Kelly Dowhower's Friends

Kelly Dowhower's Page

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What have you composed for? Or what medium do you work around?: Contemporary Ensembles

About Me (Must include at least one paragraph of biographical information about you as a composer) - blank or minimal answers on this line will cause your request to be rejected. Include a link to your website if you have one.: After decades of bouncing from state to state and university to university---accidentally received a BA in music from the University of Nebraska at Omaha

Played in several orchestras---used to make a living at it.

Struck by Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease---a form of muscular dystrophy that affects the feet and hands---ergo, orchestra carrier cut short.

Conclusion: Praise be to all known gawds for electronics!

At 12:19pm on July 4, 2016, Larry Elliott said…: Greetings Kelly,

I like Kuro-Kuro and Ave Satre very much. Thanks so much for sharing.

Very best,

Larry Elliott

At 3:30pm on August 5, 2011, Matt Le Mare said…: Thank for the postive comment. Prase in deed. Really enjoying your music.

All the very best

Matt

At 2:11am on January 11, 2011, Michael Thomas Huspek said…: Your my music has a lot depth and soul... Some the of the best music I ever heard. Just amazing...

Michael Thomas Huspek

At 6:22pm on December 16, 2009, Karen E. Peace said…: Hi, thanks so much for the kind words -- sorry it took so long to respond.

Happy Holidays!
Karen

At 1:54pm on October 27, 2009, Leoncio Lara Bon said…: Thanks for connecting Kelly,

Most interesting piece your Kuro-Kuro Hope to hear more of your work soon!

Best

Bon

At 8:17pm on September 29, 2009, Martha Maria / Dogwood Daughter said…: I'm listening to Balls of Fire.....I LOVE this!!!!! Wonderful, funky, totally original, melodic but pleasantly dissonant, so cool. Just came over to your page to see what you've been up to since I haven't seen you on here in a bit. You've probably been too busy writing cool music! Oh now, I wasn't expecting this slow, dreamy section....almost like looking in those spooky, carnival convex and concave mirrors....reminds me of a Steven King novel....the child sees behind the veil, the adults are clueless....and now it picks up again and the train's about to go off the tracks.....Kelly, this is a masterpiece! What are you going to do with it? Martha

At 8:31pm on September 13, 2009, Christopher Sahar said…: So far I have listened to the first movement of your Violin Sonata. Enjoy your material - wish the slow section with the very low piano part went on longer.

Good use of imitation - only quibble is you rely on it a little too often. I wish there was some more antagonism between the two. But you have great accompaniment figures traded between the violin and piano and call response. A good part is where they trade and then unite that was a nice touch (around 5:50). Also enjoy the ending - good harmonic support and recall of the of broken octaves.

Anyway, very small things, overall a very good movement I enjoyed.

Second movement - a little too static though I think with live performers it would sound much less so. I like the one or two harmonic diversions in the return of the A sections - would have liked a few more.

Third - like how you keep it related to the first with the sinuous chromatic repetitive figures in both movements - different material but share these characteristics. Good job there.

At 7:39am on September 7, 2009, Martha Maria / Dogwood Daughter said…: The Shur vocal mike is not a condenser. The two I use for instrumental recording are....They pick up all the surround sound. The vocal mike is pretty much uni directional....you got to be right there on it.
There is a way to do mastering and editing with the Roland, right there in the machine. But to tell you the truth, I've never tried to do it. I just turn it on and record, like it's a cassette player. I just keep playing and singing til I get a take that's pretty good. I've been using a Roland Fantom X8 for my recent piano recordings....I LOVE the sound of the old piano, but too many don't....I guess it's an acquired taste. Also, I think modern recording techniques and the highly polished chrome like perfection fo digital instruments has kind of affected popular taste....reality just sounds 'wrong' to a lot of people now. Martha

At 10:53am on September 6, 2009, Martha Maria / Dogwood Daughter said…: Hi, I'm just wondering about your set up? Probably a ditzy question, but I have not used any of the computer stuff. So are you using an apple or windows? I keep thinking I'd like to try out computer recording, but I'm afraid of how complicated it all seems....I'm a something of a Ludite. Actually, I'm using a Roland Boss 1200 recording machine. For the "magic' vintage piano, I used some fairly cheap condenser mikes, two of them. Also used them for all the instrumental pieces on the Cumberland Suite. For voice, I've been using a Shur mike....I'm not sure which number it is....I'd have to go out to the studio and look. It's the workhorse that nearly everyone uses, not very expensive but it's the most used vocal mike, even by some big stars who swear by it. I did try out a Synheiser (is that the name?) that an engineer in Nashville told me about, but didn't like it. Sounded muddy for my voice....might sound very good for a male vocal. My method is just to sit down and play....dont' have the technical knowledge to go back in and fix anything, so sometimes it's a little rough. But, I comfort myself by saying at least it's alive and real. I do a few takes and go with the best one, flaws and all. Sometimes I just get tired of a piece and say what the hell and let little mistakes go....Have to run. Later. MM