Transcript from an Interview with Tim Fatchen (Flying Tadpole)
Flying Tadpole has Blues, satire, light rock on offer..
Tim Fatchen, based in Adelaide, SA, AU, is an Australian songwriter/composer, a master pianist and keyboard performer. Classical and neo-classical, neo-celtic, New Age original music. Acoustic and digital pianos and keyboards, layered and midi-supported orchestral interpretations.
Tim Fatchen writes and performs classical and neo-classical, neo-Celtic, and New Age original music, using acoustic and digital pianos and keyboards, with layered and midi-supported orchestral interpretations. There is also an alter ego, Flying Tadpole, a mordant songwriter and poker of fun.
Tim's background is classical and blues, also with a long-term run of church music as a church and cathedral organist. His influences have been very wide: classical, impressionist, neo-classical, jazz and blues, new age, Broadway, Anglo-Celtic dance and folk song. He is also an occasional teacher, as well as an accompanist for soloists and repetiteur for community music events.
Tim Fatchen has written, performed and produced three self-published CDs of piano, layered keyboard and orchestral music in neo-classical and New Age styles, with music available at iTunes and CDBaby. A member of APRA/AMCOS, Tim is currently concentrating on writing and producing instrumental music, and has signed multiple film and television tracks to music publishers in Seattle and New York.
Tim Fatchen spends a lot of time as a part-time dweller in deserts in central Australia, living out of his car while trying not to perish in the summer dunefields. He spends less time sailing than he would wish.
Tim concentrates on new age/neoclassical, usually instrumental and keyboard based. Styles like: George Winston, Yanni, Enya.
The Internet Opera is musical and light opera, intended for performance with additional artists. Rocky Horror meets HMS Pinafore.
Flying Tadpole.. why this name?
We thought we'd float the idea, but were impressed with the soaring speed. Flying Tadpole started as a boat and became a frame of mind. www.flyingtadpole.com
Do you play live?
Tim Fatchen is back to playing live, as a repetiteur for local choir/singing groups with baroque through to late 1950's repertoire, and community musical theatre.
"Like it" doesn't quite match...I needed the discipline to force me to get my keyboard technique (and sight-reading) back up to where it should be.
Special moments: the very first gig with the Alexandrina Singers: I'd been with the choir a week: no piano at the venue: no stage piano: had to use my keyboard with a _borrowed_ amp, incidentally a Fender Sidekick bass amp. Didn't kill anyone with the first chord but I'm sure bats fell dead onto the ceiling.
Flying Tadpole and its blues precursor hasn't played live since the mid 70's, sigh.
How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3) change the music industry?
More variety, more ease of exposure,more opportunity, more access, more audience, less money (but 5 outta 6 ain't bad). Also more trash'n'crap, including some of my own, but it's easy to sift through and you're not stuck with it.
Would you sign a record contract with a major label?
Original answer: Yes, but they'd have to be desperate!
Subsequent answer: Yes, but I'd have to be desperate too!
Current answer: But I'll settle for backing music work!
On the other hand, any possible production of The Internet Opera....
Your influences?
Just about everything other than an abiding hatred of cowboy songs. Though even there I'm not wholly consistent ("rollin' rollin' rollin'..."). Classical, church, rock, pop, new age, and English, anglo-celtic and north American folk, some jazz, with blues as relaxation.
Anything else...?
Notation Composer from www.notation.com is a truly magic notation program, and midi sequencer/writer for those who use musical notation in an everyday sense. It doesn't have all the whistles of the big boys but it's close, and an intuitive interface! Thanks Mark! AND it keeps getting better. AND it didn't require my bank manager's signature to buy it. New edition out shortly!
Equipment used: custom 2.8 GHz 1GB Pentium with Audiophile 2496 soundcard, running Notation Composer for input, writing and music editing, and sundry Steinberg programs and Cakewalk Music Creator for production; feeding either or all, a Medeli SP-1 stage piano 88 weighted keys, a Medeli MC-710 76 key GM keyboard (better sounds than the preceding, but not the piano feel), an antique Yamaha PSR-310, various soundfonts. Acoustic:
John Brinsmead & Sons 6'6" string boudoir grand piano, ca1880, with a Tascam master recorder (tape), two Sennheiser m200 mics. Newer material uses Garritan Personal Orchestra, Bandstand also.
And assorted crap incluing my eBay guitar, so bad I haven't recorded anything with it yet...
Official Website: http://www.flyingtadpole.com/
MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/timfatchen