By Guido Montegrandi
On the Bandcamp page dedicated to his latest work (see below), Kevin Miller (guitar) makes notes and some explanations about each individual track on his album, so my observations here will be more about the general structure and Miller’s attitude towards music.
Some of the pieces are composed, others improvised, but in any case each piece of music is faced with a self-imposed constraint or an external orientation reference – constraints can be very loose:
“‘Moving Past’ is an improvisation with the aim of playing for about twenty minutes.”
(from Miller’s album notes); may contain precise cultural references
“‘Proportions’ is essentially fully composed and uses various pitch movements inspired by Karlheinz Stockhausen.”
(same source) or may result in technical changes
“Take 2 Steps Down” is an improvisation in which the Telecaster is tuned two whole steps lower.
(same source).
If you take a look at Kevin Miller’s website (
kevinmillerguitar.com
) in the section Compositions You will find pieces that clearly illustrate his approach – here it is just one example
In a sense, a boundary (of any kind) is something you fight against in order to (try to) find your voice.
The last two pieces follow a different path, again Kevin Miller notes:
The last two tracks on this recording are documents of a practice of mine in which I play along to field recordings of nature.
In the section Fonts On his website we find an interesting article entitled
Some thoughts on the role of nature in my creative process
in which the author highlights the importance of being connected to nature:
My goal when striking a note is for it to contain the same kind of energy that exists in nature, where total silence and unrestricted kinetic energy are one.
(…)
There are certain images or imagery patterns in nature that have inspired me and helped me develop a holistic model of practice. For me, sound is everything. Sound is the core. When sound is connected to nature as a source of energy, it can serve as a source of infinite possibilities.
And music sounds like the framework of music itself, and each note radiates out into the sound space throughout its entire existence. Again, Miller gives us a hint by talking about the last piece of this album;
On Twig, I improvise in the way I normally apply playing to field recordings, trying to disappear into the ecosystem and create a sonic space that blends in effortlessly but is still recognizable as my own guitar playing.
A thoughtful solo guitar album that demands devoted attention while simultaneously inspiring in our minds the joy of wandering. Sounds like a case of wanderlust.
You can buy and download it on Bandcamp:
