The class seems to like my composition. There has been comments about how I wrote the cliché very well, and the idea that I was going for was very easy to recognize. Comments were made about the chorale section, and how I can expand that section. I am hoping to present that part of my composition tomorrow. Also in the near future I am going to expand on the interruptions that took place after the beginning of the piece. I am also going to change the roles of the instruments maybe towards the end of the piece to create the more unexpected element again.
I think I have all the ideas I need in this piece. Now I just need to "mess them up" a bit more. I'm liking the idea of surprise in this piece. I think I have many opportunities to be very sneaky!
Until next time...
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Note to self: Don't forget about transposition...
Last week was my second presentation of the cliché composition with real instruments was a success! Before it was ready for presentation however, I had to do a lot of tweaking in order for it to be playable. I wrote the initial score in concert pitch for simplicity, but when it came down to printing off the copy for the players, I realized that the range for the alto horn part was going to be way to high. So I had to transpose the whole score which took a long time. So there wasn't much of an improvement or progress from the week before, which I found kind of disappointing, because I didn't feel like there was much progress. But thats it. You can't make make a lot of progress all the time right? I guess making important improvements like transposition is necessary, and I needed to take the time to fix problems like these when they arise.
I should remember all these mistakes that I make and be sure to pass them on to the next generation of composers going into composition 3100... Maybe I'll write a book...?
I should remember all these mistakes that I make and be sure to pass them on to the next generation of composers going into composition 3100... Maybe I'll write a book...?
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Bravo!
Tonight was out classes Recital!
It was awesome! I had great fun listening to everyone's compositions and the differences and improvements that they have taken over the course of the semester.
I loved the feeling of presenting my piece to the "world" and just sitting back and listening to it being played. I had a weird realization earlier today when I heard Kim practising my piece in one of the practice rooms. I wondered... "Is this what its like to be 'famous'?" haha. It was a surreal feeling. But one that will make it much easier to do this process over again... and again!
Bravo and Brava to all tonight! Good work!
It was awesome! I had great fun listening to everyone's compositions and the differences and improvements that they have taken over the course of the semester.
I loved the feeling of presenting my piece to the "world" and just sitting back and listening to it being played. I had a weird realization earlier today when I heard Kim practising my piece in one of the practice rooms. I wondered... "Is this what its like to be 'famous'?" haha. It was a surreal feeling. But one that will make it much easier to do this process over again... and again!
Bravo and Brava to all tonight! Good work!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
A New Project...
Beginnings of the Second Composition project.
I have a sense of completion after my last composition project. I went to staples and had it bound, and now t is finished and looking very professional. I like the sence of completion and achievement that I get because of this project being done.
Now for the second task! Figuring out what cliché to use for my second project. We were told to think of a musical cliché and then use it to create a piece revolving and evolving around it.
I wanted to boo this work on something that interested me so I was messing around with a few ideas. I landed on Brass Band Music. I have (and still do) played with different brass band groups mainly with the Salvation Army. And there are specific stereotypical roles for each instrument. I thought I would play with that idea a little bit in this composition. Perhaps take the instruments out of their normal roles and put them into a new one! Ah yes... I like that idea.
Instrumentation:
Cornet
Alto Horn
Trombone
I am presenting my beginning idea in class tomorrow!
See you then!
-Melissa
I have a sense of completion after my last composition project. I went to staples and had it bound, and now t is finished and looking very professional. I like the sence of completion and achievement that I get because of this project being done.
Now for the second task! Figuring out what cliché to use for my second project. We were told to think of a musical cliché and then use it to create a piece revolving and evolving around it.
I wanted to boo this work on something that interested me so I was messing around with a few ideas. I landed on Brass Band Music. I have (and still do) played with different brass band groups mainly with the Salvation Army. And there are specific stereotypical roles for each instrument. I thought I would play with that idea a little bit in this composition. Perhaps take the instruments out of their normal roles and put them into a new one! Ah yes... I like that idea.
Instrumentation:
Cornet
Alto Horn
Trombone
I am presenting my beginning idea in class tomorrow!
See you then!
-Melissa
Monday, October 13, 2008
Revisions...
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you're all enjoying midterm break! I know I am. I just got home from Gander late last night. And today I am getting back to some school work.
I am beginning the revisions for my character pieces. This involves adding details such as dynamics and simple edits to my pieces. The majority of my revisions are coming out of my second piece. I am changing the motive I used at the beginning to make it a little more unpredictable. I am varying the rhythm, and the play between the piano and the tuba. I also need to come up with some names for these pieces. I think that picking one word to describe each piece is going to be difficult. I am also picky about this sort of thing, and I want to make sure it is exactly right for what I have written.
I hope your belly's are full! I'm about to take a break from my work to eat my thanksgiving supper! mmmmm.
-Melissa
I am beginning the revisions for my character pieces. This involves adding details such as dynamics and simple edits to my pieces. The majority of my revisions are coming out of my second piece. I am changing the motive I used at the beginning to make it a little more unpredictable. I am varying the rhythm, and the play between the piano and the tuba. I also need to come up with some names for these pieces. I think that picking one word to describe each piece is going to be difficult. I am also picky about this sort of thing, and I want to make sure it is exactly right for what I have written.
I hope your belly's are full! I'm about to take a break from my work to eat my thanksgiving supper! mmmmm.
-Melissa
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Phase one about to come to a close...
Composition has far more steps than I ever thought. I was naive enough to think that you just sat down and wrote down and wrote a piece and that was it. I had no idea that there were so many dimensions to the process before.
As intimidating as it may be sometimes, I think having your pieces played in class is one of the most important steps in this composition process. It is very interesting to hear what others have to say about your ideas. Everyone catches something different that maybe you didn't hear, as well as ideas about how to improve upon your composition.
My last piece was written in an attempt to finish off my set of character pieces with a bang sort to speak. I noticed that my other two pieces were missing something that most of my other class mates have already achieved. Energy. I mean, I guess my other two pieces had a different sort of energy, but my last one I wanted to be exciting and energetic, but in a mean unapologetic sort of way. I used a lot of sixteenth notes in the piano and tuba to add to the energy I wanted. I also tried to use a motive again (which I did in my other 2 pieces) however this time I was mindful to use it in a different way, and an unexpecting way every time. I think in my second piece I took Dr. Ross's advice to heart a little too much (with my repeated motive 5 times in a row, the same way every time). So hopefully nobody will suspect where this piece is going!
Completing the first whole assignment with all these epiphanies makes me very satisfied. I am very glad this course turned out to be like nothing like I thought it would be!
-Melissa
As intimidating as it may be sometimes, I think having your pieces played in class is one of the most important steps in this composition process. It is very interesting to hear what others have to say about your ideas. Everyone catches something different that maybe you didn't hear, as well as ideas about how to improve upon your composition.
My last piece was written in an attempt to finish off my set of character pieces with a bang sort to speak. I noticed that my other two pieces were missing something that most of my other class mates have already achieved. Energy. I mean, I guess my other two pieces had a different sort of energy, but my last one I wanted to be exciting and energetic, but in a mean unapologetic sort of way. I used a lot of sixteenth notes in the piano and tuba to add to the energy I wanted. I also tried to use a motive again (which I did in my other 2 pieces) however this time I was mindful to use it in a different way, and an unexpecting way every time. I think in my second piece I took Dr. Ross's advice to heart a little too much (with my repeated motive 5 times in a row, the same way every time). So hopefully nobody will suspect where this piece is going!
Completing the first whole assignment with all these epiphanies makes me very satisfied. I am very glad this course turned out to be like nothing like I thought it would be!
-Melissa
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Word to the Wise (Or Note to Self?)
Hi Everyone...
As one of Dr. Ross's newest entries states, notation software is a problem for some. I am one of the some. I have never felt a need to purchase a software program before for the bit and pieces of composing I've done. Just now I have finished off my second piece (hand written I might add). All I have is the 2008 version of Finale Notepad. Well folks... it is what it is. Its free. Therefore it is extremely limiting. So this is why I had to hand write this character piece. It was just too complicated for poor old Finale Notepad to handle. And here is where my advise comes in: check over your hand written work. BEFORE you print off eight copies. Computers catch our mistakes. So its a lot harder to see them with our own eye.
(I hope you don't mind) To save myself time I changed the meter of a couple of measures. Keeping in mind what Dr. Ross said about my first draft of my first character piece "sometimes mistakes can make your piece better." In the name of composition, I will hope that everyone finds that these mistakes make my second piece sound better, and not think that the mistakes are there because of my sloth.
-Melissa
PS: This week I thought I would respond to the comments I received in class. So stay tuned for another blog entry soon!
As one of Dr. Ross's newest entries states, notation software is a problem for some. I am one of the some. I have never felt a need to purchase a software program before for the bit and pieces of composing I've done. Just now I have finished off my second piece (hand written I might add). All I have is the 2008 version of Finale Notepad. Well folks... it is what it is. Its free. Therefore it is extremely limiting. So this is why I had to hand write this character piece. It was just too complicated for poor old Finale Notepad to handle. And here is where my advise comes in: check over your hand written work. BEFORE you print off eight copies. Computers catch our mistakes. So its a lot harder to see them with our own eye.
(I hope you don't mind) To save myself time I changed the meter of a couple of measures. Keeping in mind what Dr. Ross said about my first draft of my first character piece "sometimes mistakes can make your piece better." In the name of composition, I will hope that everyone finds that these mistakes make my second piece sound better, and not think that the mistakes are there because of my sloth.
-Melissa
PS: This week I thought I would respond to the comments I received in class. So stay tuned for another blog entry soon!
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