final project entry #2

Today I presented a rough sketch I have for the introduction to my final piece. I wanted to have a slow introduction with small fragments that jump out and hint at the sporadic nature of the mid-section, and eventually start an accelerando that speeds up to the faster-tempo middle section. Some ideas here seem to work, but others need some fixing. The transitional chord I chose to accelerate on creates an alternate texture previously unheard, and my intention was for it to be very tense and create a desire for resolution. Everyone seemed to find it had the opposite effect, and wanted to hear more within this idea. I'm unsure how to treat this now, because harmonically I feel that the chord I chose to speed up on needs to go right into the mid-section. I'm thinking that this texture, along with other ideas in my introduction, can all be expanded upon a little bit. Perhaps if this texture is introduced earlier, on some other chords, then when I bring it back again on this transitional chord it will serve the purpose I initially intended it to (leading into the mid-section).

I also took Josh's suggestion from last week and had a tutti approach for my intro, where all the instruments are present in almost every measure. The middle section is also very active for all performers, but the material is clearly grouped into instrument pairs (vibes+piano, vln+vln). Dr. Ross suggested maybe a lighter approach to start the piece, and I may try to incorporate this. If I can start out with thinner texture, then build into pairings of instruments, and THEN maybe build into more of a tutti approach near the end where all 4 instruments are working together, the piece would have a constantly growing texture within its form which could definitely work. We'll see what happens!

chamber piece

I'm a bit behind, but I've got my piece for a small chamber ensemble underway. The instrumentation is piano, vibraphone, and 2 violins. Suggestions in class yesterday gave me a lot of ideas of the sonic possibilities with this instrumentation, and how I can apply them in the overall structure.

All 4 instruments have the ability to play very percussive/dead sounding notes, or sustained notes (pedal vs. no pedal, bowed vs. pizzicato). The glissando effect on violins can also be somewhat imitated by bending a sustained vibraphone note, as I found out yesterday. The material I have so far mainly pairs the violins together, and the keys instruments together, playing mostly stacatto notes in a sporadic, almost pointallistic way. Some good ideas thrown my way were to keep this theme of "pairings" present throughout, but mix them up (vln +vibes, vln+piano, etc. ) Playing with the attack of one instrument and having a nother instrument provide the sustain (sharp, staccato piano attack with sustained vibraphone providing the echo, for example) was an effect I hadn't thought of, either.

Structural suggestions were helpful as well. The material I have does not seem to be introductory, unless this were a short, character piece. I think it would be more effective mid-piece, as a contrary mood to whatever precedes it. Josh suggested using a tutti approach at the beginning, perhaps something semi-cacaphonic but somehow fitting all 4 parts together, and then maybe I can break into the sporadic feel out of nowhere... I think that would work. I also like steering away from the pointalistic stuff very briefly, with a singing melody over sustained pitches or something, and then going right back into the more sparse material... so I'll play with that idea some more too.