Gruber posts
Posts: 260
Files: 549
Ableton Instrument – UI SFX Texture Generator 1.0
Related to my ‘Tone Generator’ the TEXTURE generator is meant to help sound designers quickly get to the clicks, shifts, and scroll sounds that are a part of UI sound effects.You’ll find it attached to this post and you can watch a quick demo of me using it above. As I work more with tools like this, and get better at Ableton I might discover better was to organize these Ableton racks, in which case I’ll update this post! Of course, if yo...
New Music – Forest Firefly
This song has gone through a few variations.When I was very new to Ableton, I was listening to a lot of Disasterpeace’s music and trying to create chiptune aesthetics using instrument plugins like Chipsounds and Massive. Recreating chiptune aesthetics in DAWs like Ableton is often called ‘fakebit,’ because it doesn’t have the same restraints as trackers or the actual hardware chips in retro consoles. While a composer might be using simple...
Ableton Instrument – UI SFX Tone Generator 1.0
As I work more in Ableton and video games, I’ve been creating instruments and presets for myself to help get to my ideas fasterI’ve also checked out quite a bit of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, where there’s an incredible amount of variation in UI sound effects and stingers.This instrument, the “Tone Generator,” helps me get to these kinds of UI SFX and stingers quicker, with the turning of just a few knobs. If you’re an Ableton user...
New Music – Reminiscence
Finally, some new piano music! Current plan is to release on SoundCloud (plus short articles for Patrons). Ideally, I’d get some artwork and create some interactive YouTube videos (like from Bebop Isolation), but that’s a bit too much post-production for me right now. I want to spend my time writing more music.All of the music I’ll be publishing will be finished compositions and mixed to the best of my abilities (my mixing lessons continue!...
Music Masterclass - February 10, 2022
Hey everyone!I'll be here composing some music in Ableton and practicing for a few hours until 3pm. (Lunch break usually @ 12pm)Am available to answer questions and talk about all things music (pico-8, MilkyTracker, piano, jazz, improv)! Come say hello!
Music Masterclass - January 24, 2022
Hey everyone! I'll be here composing some music in Ableton for the next couple hours. But am available to answer questions and talk about all things music (pico-8, MilkyTracker, piano, jazz, improv).Hope to see you!Chris
Reflections on the Slipways OST
Last week I released the entire Slipways OST on YouTube. I was inspired to include some in-depth musings about each track as I released them. I’m posting them here (and added some more details!) so Patrons don’t have to go searching through my Twitter feed :)Here’s where you can listen/buy/download: Bandcamp Steam (bundled with the game) YouTube (playlist with individual tracks) YouTube (full album)We’re talking about putting it on some s...
January 2022 Gruber Update!
Tl:dr – Patron feedback needed: What’s best way to release finished music for Patrons and the public (works-in-progress, finished tracks, tutorials etc.)? What would YOU like to see/hear?--Happy new year everyone!I’m back to work after a refreshing break and am really excited about some new music / composition goals. Also, Levi turned two! Piano / Ableton Compositions Jazz Piano Articles Music Masterclasses & Piano Streaming Pico-8 / MilkyT...
Music Masterclass - December 7, 2021
Hey everyone!I'll be here composing some music in Ableton for the next couple hours. But am available to answer questions and talk about all things music (pico-8, MilkyTracker, piano, jazz, improv).ALL THE THINGS!!C
Forest Firefly - New Piano Composition
Another in a series of "only playing two notes at a time."Originally a composition I wrote in Ableton. It appeared in my Pico-8 album Counterpoint. And now it's a piano composition!I've been playing this for a couple months now, but there's still lots of exploration to do. I'd like to find a way to move away from the repetitive left hand part. I think it's possible to open it up more and make it more interactive with t...
Music Masterclass - November 18, 2021
Hey everyone!I'll be here composing some piano music for the next couple hours. Just bought a new upright piano sample pack that I'll be trying out.(Apologies if you're unable to make these, because of time zones or otherwise. Happy to any questions if you have them in advance)
When Jazz Pianists Play Fast – A Collection of Runs, Exercises, & Idiomatic Gestures
April 28/22 – 800-word update! Eb7 & E7 fingering maps attached. I show how you can integrate the chromatic scale and more complex harmonic movement into practice. This framework now covers most of the spatial and harmonic relationships you’d expect to see/hear in Oscar Peterson runs!--The article is a work-in-progress, constantly evolving as I add more transcriptions, exercises and observations.One of the major premises of these articles is ...
New Piano Compositions – A Jaunty Strut Indeed
Hey everyone!I’ve been busy practicing, playing, and writing piano music that past couple months. Since the completion of Bebop Isolation, I’ve been focusing on a similar project, but with original music. This includes writing piano music focused on two-part counterpoint.A major component to this process will be learning how to play this music on the piano (If you’ve visited any of my streams the last couple months, you’ll probably hear s...
November 5, 2021 - Music Masterclass
Hey everyone!I'll be here working and practicing and working on Art Tatum for the next couple of hours, chatting, answering questions, and hanging out!
October 21, 2021 - Music Masterclass
Hey everyone!Music masterclass! Come say hello. I'll be transcribing some more Art Tatum.
Pico & Chill - Album Release!
Pico & Chill is here!A collection of seven ambient and lo-fi inspired tracks. Thanks to Zep for the amazing artwork.Attached to this post are the Mp3s. Patrons can also find the Mp3s & Pico-8 carts in the Google Drive. It's also available on BandCamp. A video/animation is currently in the works for YouTube and the Lexaloffle forums. Stay tuned!The idea for this album started in February 2021, when I posted some lo-fi inspired music, originall...
October 7, 2021 - Music Masterclass
Hey everyone!I'll be here working and practicing for the next couple of hours, chatting, answering questions, and hanging out!(Apologies if you're unable to make these, because of time zones or otherwise. Happy to any questions if you have them in advance)
September 23, 2021 - Music Masterclass
Hey everyone! Will be here working for the next hour or so. Come say hello, happy to chat and answer questions.
Announcing Piano Streams and Music Masterclasses!
Starting this week, I’ll be continuing my piano streams.In an improvisational practice, it’s important to be constantly nurturing an ecosystem of playing, practicing, composing, and performing. So, a few times a week, you can expect to see me playing and improvising impromptu for an hour or so on Twitch and/or YouTube.These will be strictly performance-only streams with no chat. As you know, I LOVE chatting about music, giving live demonstrat...
Thelonious Monk Transcriptions
Sept 3/21 Update – Transcriptions complete! Ask Me Now, Monk’s Point, Reflections, and ‘Round Midnight added. 80 pages of Thelonious Monk solo piano transcriptions!!--Attached are solo piano transcriptions by Thelonious Monk. With the exception of Everything Happens to Me, these are all his originals, mostly from the albums Alone from San Francisco and Solo Monk Ask Me Now Blue Monk Bluehawk Everything Happens to Me Monk’s Point North of ...
August 2021 Gruber Update!
Hey everyone!Tl:dr – PicoChill Vol.1 releasing soon, switching gears to jazz piano projects!First, Levi levelled up over the weekend! His first grooming:PicoChill Vol. 1After writing a TON of Pico-8 music over the last couple months, I’ll be ready to release PicoChill Vol. 1 very soon. I’ve written about 45mins for this album. I wanted to write more, but I'm burnt out and am ready to move on. So, I’m calling this “Vol. 1” in the h...
PicoChill, WIP #2
The PicoSpice is flowing!In the video above you can hear two more ambient and two more lo-fi inspired tracks. What should I name these!? Pico-Fi 2 (0:00) Ambience 2 (3:25) Pico-Fi 3 (12:40) Ambience 3 (18:16)I'm REALLY enjoying composing these ambient tracks. When we speak about ambience, it's often in relation to "randomized" sounds in nature and other spaces. In Pico-8, sometimes I feel like creating a perfectly balanced, polish...
A Night in Tunisia (Dizzy Gillespie) - Solo Jazz Piano
A Night in Tunisia by Dizzy Gillespie Chris Donnelly, piano Produced by Chris Donnelly (Gruber) Mastered by Taylor Kernohan Artwork by ndopRecorded at The Metropole, Toronto Canada, March 2021Thanks to Taylor for his mixing guidance!
Introducing PicoChill, WIP #1
I'm hard at work writing new Pico-8 music. Current plan is to write an albums worth of music that alternates between lo-fi inspired and ambient inspired music. Right now, I'm calling it PicoChill, but I'm open to other names and suggestions :)In the video above you can hear what I've got so far. It starts with lo-fi, and the ambience starts at 3:30.I've made lots of observations about myself and Pico-8 while exploring these co...
Ask Me Now (Thelonious Monk) - Solo Jazz Piano
Ask Me Now by Thelonious Monk Chris Donnelly, piano Produced by Chris Donnelly (Gruber) Mastered by Taylor Kernohan Artwork by ndopRecorded at The Metropole, Toronto Canada, March 2021Thanks to Taylor for his mixing guidance!
June 2021 Gruber Update!
Hello everyone!Tl:dr – Focus is transitioning back to Pico-8. Any song requests?With Slipways released, Bebop Isolation winding down, and my 8000-word jazz piano article complete, I’m ready to reset and reprioritize. And there’s no better place to do that than Pico-8! Here are a few Pico-8 projects I’d like to explore over the next few months:Ambient & Lo-Fi Pico-8 MusicChiptune and ambient music don’t usually go together. Let’s chang...
Isolation (Chris Donnelly) - Solo Jazz Piano
Isolation by Chris Donnelly Chris Donnelly, piano Produced by Chris Donnelly (Gruber) Mastered by Taylor Kernohan Artwork by ndopRecorded at The Metropole, Toronto Canada, November 2020Thanks to Taylor for his mixing guidance!
New Album Release - Slipways Soundtrack
It's a big week for Slipways – the game releases on June 3rd!I’m happy to announce that the soundtrack is now available on Bandcamp. (Current +$5 Patrons will find it in the shared Google Drive)It’s been a pleasure working with Jakub on this and seeing this game evolve from Pico-8. We’re really looking forward to the community’s response and feedback over the coming weeks.I’ve been flirting with the idea of writing a more in-depth...
Ruby, My Dear (Thelonious Monk) - Solo Jazz Piano
Ruby, My Dear by Thelonious Monk Chris Donnelly, piano Produced by Chris Donnelly (Gruber) Mastered by Taylor Kernohan Artwork by ndopRecorded at The Metropole, Toronto Canada, February 2021Thanks to Taylor for his mixing guidance!
Oblivion (Bud Powell) - Solo Jazz Piano
Oblivion by Bud Powell Chris Donnelly, piano Produced by Chris Donnelly (Gruber) Mastered by Taylor Kernohan Artwork by ndopRecorded at The Metropole, Toronto Canada, January 2021Thanks to Taylor for his mixing guidance!
