"March Skies" 30 mins of minimalist Synclavier drone

[ChamomileShark]

Most of my work tends to be short and frequently shifting, “March Skies” was a real test of my resolve to create a very long drone with an evolution at a glacial pace, to resist adding in more sounds.

For the most part it is a single note with a few microtonal bends here and there. Most of the changes in the sound were a result of programming within the one Synclavier timbre. These involved changing the harmonics and minute changes to pitch separately for the two stereo channels.
It was conceived and recorded in March 2026, I chose the name as while I was working on it the sky was grey, constantly changing but essentially the same.

[enroe]

Presenting a piece like this as a piece of music requires a significant
adjustment on the part of the listener. After all — as you yourself
write — groove, harmony, vocals, lyrics: things like that are completely
absent here!

It is a single tone that slowly swells and changes only gradually. Slower
than the March sky! And the whole thing is supposed to last 31 minutes
and 37 seconds? Are you sure about this "song"?

Haha, well yes — for the listener, that naturally means relaxation —
perhaps a kind of focusing amidst the rush of everyday life. However,
this kind of drone sound also signifies minimalism and experimentation
— it can even be classified as serious academic music.

I would say: a unique experiment — consistently executed!

[ChamomileShark]

thank you.

I wish it were unique, I was really following in the mighty footsteps of la Monte Young and more particularly Éliane Radigue, although to be fair this is something I had in mind since the late 70s and a friend said he had composed (note composed, not played or recorded) the longest piece of music ever...before being aware of them. It's only now that I found a way of being able to create something vaguely valid.

[sandandpaint]

is late here and I can only flick through - will give a nicely volumed close listen tomorrow. But from what I heard this is very much the sort of music I enjoy

[ChamomileShark]

thanks!

[sandandpaint]

listened today - a really good piece - have you posted it to any subreddits? I thought I would post it to r/ambient and/or r/drone unless you want to

[ChamomileShark]

hi, please go ahead, that would be great! The subreddits and most Facebook groups I've seen tend to be link dumps by artists who fly in and then fly out again and no one comments, but if you've found one where people actually talk about stuff let me know!

[aMUSEd]

Presenting a piece like this as a piece of music requires a significant
adjustment on the part of the listener. After all — as you yourself
write — groove, harmony, vocals, lyrics: things like that are completely
absent here!

None of those are required for music to be music. Just look more at the history of modern music.

[enroe]

Presenting a piece like this as a piece of music requires a significant
adjustment on the part of the listener. After all — as you yourself
write — groove, harmony, vocals, lyrics: things like that are completely
absent here!

None of those are required for music to be music. Just look more at the history of modern music.

Yes, of course!

... — it can even be classified as serious academic music.

[sandandpaint]

Screenshot 2026-06-24 170126.png

here you go - a few likes and a comment

[ChamomileShark]

thank you!

[seismic1]

I don't know about March Skies, but this is very relaxing just after midnight on June 27th after 3 very hot days, the most recent of which was spent ferrying the missus around, visiting the pharmacy and my local DIY store, making two trips to the supermarket, successfully applying wall-filler around a bathroom soil pipe, and trimming/fitting a pipe collar.

I only just managed to sit down with some music, and this was the first track I listened to. The glacial evolution worked very well for me. I particularly enjoyed the harmonic elements. Perfect for winding down.

Good work

[ChamomileShark]

thank you! (I've worked hard to do absolutely nothing for the last few days with remarkable success).