One Down...

Well I have one piece "finished" (note quotation marks). I completed my first character piece this weekend after my many attempts and failed attempts. When I played the bare bones of my piece in class, and heard it played by someone else for the first time, I realized where it needed to go. Dr. Ross talked about using one particular idea that I had (the displaced chromatic scale) and expanding on that. I took this particular suggestion, and made it the motive for my entire piece. I decided I could use it in more ways than the one I had been using before. I took the notes of the motive and shared them equally between the piano and the tuba, and varied tempi of the notes to increase and decrease tension.

I also sat down with the tuba player who will be playing my piece and asked him for advice on comfortable register and style with him. This was a good way to go about it to as I would like the players to enjoy playing the music, not only (me) the composer listening to my work being performed! Stay tuned for the very last note in the tuba - he said it was his favourite note on the instrument to play!

Like I said before, getting started was the hardest part. I dove right into my first piece with no information. I didn't read the blogs (sorry Dr. Ross - you could probably tell anyway!), I didn't have any sort of strategy at all. That was the problem. Writing piece doesn't have to be this huge undertaking like a Mozart Symphony or anything. It can just start with one simple idea (like the new motive for my first character piece). I feel much better about this piece now then I did this time last week.

Tomorrow is the day! I Hope you like it!

-Melissa