint is on there as well!*******In addition, I have two more EP's on the way: "Game Of Thrones Covers" features remastered editions of the three covers I've released here on YouTube from the Game Of Thrones soundtrack, while "The Songs of Ice and Fire Reimagined: Piano and Vocal" features the five already-released acoustic piano+vocal renditions of the songs from the EP, plus a brand-new, mysterious sixth one...
The Cave (2020 Remaster) Ryan Yunck 2020-10-20 | You can download the album (which includes three additional songs!) here: ryanyunck.bandcamp.com/album/the-cave-and-other-assorted-love-songs-2020-remasteror on any of the major platforms - but with Bandcamp, you pay less and I earn more from each sale, so, win/win ;)You can also stream the full album on Spotify and whatnot. Enjoy!*******The lyrics are too long to fit in the description, so I've posted them as a pinned comment instead.*******"The Cave" is a musical retelling of Plato's Allegory of the Cave - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_cave***This classic animation gives a great overview of the concepts, and helped inspire some of the creative choices of how I went about turning The Cave into more of a narrative, character-driven story: youtube.com/watch?v=UQfRdl3GTw4&ab_channel=1GangRelated2*******The Cave was written in the late summer and fall of 2010. It was recorded and mixed (as an entirely one-man endeavor) from the fall of 2010 through the summer of 2011, and released that fall. It was one of the first significant projects I ever recorded and produced. In the spring and summer of 2012, I re-recorded the drums, bass, and much of the vocals, as well as re-amping most of the electric guitars, followed by an overhaul of the mixing. I made a few further touch-ups in 2013, re-doing a few vocals here and there and polishing up the overall production. Then, finally, I left it alone; that version is the one previously released here on my YouTube channel. In the summer of 2020, having gotten some amazing feedback on the album and realized just how little I'd done to actually get it to people's ears, I decided to go back and do a "remaster" (aka mix update) in commemoration of its 10th anniversary. I did my best to preserve the original spirit of the album while also improving the sound to the best of my current ability, aiming to capture what my younger self was truly hearing in his head. That resulted in what you're hearing now.I'm very grateful to my friend and collaborator Ken Ball for his feedback on these remasters, which especially helped with not straying too far from the positive qualities of the old version.***This video was created in the summer and fall of 2014, with the help of Ken Ball and Vijay Natarajan. After it had served its original purpose of being played on a projector during our live performances of The Cave, I decided to turn it into a companion video for the YouTube stream of the album. For this 2020 remaster, I did various tweaks and edits, but on the whole did not overhaul it to anywhere near the extent I did with the music, since I no longer had access to the original files.
How I use KEYSCAPE when producing full songs Ryan Yunck 2020-07-01 | Earlier this year I put out a video chronicling my emotionally overwhelming first time with Keyscape (and the VPC1), exploring the many sounds it has to offer and playing lots of improvised ditties on those sounds. In this video, a sort of spiritual successor to that one, I show you how I've been using Keyscape in my productions ever since that fateful day. For each song snippet, I explain the type of sound I was looking for and how I arrived at a particular Keyscape patch, then dive into the various types of processing and effects I'm doing o that patch to create the finished sound; then I show you the full mix so you can hear how the sound (or sounds) from Keyscape fit in the overall context.With the exception of the The Squids Attack, which is from the forthcoming album version of the 23 Chords project - youtube.com/watch?v=-T-MXRCs50c - (release date TBA), all the songs featured are from my forthcoming album, Childhood Ends (release date also TBA).
Making an entire song with ROTOTOMS! :D Ryan Yunck 2020-06-10 | Rototoms! You know 'em, you love 'em. (If you don't know 'em, you're about to.) High-pitched and tunable as they are, the rototoms offer much more melodic possibility than your average drum. This got me wondering...just how much music can be made with these things? In this video, I take a look at various ways a song can be coaxed out of everyone's favorite feisty li'l spinners, culminating in the ultimate test of musical worth: can an entire piece of music be created with nothing but rototoms?
How much producing does a song really need? Ryan Yunck 2020-06-04 | In a recent video, I asked people to vote on which version of a song they liked best - one that was basically a live performance, one that had been produced in a limited timeframe, and one that had been produced much more thoroughly. The response was really interesting; every version had its supporters. In this video, I explore the range of opinions and reactions, as well as other ways the differing versions of the song could be further produced and improved based on that feedback.
* DAISIES * ( KATY PERRY METALish COVER ) Ryan Yunck 2020-05-25 | Going metal(ish) with Daisies, the new Katy Perry single. "Metal(ish)" because "metal" implies aggro vocals, but "rock" does't imply all these low B strings and double kick fills.*******This one came with a fun challenge: What key to do it in? The original covers a pretty extreme range, and it relies on the octave jumps for contrast. The first logical thought would be that I could take the whole thing down by something like a fourth or a fifth. For me, this presented two issues: One, I really liked the way most of it sounded with me singing it in the original key; Two, lowering the vocals would mean raising the guitar and bass. The great thing about the original key is that it sits perfectly for the low B string. I was keen on not messing with this - not just for the sake of that delicious, chonky low end, but because it creates a beautifully spaced arrangement tone-wise. Lowering the vocals and raising the guitars would mean everything being clustered together in a narrower range.So, I decided to just keep it in the original key. But, of course, the issue of the crazy-high chorus vocals remained. I experimented with singing it in a pure headvoice, and even a screechy rock one, but nothing really clicked. An experienced hard rock vocalist might be able to hang in that range and make it powerful and full, but it was certainly not in my wheelhouse. The solution that ultimately occurred to me was to keep the melody in the same register through the entire chorus, but add high harmonies in the second half. This allowed me to maintain the feel of high, powerful singing without needing to sing in the stratosphere or change the key.
If Bob Seger had been born a generation earlier... Ryan Yunck 2020-02-29 | Just take those old records off the shelfI'll sit and listen to them by myselfToday's music simply lacks pizazzI like that old time big band jazzDon't try to take me to a rock showYou won't persuade me but to move my feetAnd when the night is young, I will goI like that old time jazz, you seeJust like that old time big band jazzThat kind of music just has such pizazzI'll reminisce about the days long pastWith all that old time big band jazzDon't want to go to hear a guitarI'd rather hear what Ella has to singThe only sound for which I'll go forIs surely old time big band swingCall me a relic, call me what you willSay I'm old-fashioned, say I'm o'er the hillToday's music simply lacks pizazzI like that old time big band jazz!
The Clear Light (Rhodes Improv 2-26-20) Ryan Yunck 2020-02-27 | My tribute to Cosmic Trigger by Robert Anton Wilson - the most wonderfully weird book I've ever read. Originally published in 1977, it weaves an autobiographical account of the author's exploration beyond the fringes of mainstream consensus reality, ranging from psychedelics to occultism to conspiracy theories to UFO stories and beyond. He approaches every step of this journey with equal doses of rollicking wit and firm scientific skepticism, making him an eminent tour guide through questions that tend to inspire either zealous belief or equally zealous outright dismissal. For me, it's the interspersed bits about his family that really grounds the whole thing - in particular, the book's tragic ending, which cuts all the deeper being poignantly undercut with the author's unshakeable optimism. In coming back and reviewing it recently, I was struck by a larger sense of the tragedy his story portrays: the struggle of conscious, curious people in a world so largely and so brutally defined by its unconsciousness.
Overjoyed - Stevie Wonder (in the style of Jack Johnson) Ryan Yunck 2020-02-22 | One of the greatest ballads of all time (objectively), for many acoustic guitars, a voice, and a bass.
Oscillation Days (Piano Improvisation 2-17-20) Ryan Yunck 2020-02-18 | In contrast to my usual spacey, contemplative, dramatic improvs, this one is playful, bouncy, and chugs right along. Enjoy :)
Jenny of Oldstones (Game of Thrones cover) Ryan Yunck 2020-02-13 | My takes on the songs of the GoT universe: ryanyunck.bandcamp.com/album/the-songs-of-ice-and-fire-ep*******I'd been wanting to do this one ever since Season 8, but my vocal paralysis happened before I got to it. Now, at last, I make this song my triumphant return to doing productions with me singing on them! Hoorah!I know there are a lot of mixed (or, I guess that would be non-mixed, since they're mostly negative) feelings about the final season, but I think we can all agree that the music was as fan-freakin'-tastic as ever :)
What remains must be true (Piano Improvisation 2-10-20) Ryan Yunck 2020-02-11 | Got a bit more dark and intense and experimental with this one! Its origin is also rather unusual in that I had already done an improv, but managed to never hit "record" in the DAW - so, all I had was the sub-par camera audio, and not even the whole thing at that. I suppose I ultimately channeled the frustration of that into this replacement one I recorded. The fact that I had thus already taken a stab at making something out of the little opening motif, and general vibe, meant that it was almost like I'd had a practice run, and could then do a tighter rendition. I haven't yet gone back and listened to what's there of the first one, and I imagine it would be interesting to compare the two. Anyways, hope you enjoy/enjoyed!
Star Trek: Picard - Opening Theme (Piano) Ryan Yunck 2020-02-05 | This intro's a fun one, what with the little hints of the classic TNG theme and all. I also really enjoy the use of piano in this and Discovery - gives it a modern flavor, a sense of it being a new generation (pun intended) of Star Trek show. I guess that was part of what inspired me to take that piano-ness to its furthest possible extension ;)
Dysphonia (Piano Improvisation 2/3/20) Ryan Yunck 2020-02-04 | A bit of musical reflection on the strange 6-month journey of suddenly losing my voice, wondering why it wasn't coming back, finding out that it had actually becoming partially paralyzed, and ultimately recovering
YouTube is a strange place: Reacting to old comments on my videos Ryan Yunck 2020-01-28 | I've never gotten around to doing any response/reply/QnA type videos in the now nearly 9-year history of this channel; here to help me correct this error is my dear ol' pal Rafiq. Join as we pop a Lacroix and/or energy drink and engage in some in-depth analysis of the silly, the bizarre, the alarming, and everything in-between; indeed, YouTube is a strange place!
There Will Come A Time Ryan Yunck 2020-01-27 | The rain sounds you hear here are actually the rain sounds from the video footage, which serendipitously worked rather nicely in the background of this somber piano/strings piece
Star Trek: Voyager - Opening Theme (Piano) Ryan Yunck 2020-01-25 | The full orchestration is irrelevant ;)
Hydrogen Cloudscape (Moog Ambient Drone) Ryan Yunck 2020-01-25 | The sound is a Moog Voyager, run through some reverb and delay. The image is from NASA's Juno spacecraft when it flew by Jupiter. In both sound and image, this is very much a D R O N E, but if you happen to be in the right mood for it, I think it makes for a pretty magical, spacey experience. If you're not in the mood for it at this particular moment, maybe you'll remember it and come back the next time you want to space out :)
My first time with Keyscape and the VPC1 - Addendum Ryan Yunck 2020-01-24 | The (roughly six times longer) first part: youtube.com/watch?v=EAyR06aL0dcThis is the remaining footage from my first time exploring Keyscape with the VPC1. There's still a lot more to explore, and I was kinda burnt out on it by the end so I could surely do a lot more exploration of what I explored in this video.
The Taste of Air (Keyscape Improvisation 1/21/20) Ryan Yunck 2020-01-23 | Doing a video about appreciating breath got me into a really good vibe, so I wanted to turn that into a bit of music! The opening of this improv actually makes an appearance near the end of the aforementioned video as well. Hope you enjoy :D
Robot Island (Jam 1/17/20) Ryan Yunck 2020-01-20 | Quirky variations on a 5/8 pulse, with Vijay Natarjan on bass, Ken Ball on Guitar Synth, and yours truly on drums
Digital Ghost (Jam 1/17/20) Ryan Yunck 2020-01-19 | Evolving variations over a 7/8 synth loop programmed by Ken Ball, who also played guitar. Bass by Vijay Natarajan, drums by yours truly.
Soundcash (Jam 1/17/20) Ryan Yunck 2020-01-19 | A soundcheck which became a full jam. Since a sound*check* has no immediate value, I figured a sound*cash* would be the version of it that does XD. Guitar by Ken Ball, bass by Vijay Natarajan, drums by yours truly.
Run Towards the Light Ryan Yunck 2020-01-17 | Just a nice little stand-alone, upbeat, driving piano song for you to enjoy. It's definitely just its own stand-alone thing, not connected to anything else, so don't even worry about that. Just go ahead and enjoy this nice little stand-alone piano song. I really wouldn't think about it too much if I were you. It's just a nice little stand-alone piano song for you to enjoy. Yes.
Liquid Light Ryan Yunck 2020-01-16 | Just a nice little stand-alone, mellow, spacious piano song for you to enjoy. It's definitely just its own stand-alone thing, not connected to anything else, so don't even worry about that. Just go ahead and enjoy this nice little stand-alone piano song. I really wouldn't think about it too much if I were you. It's just a nice little stand-alone piano song for you to enjoy. Yes.
How to turn a fake food review into a *SICK BEAT* Ryan Yunck 2020-01-15 | The finished track: youtube.com/watch?v=NsWwrFifaxQ A deep dive into the production behind my recent "C H E X M I X" video, where I took the gag of me starting off a video by pretending I was going to review Chex Mix, and turned that 12-second clip into a bizarre musical excursion. Let me know if there any topics in this video that you'd like to see me expand on!
You should use all your best ideas as quickly as possible - heres why Ryan Yunck 2020-01-14 | This is a way of reframing the role of ideas in the creative process that's been HUGELY beneficial for me, honestly a game-changer. When this really clicks, your entire concept of creativity will shift.
Dreams of Rain Ryan Yunck 2020-01-13 | An instrumental ditty with lots of spacey pads, tingly hybrid pianos, phat drums, spindly basses, and more!
To The Depths (Piano Improvisation 1-11-20) Ryan Yunck 2020-01-12 | The mind conspires endlessly to keep you immersed in the Shallows, chasing small fears and petty concerns - but, true life is found only when the heart reaches its expression, in the terrifying beauty of the Depths...
Three ways to Eviscerate Writers Block Ryan Yunck 2020-01-09 | Sorry for all the jumpcuts; I'm experimenting! :)
The Watcher Ryan Yunck 2020-01-07 | An instrumental ditty with lots of buzzy synth bass, clock ticks, acoustic guitar melodies, heartbeat samples, mellow piano, less mellow piano, moog lead, woodwind samples, string section samples, techno drums, cymbal swells, and more! Well, that's actually most of what's in there, but I made a few choice omissions for you to discern ;)
* C o n n e c t e d P l a n e t * (Keyscape Improvisation 1-6-20) Ryan Yunck 2020-01-06 | Earth is truly a wondrous place. It can be easy to lose sight of this, as we chug away at our own specific lives in our own specific reality tunnels. Over time, we start to subtly confuse our own experiences with the reality of the whole planet. Part of the beauty of traveling is that it shakes us out of this stupor, reminding us that even the tiniest details we take for granted can in fact exist in a whole cornucopia of variations. A feeling I find particularly astounding is that of getting back home from a trip, closing out a long day (or days) of traveling. As I enter back into familiar vistas, with the colorful memories of distant places still buzzing, I can viscerally grasp the astonishing fact that everything I find commonplace is intimately tied together with everything I find strange, forming a staggeringly vast and interconnected system. How thrilling, how unknowably magical, to be a part of this great Connected Planet...
Strange Heart Ryan Yunck 2020-01-05 | If you could peer into the very heart of humanity itself, what might it look like?Advertisers are careful students of human nature; in the flashing images they craft, we see our own secret desires winking back at us. When you slow down and watch, Times Square is one of the most wondrous, mesmerizing places imaginable. From the flocks of people representing every corner of the earth, to the glowing dance of giant screens vying for attention, it provides a whirling mirror of humanity’s collective consciousness. With enough stillness, you can almost feel that very spirit being brought to life as it spirals around you...
Emotionally Overwhelmed: My first time with Keyscape and the VPC1 Ryan Yunck 2020-01-04 | Part deux: youtube.com/watch?v=cmV9oWk5pPEThings serendipitously worked out so this keyboard, along with a copy of Spectrasonics Keyscape was ready for me to pick up, and I was available to do so, on my birthday. Happy birthday to me: here are some crazy-awesome new keyboard sounds to fiddle about with! Herein you will find my jolly, ultra-enthusiastic reactions to this new world of sound possibilities.
Beyond The Sky (Piano Improvisation 12-27-19) Ryan Yunck 2020-01-03 | "Beyond the sky" could refer to the literal space beyond our little bubble of atmosphere, or the act of traveling beyond it into the unknown; for me, it also represents true mystery: not only the mystery you can see and ponder, but the hidden mystery you can't yet even imagine, when the mystery itself is a mystery...
Darklight (Keyscape Dolceola Improvisation 12-27-19) Ryan Yunck 2020-01-02 | Life is Change; at every moment, the angel of death ushers away the weight of the past and allows a new moment to unfold. Do we curse the very power that allows new life to begin? In the darkness, do we long for the light?The harder we cling and resist Change, the more pain we create. At its peak, the pain may grow too vast, and snap under its own weight; then, freed of our judgements, what was once the frightening darkness becomes the ecstatic mystery. The true clear light erupts, and we dance with it. Darkness reveals itself as nothing more than the pathway through which light can expand, and all of life, nothing excluded, becomes true rapture.When we no longer resist the darkness, the full rhythm of Life is revealed to us: beyond our own notions of good and bad, joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, a unified song of Darklight sings ever onward...
All The Way Home (Piano Improvisation 10/10/19) Ryan Yunck 2019-12-31 | Home, ultimately, is a feeling. You could see it as the end of our relentless struggle against the present moment, the final release of our mind's reckless wandering, the full embrace of where we truly are here and now. You could also see it as a culmination, the end of a journey, the fruits of an exploration beyond the familiar. I see these as two sides of the same coin; we embark outwards from a comfortable state of perfection, voyaging into the darkness and being unmade by it, rebelling against the very peace our journey will make us long for in time. In the depths of the darkness, we may well curse the journey, but - when we do arrive back home at last, we realize that by questioning perfection, we have brought about its expansion. Home has become even more perfect than it was before. Perhaps we will continue to bask in that perfection, or perhaps we will voyage again into the darkness before long, wondering just what more Home could evolve into.
I told my friends Id make a song using every chord they suggested. Things...got out of hand Ryan Yunck 2019-03-27 | Individual song timestamps:1. So Much for Simple Plans - 1:042. None of that Jabberwocky - 3:103. The Squid Attacks - 6:134. Children of the Sun - 9:29***Special thanks to Ken Ball, who appears in this video on guitar, bass, and percussion - not only for doing all of the above, but also for helping out with the camera work, and, most of all, providing invaluable feedback, ideas, and support in the recording, production, and editing process.***Immense thanks also goes to everyone who submitted a chord to this; I'm doubly appreciative that they also allowed me to show their names and pictures in the video, since it ended up being a really wonderful addition.*******A few points of clarification:-The "Rite of Spring Chord" is from the iconic staccato string part in Igor Stravinsky's infamous piece; it consists of the following notes:E B D# G A# C# (on piano, it's an E and B in the Left Hand, and a D#7 chord in the Right Hand)[Later update: It's been brought to my attention that there's actually a lot of misinformation out there about this chord, and I either was taught said misinformation, or misremembered the actual notes of the chord. The basic principle is the same: An E (or, more accurately, F-flat) on the bottom, and an E-flat 7 on top, but - the actual notes should be E G# B E G A# C# D#, or, if we're using the correct note names, F-flat A-flat, C-flat, F-flat, G B-flat, D-flat, E-flat]-"vii/V" refers to a diminished chord built on the seventh degree of the dominant of a key. eg, in C, it would be an F# diminished. I thought it would be good to include a note on that, since I might not be the only one who sees that and assumes it's a slash chord-The "^" is used to signify a Delta, for Major Seven chords. This was something else I learned from doing this project.-I took "minor diminished" to be a redundant term, and simply used an A Diminished chord-The snare drum in "None of that jabberwocky" is an 18'' bass drum with a bunch of rice on it
Into the Mystery (Piano Improvisation 8/25/16) Ryan Yunck 2019-02-18 | I'm not actually 100% sure that this was done on 8/25/16, but that seems the most likely scenario based on the evidence I could dredge up. My main source was the rather absurdly detailed journal I kept on my computer from the beginning of 2016 through the first half of 2017. In it, I typed up entries almost every day, reflecting on my various feelings and ideas while also logging the events of my life in a narrative style. Every time I come back and read bits of it, particularly as it recedes further and further into the past, I'm astounded. I realize that I unknowingly carry so many simplified notions about who I was and what my life was like in those bygone days, and those notions are inevitably shattered by the dense reality reflected in those entries. By actually coming into contact with the concrete thoughts of my past self, I realize how little I truly know him - and thus, by extension, how little I truly know myself...In the end, this feeling of mystery gives me a wonderful sense of awe at the world around me: if I know so little about the thing I know best, then...
Hands of Gold (Acoustic) Ryan Yunck 2019-02-12 | If you want an older version, with more guitar, less piano, and way less waltz...ryanyunck.bandcamp.com/album/the-songs-of-ice-and-fire-epPlease don't put me in a bowl of brown; sometimes I just can't help waltzing ;)
The Rains of Castamere (Acoustic) Ryan Yunck 2019-02-06 | Here be the original, alongside its brethren on the full EP: ryanyunck.bandcamp.com/album/the-songs-of-ice-and-fire-ep***
The Precipice (Piano Improvisation 8/24/16) Ryan Yunck 2019-02-04 | It's all too easy to be dismissive of your own past efforts. Both on physical hard drives and in the storehouses of my brain, I have a vast library of unfinished music in various stages of life: ideas brimming with potential, fully written albums ready to be produced, partially produced albums waiting to be finished, fully produced songs waiting to be released...***The double-edged sword of perfectionism is that you relentlessly seek improvement; this means not only, on the positive side, that you always try to do a little bit better, but, on the negative side, that you always focus on the flaws in your past efforts. The pattern with my work has generally been that I keep trying to improve it until I take the process so far that I can see nothing but flaws in what I'm working on, and feel there's no choice but to abandon it and move in to the next thing. This cycle, of course, without conscious intervention, goes on endlessly...***The only antidote is to consciously force myself to look back. Having exhausted myself trying to perfect something, having then abandoned it - when I do come back to it much later, I hear it almost as if for the first time, without the endless cascade of critiques and judgements. I remember the spark of life and beauty that was actually there, and how the pursuit of perfection was simply the impossible, if noble, quest to cast that spark of life in the clearest light possible.*******This particular improvisation is one of two that I did towards the end of the summer in 2016, saved to a hard drive and then completely forgotten about. In this case, it wasn't even that I got lost in the endless pursuit of perfection; rather, I instantly dismissed the intense emotional current that I'd tapped into in those seven minutes, not even giving a second thought to the notion that I might come back and listen to it, that there might really be something to it...Recently, I finally did come back to it, since getting into the process of actually recording and sharing my improvisations made me curious about ones I'd recorded in the past. I was rather astonished at what I discovered; having no memory of doing it, it was like hearing it for the first time, as an outsider. It moved me in a way my own music rarely can. And it made me wonder...just how much might be lurking, there on my hard drives, in my memory, in my past, that I'd been too quick to dismiss?*******(The picture is from an airport in the American Northwest, taken during a family trip that summer.)
Like the Tide (Acoustic) Ryan Yunck 2019-02-02 | A couple years back, I broke new ground in music by writing a song about a breakup. Lol, but seriously...I wrote this the day a relationship ended, in an effort to cope with everything I was feeling. It wasn't really sadness that I was experiencing, so much as a deep and strange sense of surrealness. The relationship had begun after we'd met through a chance encounter; we lived completely separate lives in different cities. Thus, with our connection being severed, I lost that entire part of my life in one sudden blink. It was as if she'd been this wondrous tide that had washed over my life, changing it in so many ways - but now that tide was receding. I was sitting there on the shore just as I'd been before she came, almost as if it had never happened at all. And as sharp as the pain was, this feeling carried an undercurrent of wonder that made even the deepest darkness profoundly beautiful.
The pain of my earliest memory (Piano Improvisation 1-23-19) Ryan Yunck 2019-01-28 | We may wear the skin of adults, but on the inside we remain children: naked and awed before the great confounding mystery of life. No matter how grown up we may see ourselves as having become, so much of what we carry within the deepest parts of ourselves is but a magnified echo of our earliest experiences.***The turning of 2018 to 2019 had been my most intense period of journaling ever: looking at the arc of my life with more depth and honesty than I'd ever attempted, acknowledging the heights while dredging up the depths, attempting to assess and understand myself like never before. The process had been immensely fruitful and profoundly liberating, and I felt I'd reached the conclusion. But then, I was out for a walk and something suddenly came roaring back...***It was my 4th birthday. Out in the yard at daycare, my playmate urged to me take the ball from him and throw it at another kid in an intentional act of bullying. I dutifully obliged, and then watched with blossoming dread as the ball hit the other kid in the face and he began to cry. The sickening feeling of horror at what I'd done lingered with me in a deep way. The only other memory I have tied to that incident is of looking at a cute stitching my aunt had made me for my birthday, and feeling I didn't deserve something so nice, like the beauty of my life had been irrevocably poisoned.***The sudden recall of that memory brought a strange sense of certainty: that it was an immense source of blockage in my life, that it was a secret key I'd unknowingly been searching for all along. It occurred to me, with a poignant sort of sadness, that I'd avoided the memory of that innocent playground incident so thoroughly that I'd never really forgiven myself. Whether this single memory had somehow shaped the habits of my entire life, or whether it was a mere signpost to a deeper understanding of those habits, it struck me how I'd always held myself back in such an extreme way, always been so deathly afraid of hurting people - almost as if I equated any act of strength, even the most positive, with that dreadful act on the playground.******In this improvisation, I explored the feelings dredged up by this rather intense process of personal exploration: the sense of profoundly beautiful sadness, of lingering bitterness and rage, of peace and clarity, and ultimately of unresolved possibilities lurking as deeper revelations waiting to unfold...
Last of the Giants Acoustic Ryan Yunck 2019-01-24 | ***Want to listen to the original while sitting on a lonely mountaintop and staring forlornly off into the distant horizon? ryanyunck.bandcamp.com/album/the-songs-of-ice-and-fire-ep *** I've been really touched to see how my rendition has moved people; it seems to not only strike a chord with book readers imagining the Wildlings singing as they marched, but with those reflecting on the poignant tragedy of species dying out and the destruction of nature, as well as personal feelings of isolation and loneliness. ***The beauty of art, and music in particular, is that you never know just what it will end up meaning to other people. In the creation process, after the initial spark of inspiration, there are many other more mundane considerations surrounding the polishing and presentation of a finished product. As the creator, though there is certainly a sense of pride and accomplishment, you relate to it more as a piece of work you've carried out. But then, for those who experience what you've created, it doesn't have to get filtered through any of those mundane considerations, and the spark of your inspiration (if you've done your job well) comes through to them in a crystalized form.***In the mind and heart of the person experiencing your creation, that crystalized spark is then filtered through their unique personality, and you never know just what it will end up meaning to them. The successful discovery and communication of this spark of inspiration is the duty of the artist, and the unfolding of this spark into new perspectives and ideas is the purpose of art.******Snowfall clip source: videvo.net/video/-snow-close-up/3318
Why not let it flow? (Piano Improvisation 1/17/19) Ryan Yunck 2019-01-17 | For me, longform improvisation represents something quite specific. So often, not just in musical creation but in life itself, I'm swept up in the attitude of Trying: I feel I must work very hard, plan things out carefully, and be suspicious of anything that seems easy. Ask, and you shall receive: I invite struggle, and struggle is what I get. Trying to plan everything out becomes an endless and impossible uphill battle; how could all the pieces possibly fit together? The opposite of Trying, however, is not simply doing nothing. It's in the Trying that I'm ultimately just trying to be something other than what I am. If I stop resisting what seems too easy, I allow what comes naturally; then, there is effort, but it's effortless. The pieces all suddenly seem to fit together, and it's because I've stopped trying to understand a machine that's not in motion.Why not let it flow?
