23/10/18
While I haven't had much time to work on my composition so far, after listening to Bree Van Reyk's Light for the First Time, I have an idea of the direction I'll take my baby steps, and therefore the direction for my original composition (based on the baby steps).
Currently, the plan is to explore the ways different atmospheres can be achieved with limited pitch sets - enabling students to focus more on and experiment with other musical ideas, like the quality and colours of sounds, rhythms and textures. To help achieve the atmosphere I have in mind (probably calm/peaceful - more lush/exciting - calm/peaceful), I'm scoring the piece for flute, violin and cello (this is also for recording purposes).
To achieve this calm atmosphere, I think it's important to have silence built into the music, so I decided to go with the idea of swells (since they also give movement, which will drive the piece forward). I developed this by adding some dissonance, to add more tension - release. I'm struggling with building the piece into something being lush/exciting, so I need to find a way to use the melody I created in the cello as a bridge to this section.
I took my score to Jim Coyle, and found his feedback very helpful. He talked about exploring
the sliding scale of extended techniques (moving gradually to and from harmonics/sul pont. etc), and just sitting down at the instrument and exploring its sound capabilities (in string instruments, the bigger the better). He also suggested drawing out the first section and slowing it down, and varying the rhythm of the cello melody (I think I heard it that way in my head but I didn't write it the way I heard it). Instead of using the flute, he pointed out that it would make more sense if I wrote for more string instruments, since I know how they work better than wind instruments. I also think that the sound qualities and blend from having all string instruments will open up more opportunities to achieve the sounds I want for this piece.
I'm looking forward to exploring the sounds that the instruments can make, and organising this into a composition.