Greg's Gazebo

[ibanezmonster]

Sometimes, starting over is the only path to progress. Good on you for enduring!

Well, I have no choice! 
It's most likely the only ticket I'll have to go to Japan for several more years, despite wanting to the last nearly 10 years...

[ibanezmonster]

I'm kind of liking this type of phrasing. The horn's phrase is 4 bars in 4/4, yet its repetition in the beginning starts not directly at the second bar, but after the first eight note of that bar, making the first phrase 9/8. The trumpet plays this, but changing up the note values, yet it all feels similar and controlled- nice! Of course, it's obvious where I got this type of rhythmic thinking from, but if used extensively, it can be very useful.



view larger:
http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz257/ibanezmonsterg/003.jpg


sound:
http://www.mediafire.com/i/?lcz9s2u3kca0jk3

[ibanezmonster]

Finally, I got one concern completely out of the way:

I always feared that the music I'd end up writing for the Takemitsu competition would end up possibly "too conservative." After some digging, I found one of the 1st-place winners, Paul Stanhope's Fantasia on a theme of Vaughan Williams.

Lovely, and definitely conservative, tonal music. Now I can feel unrestricted to write however I want. 

http://www.myspace.com/pstanhope

[ibanezmonster]

Ha. What I'm writing is some pretty good stuff. Page and a half since last night (and better than what I wrote before). I can see Sir Harrison Birtwistle liking this.

I also have a vacation coming up at the end of next month, going to Kentucky, so I'll have quite a bit more time then to write. Surprised I haven't come up against a block yet. What I'm doing, though, seems to be helping so far: when I just feel like stopping, I'll stop and take a break for a few minutes and do something else. Then, I'll think of anything that might get me inspired so I can get back into it without it feeling like a drag to return to it. Also, I maintain a mentality while writing that is slightly different: although, as now, I've written directly into Sibelius in the past without an instrument, writing now is more of a calm process that simply involves manipulating stuff around. I have a vague idea of what I want, and I just mess around with notes until it just feels right. I'm hardly thinking about theory at all. Hard to explain.

Let's see how this goes...

[Karl Henning]

There's more time in Kentucky, I've heard it said....

[ibanezmonster]

Ha! Given the scenery, that definitely seems true. It would be nice if I could take my laptop outside and hook it up to something (rather than letting the battery drain in ~40 min.) Where we stay, there's pretty much nothing but mountains in the distance- perfect scenery for writing. That, and quietness. (Actually, not far from where we stay is an Amish community that we visited)...

There's something to think about next time you're on the bus, writing music. 

[Szykneij]

There's more time in Kentucky, I've heard it said....

And up ahead's another town that I'll go walking through,
With the rain in my shoes

[ibanezmonster]

Wow.
Let's just say this first 1'05" is shaping up to be the new music I've always dreamed of. (~14 minutes to go)

I got kinda stuck for a while, though... I worked on the same section for 30 minutes during break yesterday, and no progress despite several ideas. Then, I worked on it the last 2 hours or so, not being able to get out of the same section. Then, I started to simply listen line-by-line to see what sounded right, and through a little patchwork, I was able to progress out and into some  territory (clarinet, crotales, strings)... well, I won't share this until I'm done, but I can't wait! 

One interesting point is that some of these accidental things actually turn out to be good- for example, it starts out at 40 bpm, but I didn't see the 35 bpm and didn't even notice the tempo went down, but if I push it back up to 40 bpm, it sounds too fast. People may find this to be a very strange tempo which actually works, but in all honesty, it was accidental (and I'm keeping it!)

Just a note to myself... perhaps the way to get out of the blocks is to totally not rush anything and pay attention one line at a time during playback, rather than all of the music; also, treat it more like a puzzle.

[ibanezmonster]

I did rewrite the same bit a million times all day yesterday and today, but it was worth it. The couple of extra bars I've laid out are perfect and I won't change them now.

What I learned, though, was that I need to simply play it back again and again before writing another note (rather than just writing notes without doing that, which is what lead to rewriting the same section so much). Write the note or two, then play it back again. If it fits, it'll usually lead to extra notes, or maybe a bar. Play back the bar, polish up, and enjoy. Hopefully now that I know that, I'll be able to write a bit faster.

Somehow, it's almost sounding kind of like some of the contemporary composers I hear in certain sections...

[ibanezmonster]

I might be typing a message or two here every day, but oh well! 
And I might keep on saying how gorgeous this music, but oh well... 
hehe

It just has one flaw so far: At the 1' mark is when I transition into the next section, which is the start of something to develop (and the transition is perfect, too). However, it feels like the ideas are progressing too quickly. The solution, I think, might be to either somehow develop or repeat the first minute of music. Then, around the 2' mark or so is when it gets to the next section. The second section almost sounds Ligeti-ish, like in Lontano or something- really beautiful, despite being quite dissonant if you look at the actual notes being used.

[Karl Henning]

. . . However, it feels like the ideas are progressing too quickly. The solution, I think, might be to either somehow develop or repeat the first minute of music . . . .

Carry on.

[ibanezmonster]

Carry on.

Yeah, I'll try to knock this thing out first before progressing...


What I wish to express in the music can pretty much be summed up by one picture:

(this the theme I use for Google Chrome- it's called "Fly Away"). 

[Karl Henning]

How do you get the hair right, musically?

[ibanezmonster]

Hmmm... uh... 
tell the performers to use pink wind instruments?

[Karl Henning]

I don't think any flutist I know would agree to play such . . . an . . . instrument ; )

[ibanezmonster]

Hmm... maybe I'll keep it to the bassists, then.

[Karl Henning]

Does Allan know you've crashed his pad?

[Karl Henning]

Anyway, I'm sure there are flutists out there who would play such a . . . device.

It's just that they are not the flutists I know : )

[ibanezmonster]

Does Allan know you've crashed his pad?

Hmm... probably not, though I was thinking if M Forever ever performed my music, I'd make him the only one with the pink bass. 

However, it feels like the ideas are progressing too quickly. The solution, I think, might be to either somehow develop or repeat the first minute of music.

Figured it out, done, and it works (not the entire first minute, but the beginning, basically). At 2'25" right now. Minor retouching is needed, which should take no longer than 10-20 minutes. Now time for work... off tomorrow, so more fun. 

[Karl Henning]

Figured it out, done, and it works (not the entire first minute, but the beginning, basically).

Good! : )