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MICROSTORY OF ART

MICROSTORY OF ART
ONLINE JOURNAL FOR ART, CONNOISSEURSHIP AND CULTURAL JOURNALISM

Birthday Edition

Transcription of Cecom by Baba Zula
(from Crossing the Bridge)

A transcription that leaves much unsaid.
First of all: it is a birthday present to our site (since 23 July 2015 is the first birthday of Microstory of Art).
Musically it is a transcription that reduces the rather improvised playing of Cecom by the Turkish Psychedelic band Baba Zula, as seen in the 2005 film Crossing the Bridge, to the very essential minimum. But we do think that the complement, the element of improvisation and interpretation has to be added by a player, who might muse, on his or her piano, about the beautiful simplicity, or the simple beauty of that tune, that was played, within that remarkable film on the music, the sound of Istanbul, on a boat (and with the participation of Alexander Hacke, bass player of the Einstürzende Neubauten, and also the narrator of that film).
This might also remind some of our readers of our essay on Visions of Cosmopolis (and of the novel Moby-Dick, foreshadowing world music with its one chapter dedicated to sailors, coming from various regions of the world, singing, reciting and dancing on a ship).
If you now would feel like musing about crossover, or rereading Moby-Dick, or if you would feel like watching Crossing the Bridge again, it’s another birthday – 10 years of Crossing the Bridge –, do take notice also of the blue hour over the shores of Istanbul (and think, perhaps, of rereading our two essays on the phenomena of the blue hour in poetry and painting.
But still a few musical comments: I have focused on the ›guitar‹ line, but also fused ›guitar‹ line and sung melody for my arrangement; on two occasions small notes allude to possible variations, that is: to how also the voice of Brenna MacCrimmon interprets the melody line, with the ›guitar‹ line, or counterpointing the ›guitar‹ line.
No other chord than a minor7 chord, by the way, with thirds left away (very important), creates better the atmosphere of the sea (or of musing), of wide surfaces or of spheres, and the tune Cecom is based on only the changing of G7 (without third) to C7 (without third). Or if one likes so: on the changing of two scales.
One little detail finally (but an important detail, and Microstory of Art is about crossover, but also about important details): the instrument that I dare to refer to as ›guitar instrument‹ uses a microtuning as to the key of a. This only a synthesizer or keyboard is capable to emulate, but it is also something to muse about on a piano, because it is something that cannot be done on a regular piano, and has also to be added in one’s imagination.
Well, be eye (and ear), but be also dreamer! And happy birthday!

(Pictures: youtube.com; score paper used for transcription/arrangement: klavier-wagner.de; thank you for the pdf)

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ONLINE JOURNAL FOR ART, CONNOISSEURSHIP AND CULTURAL JOURNALISM
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