# More Satie's Faction



## SatiesFaction (Apr 12, 2010)

As I'm about to finish a second album of piano music, I'd be glad to get some feedback before I release it (in two weeks hopefully).

The whole thing can be streamed there: More Satie's Faction

There are a few things I know I need to improve, like bass notes that are too soft in _Mood Swings_ and tempo variations that don't sound quite right in _Anxiety_, but maybe you will hear other flaws? Please let me know.

Cheers,
Mathieu


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Angoisses (Anxiety): What, this is music? Reminds me of pianist sitting by the piano and playing anything up and down just to warm up. 

Mood Swings: Transponses could be managed better, those that you have here doesn't hit the ear as good as they could. Especially the last pitch in every phrase. But it's not bad piece. 

Bonheur Chimique: Definitively too repetative and simple bass

Air Surpris: Nice texture, but you don't put anything interesting on it. Those grace notes seem pointless, at least to me. 

Air Confine: Begins nicely, but you repeat the phrase too many times (three, I would make it two) and unfortunately nothing comes out of it. There is not too much going on there. And you could develop something interesting, the idea has wasted potential. 

I've listened to all (except the covers), but I'm not going to comment every piece, some are just nothingness. 

Seems to me like easy-listening, "relaxing" pieces. It doesn't hold any value, meaning for me.


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## SatiesFaction (Apr 12, 2010)

Aramis said:


> Angoisses (Anxiety): What, this is music? Reminds me of pianist sitting by the piano and playing anything up and down just to warm up.


Well, this is the opening piece, which is the most appropriate moment for warming up. I'm no Franz Liszt, but his 12 Etudes start in a similar fashion.



> Bonheur Chimique: Definitively too repetative and simple bass


I tried other things for the left hand, but simplest sounded best.



> Air Surpris: Nice texture, but you don't put anything interesting on it. Those grace notes seem pointless, at least to me.


Grace notes don't have to have a point. Music doesn't have to have a point. That's the beauty of it.



> Air Confine: Begins nicely, but you repeat the phrase too many times (three, I would make it two) and unfortunately nothing comes out of it. There is not too much going on there. And you could develop something interesting, the idea has wasted potential.


I made the piece harmonically "narrow" on purpose, which doesn't leave much room for complex melodies. I'm no Debussy either, but that's a device he often used.



> I've listened to all (except the covers), but I'm not going to comment every piece, some are just nothingness.


No need to be offensive just because you dislike what I do.



> Seems to me like easy-listening, "relaxing" pieces. It doesn't hold any value, meaning for me.


Well, have you heard of furniture music? It's a term Satie used to describe part of his own music, and it's exactly what I'm aiming at here: quiet little piano pieces that are meant to be more pleasing to the hear than groundbreaking.

I'll say thanks for the little constructive criticism you gave, although I wish you'd been more polite.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

I listened to the whole suite. It's quite good, very Satie-esque indeed. There's a sense of homogeneity there. The pieces are indeed good pieces of "furniture music." & I wouldn't worry too much about some of the criticisms of Aramis made. He doesn't seem to comprehend that the "point" of non-goal oriented music, is that there is no "point!" You cannot get further from the heroic shenanigans of Wagner than the Dadaesque music of Satie.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

> No need to be offensive just because you dislike what I do.


Me not offensive. "Nothingness" means that after listening to pieces that I've called so I just expirienced total emptyness.



> I tried other things for the left hand, but simplest sounded best.


Well, my comment was to let you known that some ears won't find it best-sounding.



> Well, have you heard of furniture music? It's a term Satie used to describe part of his own music, and it's exactly what I'm aiming at here: quiet little piano pieces that are meant to be more pleasing to the hear than groundbreaking.


Sure I know Satie, but even if I would hear these pieces in the background, most of adnotations I've made would remain the same.


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## SatiesFaction (Apr 12, 2010)

Andre said:


> I listened to the whole suite. It's quite good, very Satie-esque indeed. There's a sense of homogeneity there. The pieces are indeed good pieces of "furniture music." & I wouldn't worry too much about some of the criticisms of Aramis made. He doesn't seem to comprehend that the "point" of non-goal oriented music, is that there is no "point!" You cannot get further from the heroic shenanigans of Wagner than the Dadaesque music of Satie.


Thanks for listening, André. I was actually wondering about the homogeneity of the album, especially because of the first two tracks, which are probably a bit misleading: they're rather fast and loud, while everything else is slow and quiet. I might change the track order, but I'm not sure, the album seems to work well that way.


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

I did like No. 2 and 3!

The other im not sure about.. have you actually analysed the harmony in Saties pieces? I havent im just saying i cant hear too much influence other than the slow tempo and chords.


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## SatiesFaction (Apr 12, 2010)

Thanks for listening. I've had very positive feedback for track 2 so far (Mood Swings), so I guess it's not too bad.

This album probably shows less Satie influence than the first one. "Fame" might be the most obvious, with its gloomy melodies and only two (minor) chords, much like Satie's first Gnossienne.

If you care to listen to a few tracks on the first album, you'll find that Génuflexion n°1 is not unlike the Gymnopédies (3/4 time with a long and slow melody and similar left hand) ; Génuflexion n°2 was inspired by Gnossienne n°4 (many chords, mostly minor, with rather surprising chord changes - almost atonal in a way, actually) ; and Thème Pousse-Fouguite n°2 bears a resemblance to Gnossienne n°3, at least in the beginning.

If you know Debussy's jazzy pieces (Little Negro and Golliwogg's cakewalk), you'll find that the middle section in Génuflexion n°1 is a bit reminiscent of these (I did not do it on purpose though - noticed it afterwards).

Mathieu


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