For 3 horns, 1 trumpet, 2 trombones and tuba.
I wanted to use the palindrome effect on a larger group, more expansive tune and I wanted to write a different kind of melody to see what would happen. The entire intro, A section and B section go by with nothing special except a cascading melody between the trumpet and the horn. This differs from the previous day’s short motifs. The B section is just an exchange between the trumpet and the horns. From the end of the B section to the end is a palindrome of the A section and the intro, with added commentary from the trumpet and horn. I’m not exactly sure whether I like this piece. There’s something about it that doesn’t sit quite right. Like with #259, I had to change some note values in the horn on the reverse, but other than that, it’s the genuine article. Regardless of how I feel about this, I’m still very excited about this whole palindrome dealie.
One Day Wonder #259
For 1 horn, 1 trumpet and tuba.
Problem solved! Well, at least for the moment. I thought of something that I haven’t done yet – a palindrome. It’s just what you think it is: a tune that goes on for a time, then reverses itself and tries to sound halfway normal. Although it seems like it would be a breeze (I mean, you only have to write half a piece), there is a lot of planning to it. For this one, I use short motifs instead of full-on melodies and try to keep the instruments in contact with each other as much as possible. This is how the first effort turned out. I had to make just a few changes to the horn’s note values on the reverse, but otherwise, it holds up well. I’m very excited about this approach, so I am determined to over-use it till I’m totally sick to death of it.
Problem solved! Well, at least for the moment. I thought of something that I haven’t done yet – a palindrome. It’s just what you think it is: a tune that goes on for a time, then reverses itself and tries to sound halfway normal. Although it seems like it would be a breeze (I mean, you only have to write half a piece), there is a lot of planning to it. For this one, I use short motifs instead of full-on melodies and try to keep the instruments in contact with each other as much as possible. This is how the first effort turned out. I had to make just a few changes to the horn’s note values on the reverse, but otherwise, it holds up well. I’m very excited about this approach, so I am determined to over-use it till I’m totally sick to death of it.
One Day Wonder #258
For 3 horns, 1 trumpet and tuba.
I seem to be hitting some kind of wall here. It’s not the first time it’s happened, but I’m really at a loss as to what I should write. It’s a really terrible feeling to be this far along in the process and have absolutely no idea what to do. I mean, I’ve gotten this far almost completely on my own (with only a little subject matter help from my friend Kris) and to be blocked like this is a little distressing. These days, I should be writing roaring stuff like #242 or wild experiments like #253, but this piece and the previous one seem excessively simple in comparison. There’s no sliding tonality, no energy, and nothing to distinguish it from a raft of other stuff that I’ve done. Plus, both pieces are in 7 - #257 was in 7/4; this one’s in 7/8. What’s going on here?? Can I be running so dry on ideas that I’ll be forced to limp across the finish line with a bunch of bland pieces? Gosh, I hope not. I’ve found that identifying the problem is the beginning of the solution. Something usually comes along to solve the dilemma. I can only hope that it will. No, I don’t think this piece is terrible; it’s really quite pleasant, especially in the B section with the tuba. I would have been happy to write it 100 pieces ago, but I’ve evolved past that. So I’m upset that it couldn’t distinguish itself. I’ll try to figure out what to do for tomorrow. It may take some heavy thought or it may just come to me out of the blue.
I seem to be hitting some kind of wall here. It’s not the first time it’s happened, but I’m really at a loss as to what I should write. It’s a really terrible feeling to be this far along in the process and have absolutely no idea what to do. I mean, I’ve gotten this far almost completely on my own (with only a little subject matter help from my friend Kris) and to be blocked like this is a little distressing. These days, I should be writing roaring stuff like #242 or wild experiments like #253, but this piece and the previous one seem excessively simple in comparison. There’s no sliding tonality, no energy, and nothing to distinguish it from a raft of other stuff that I’ve done. Plus, both pieces are in 7 - #257 was in 7/4; this one’s in 7/8. What’s going on here?? Can I be running so dry on ideas that I’ll be forced to limp across the finish line with a bunch of bland pieces? Gosh, I hope not. I’ve found that identifying the problem is the beginning of the solution. Something usually comes along to solve the dilemma. I can only hope that it will. No, I don’t think this piece is terrible; it’s really quite pleasant, especially in the B section with the tuba. I would have been happy to write it 100 pieces ago, but I’ve evolved past that. So I’m upset that it couldn’t distinguish itself. I’ll try to figure out what to do for tomorrow. It may take some heavy thought or it may just come to me out of the blue.
One Day Wonder #257
For 2 horns, 1 trumpet, 2 trombones and tuba.
It was my intention to write a major-key tango in 7/4 for today’s effort. The only problem is that it didn’t work out too well. From the git-go, it sounds oompah-riffic (something a tango shouldn’t do, unless it’s being played by Germans), which is why I quickly jump from D major to B minor. Yeah, it still doesn’t sound like a tango. Oh well, so much for that! But I did want to exploit the “start-stop” aspect that tango uses so often. You know what that is, right? It’s where the solo voice makes a statement alone, then the ensemble comes in, adds to the action, cuts out, solo voice makes another statement and so on. It can only work for so long before the piece doesn’t seem like it’s going anywhere. I think that I might have taken it a little beyond that point, but it’s still pleasant enough. There are a lot of nice fourth and fifth intervals in the A theme that give it a nice diatonic feel. In this case, I wasn’t trying to flee from the key, so to speak. Since the tango-thing wasn’t working out, I took it down a different, very conventional road.
It was my intention to write a major-key tango in 7/4 for today’s effort. The only problem is that it didn’t work out too well. From the git-go, it sounds oompah-riffic (something a tango shouldn’t do, unless it’s being played by Germans), which is why I quickly jump from D major to B minor. Yeah, it still doesn’t sound like a tango. Oh well, so much for that! But I did want to exploit the “start-stop” aspect that tango uses so often. You know what that is, right? It’s where the solo voice makes a statement alone, then the ensemble comes in, adds to the action, cuts out, solo voice makes another statement and so on. It can only work for so long before the piece doesn’t seem like it’s going anywhere. I think that I might have taken it a little beyond that point, but it’s still pleasant enough. There are a lot of nice fourth and fifth intervals in the A theme that give it a nice diatonic feel. In this case, I wasn’t trying to flee from the key, so to speak. Since the tango-thing wasn’t working out, I took it down a different, very conventional road.
One Day Wonder #256
For 1 horn, 1 trumpet and tuba.
I had not the least idea of what I should do today. I mean, I’ve been idea-deprived before, but not like this. I mean, I was drawing a complete blank. It just may indicate that the tank is empty. But, funny thing, whenever I feel like that, it generally means that great things are approaching. I felt like that many times when I was writing Mackris v. O’Reilly, but I got through it with some very nice results. Of course, it helped that I knew exactly how the ending would go months before I got to it. Today, it was a different story. There was this void in my thoughts when I tried to think of what to write. But there’s a difference between thinking and doing, so I just picked a time signature (alternating 6/8 and 5/8) and started writing. This piece is in two basic parts; the first is the unison exchange between the horn and tuba and the second is when the accompanying parts move around. Yeah, it’s just that simple. To mix things up a bit, I pass the tune around the ensemble. And that’s how you make a piece out of nothing. Considering how little I had to go on, I’m really satisfied with how this turned out.
I had not the least idea of what I should do today. I mean, I’ve been idea-deprived before, but not like this. I mean, I was drawing a complete blank. It just may indicate that the tank is empty. But, funny thing, whenever I feel like that, it generally means that great things are approaching. I felt like that many times when I was writing Mackris v. O’Reilly, but I got through it with some very nice results. Of course, it helped that I knew exactly how the ending would go months before I got to it. Today, it was a different story. There was this void in my thoughts when I tried to think of what to write. But there’s a difference between thinking and doing, so I just picked a time signature (alternating 6/8 and 5/8) and started writing. This piece is in two basic parts; the first is the unison exchange between the horn and tuba and the second is when the accompanying parts move around. Yeah, it’s just that simple. To mix things up a bit, I pass the tune around the ensemble. And that’s how you make a piece out of nothing. Considering how little I had to go on, I’m really satisfied with how this turned out.
One Day Wonder #255
For 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 1 trumpet and tuba.
Here’s another 12-tone piece. If you’ll recall, I wrote a pair of them (#196 and #198) a ways back and it was a really great experience, so I decided to write another. This one uses the tone row D-Ab-Db-B-F#-C-E-Bb-G-Eb-A-F. After working with it for a while, I realized that although my row was good structurally, it wasn’t very strong in the melodic department. That was fine with me, because it forced me to deal with it in a different way. Instead of exploiting its lyrical aspects (which don’t really exist), I dressed the row up in different disguises and then threw it to the low brass (trombone and tuba) for the final part. OK, so there’s not a lot of warmth to this piece, but I’m very happy with what I’ve got. The reason why there is such a gap between the earlier two pieces and this one is that I didn’t believe that I had the vocabulary to make another attempt. Well, a little bit of time has gone by and it turns out that I do. Placing them side-by-side, I like #196 more, but this is a very close second.
Here’s another 12-tone piece. If you’ll recall, I wrote a pair of them (#196 and #198) a ways back and it was a really great experience, so I decided to write another. This one uses the tone row D-Ab-Db-B-F#-C-E-Bb-G-Eb-A-F. After working with it for a while, I realized that although my row was good structurally, it wasn’t very strong in the melodic department. That was fine with me, because it forced me to deal with it in a different way. Instead of exploiting its lyrical aspects (which don’t really exist), I dressed the row up in different disguises and then threw it to the low brass (trombone and tuba) for the final part. OK, so there’s not a lot of warmth to this piece, but I’m very happy with what I’ve got. The reason why there is such a gap between the earlier two pieces and this one is that I didn’t believe that I had the vocabulary to make another attempt. Well, a little bit of time has gone by and it turns out that I do. Placing them side-by-side, I like #196 more, but this is a very close second.
One Day Wonder #254
For 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones and tuba.
After yesterday’s glorious experiment, I found myself with a perfectly serviceable tune that had been completely untouched. All I did in #253 was run it and end it. It seemed like a waste to move on and write something else, so I decided to soup it up and make it a full length One Day Wonder. I banished the second tuba, sped up the tempo, monkeyed with the chord changes (each iteration of the A theme has different changes) and added new sections. The result is this semi-wild ride. As much as #253 was fun to write, this was even more fun to fiddle with. I may be burned out by this project, but pieces like this make the latter stages of my efforts completely worth it. Enjoy.
After yesterday’s glorious experiment, I found myself with a perfectly serviceable tune that had been completely untouched. All I did in #253 was run it and end it. It seemed like a waste to move on and write something else, so I decided to soup it up and make it a full length One Day Wonder. I banished the second tuba, sped up the tempo, monkeyed with the chord changes (each iteration of the A theme has different changes) and added new sections. The result is this semi-wild ride. As much as #253 was fun to write, this was even more fun to fiddle with. I may be burned out by this project, but pieces like this make the latter stages of my efforts completely worth it. Enjoy.
One Day Wonder #253
For 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones and 2 tubas.
I had an interesting idea for this piece; I thought to write a simple diatonic tune in intro-AABA form for half the group and have the other half of the group play the same tune at a different speed and then have everybody meet up at the end. The result? Wonderful, wonderful chaos! In the intro, you can hear what’s in store, then the first group plays and the second lets loose a bit later. The melody loses almost all distinction as the melodic lines and accompaniment blend and clash. The closer they come to each other, the more dissonant things become. I really enjoyed writing this piece. I set it up in 6/8 and had the first group play their tune using all dotted rhythms, so really the thing is in an altered 2/4. When the second group enters, they’re playing the same thing without the dots. True, the tempo is a little slow, but I wanted it to be manageable for the second group that comes in at a seemingly quicker tempo. In case you want to hear what the whole original tune sounds like, it’s here. Yeah, it's pretty sedate, but when both groups are in the mix, it turns into a wild man! Although not as cutting-edge as Ives’ Civil War band experiment, this is almost as good. And by the way, this is the first piece of the entire project that features two tubas.
I had an interesting idea for this piece; I thought to write a simple diatonic tune in intro-AABA form for half the group and have the other half of the group play the same tune at a different speed and then have everybody meet up at the end. The result? Wonderful, wonderful chaos! In the intro, you can hear what’s in store, then the first group plays and the second lets loose a bit later. The melody loses almost all distinction as the melodic lines and accompaniment blend and clash. The closer they come to each other, the more dissonant things become. I really enjoyed writing this piece. I set it up in 6/8 and had the first group play their tune using all dotted rhythms, so really the thing is in an altered 2/4. When the second group enters, they’re playing the same thing without the dots. True, the tempo is a little slow, but I wanted it to be manageable for the second group that comes in at a seemingly quicker tempo. In case you want to hear what the whole original tune sounds like, it’s here. Yeah, it's pretty sedate, but when both groups are in the mix, it turns into a wild man! Although not as cutting-edge as Ives’ Civil War band experiment, this is almost as good. And by the way, this is the first piece of the entire project that features two tubas.
One Day Wonder #252
For 2 horns, 1 trumpet, 2 trombones and tuba.
I was completely devoid of inspiration for this one, so I decided to write a demented waltz. It’s been ages since I’ve attempted something like it. Yeah, the mix isn’t too good here. The trombones are booming and the horns are a little too quiet. Buy besides that, I pull off some pretty tricky stuff in the middle. The intro and A theme play out normally, but the B and C themes get a little daffy. Instead of just lining them up one after the other, I start the C theme in the trombone while the B theme is still going on in the horn. This is exactly the sort of formal barrier that I’ve been trying to break down. It causes confusion and a little uncertainty, but it emerges into its own after just a few bars. The rest of the piece proceeds normally with the repeat of the A theme (with a horn countermelody, as usual) and ends without incident. If I hadn’t merged those two themes, this piece wouldn’t have any special significance to me. But I’m so glad I was able to do something to spice things up. Hooray for me…
I was completely devoid of inspiration for this one, so I decided to write a demented waltz. It’s been ages since I’ve attempted something like it. Yeah, the mix isn’t too good here. The trombones are booming and the horns are a little too quiet. Buy besides that, I pull off some pretty tricky stuff in the middle. The intro and A theme play out normally, but the B and C themes get a little daffy. Instead of just lining them up one after the other, I start the C theme in the trombone while the B theme is still going on in the horn. This is exactly the sort of formal barrier that I’ve been trying to break down. It causes confusion and a little uncertainty, but it emerges into its own after just a few bars. The rest of the piece proceeds normally with the repeat of the A theme (with a horn countermelody, as usual) and ends without incident. If I hadn’t merged those two themes, this piece wouldn’t have any special significance to me. But I’m so glad I was able to do something to spice things up. Hooray for me…
One Day Wonder #251
For 2 horns, 2 trumpets and 2 trombones.
I took Sunday off to watch the football playoffs (all the right teams won) and came back on Monday in fine form. It’s been a very long time since I channeled Gabrieli. Though it wasn’t my intention to mimic him today, I did want to borrow the “brass choir” concept and run with it. So I pit a horn, a trumpet and a trombone against their counterparts and made a piece. What you get is motifs combining and clashing until everything somewhat resolves in the end. I wasn’t thinking about a form for this, so it was something of a relief that I didn’t have to deal with my formal conundrum for at least one day. There’s something I really like about this tune that I can’t really put my finger on. I guess whatever I was striving for worked. The only trouble is that I can’t exactly remember what I was trying to get across. Isn’t that weird? I finished this piece a little more than a week ago and I can’t remember what I was trying to do! The important thing is that I like it. You don’t have to, but I really do.
I took Sunday off to watch the football playoffs (all the right teams won) and came back on Monday in fine form. It’s been a very long time since I channeled Gabrieli. Though it wasn’t my intention to mimic him today, I did want to borrow the “brass choir” concept and run with it. So I pit a horn, a trumpet and a trombone against their counterparts and made a piece. What you get is motifs combining and clashing until everything somewhat resolves in the end. I wasn’t thinking about a form for this, so it was something of a relief that I didn’t have to deal with my formal conundrum for at least one day. There’s something I really like about this tune that I can’t really put my finger on. I guess whatever I was striving for worked. The only trouble is that I can’t exactly remember what I was trying to get across. Isn’t that weird? I finished this piece a little more than a week ago and I can’t remember what I was trying to do! The important thing is that I like it. You don’t have to, but I really do.
One Day Wonder #250
For 2 horns, 1 trumpet, 2 trombones and tuba.
After being ill for the better part of three days, I'm better. And so here we are – 5/6 the way through this blasted project! Whoopee! I wasn’t celebrating such an insignificant milestone, though. I had a piece to write. I don’t know why I haven’t attempted this before, but here it is: a nice stompin’ little polka in 5/4. When I’m writing dance music that is usually in standard meters (2/4. 4/4, 6/8, etc.) and putting it into an odd meter, the challenge is phrasing. I often find myself either writing phrases that sound too short and terse or phrases that sound a little too unhurried. In this piece, you get both of those things, plus something that is hopefully in between. The intro sets the mood, then the A theme is upon us in the horns. I try to give it some kind of groove by repeating the two slurred eighth notes in the fifth beat as often as I can. That seems to inject a little energy into things. But you’ll notice that the tune itself seems to be truncated. It was my bet that the impetus of the tune would negate that terse effect. I hope I succeeded there. The B theme in the trumpet is a bit more expansive. It’s a nice 16-bar chunk that begins with a tune that fits well into 5/4. In the next eight bars, the horns take up the first four bars of the trumpet’s tune at half speed, while the trumpet gets a little manic over then. After the repeat of A (this time with the trumpet prodding things along), we get the C theme in the trombones and tuba. I suspend the “oom-pah” feel while keeping the pulse going with commentary from the trumpet and horns, and , after some building, it all leads back to the last A theme, this time with the trumpet in the lead and the horn dealing out a countermelody. Honestly, I didn’t think that this piece would work out as well as it did. I really like a lot about it. It’s got drive, mood changes and a nice odd-meter groove. It was a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon following the demolition of the Seahawks at the hands of the Packers. Yeah, it was rather alarming, but at least I won money – a whole two dollars from a couple of guys who have learned nothing about what happens to Seattle teams in the playoffs.
After being ill for the better part of three days, I'm better. And so here we are – 5/6 the way through this blasted project! Whoopee! I wasn’t celebrating such an insignificant milestone, though. I had a piece to write. I don’t know why I haven’t attempted this before, but here it is: a nice stompin’ little polka in 5/4. When I’m writing dance music that is usually in standard meters (2/4. 4/4, 6/8, etc.) and putting it into an odd meter, the challenge is phrasing. I often find myself either writing phrases that sound too short and terse or phrases that sound a little too unhurried. In this piece, you get both of those things, plus something that is hopefully in between. The intro sets the mood, then the A theme is upon us in the horns. I try to give it some kind of groove by repeating the two slurred eighth notes in the fifth beat as often as I can. That seems to inject a little energy into things. But you’ll notice that the tune itself seems to be truncated. It was my bet that the impetus of the tune would negate that terse effect. I hope I succeeded there. The B theme in the trumpet is a bit more expansive. It’s a nice 16-bar chunk that begins with a tune that fits well into 5/4. In the next eight bars, the horns take up the first four bars of the trumpet’s tune at half speed, while the trumpet gets a little manic over then. After the repeat of A (this time with the trumpet prodding things along), we get the C theme in the trombones and tuba. I suspend the “oom-pah” feel while keeping the pulse going with commentary from the trumpet and horns, and , after some building, it all leads back to the last A theme, this time with the trumpet in the lead and the horn dealing out a countermelody. Honestly, I didn’t think that this piece would work out as well as it did. I really like a lot about it. It’s got drive, mood changes and a nice odd-meter groove. It was a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon following the demolition of the Seahawks at the hands of the Packers. Yeah, it was rather alarming, but at least I won money – a whole two dollars from a couple of guys who have learned nothing about what happens to Seattle teams in the playoffs.
One Day Wonder #249
For 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones and tuba.
I’m still sick… Jeez, when will it end?? If anything, I feel even worse than the day before. But this project also lingers, so I gave myself an ultra-simple assignment for today’s piece: write a slow, diatonic tune for a large ensemble in AABA form. That’s exactly what you get, folks! It’s in the very somber key of D minor and, if you listen closely, you’ll notice that it stays that way for the tune’s rather short duration. I managed to finish it in between naps and bouts of stomach cramps. I guess that was my greatest accomplishment of the day. This piece simple in the extreme, but I’m not ashamed of it. If anything, it shows that I can write under even the worst conditions – and believe me, I feel just awful. So hooray for me, I finished something each of the three days that I’ve been under the weather. That’s something, isn’t it? I mean, if I ever get a film gig (that’s a big EVER), I’ll have to do the same thing, so it’s good that I’m getting my practice in now.
I’m still sick… Jeez, when will it end?? If anything, I feel even worse than the day before. But this project also lingers, so I gave myself an ultra-simple assignment for today’s piece: write a slow, diatonic tune for a large ensemble in AABA form. That’s exactly what you get, folks! It’s in the very somber key of D minor and, if you listen closely, you’ll notice that it stays that way for the tune’s rather short duration. I managed to finish it in between naps and bouts of stomach cramps. I guess that was my greatest accomplishment of the day. This piece simple in the extreme, but I’m not ashamed of it. If anything, it shows that I can write under even the worst conditions – and believe me, I feel just awful. So hooray for me, I finished something each of the three days that I’ve been under the weather. That’s something, isn’t it? I mean, if I ever get a film gig (that’s a big EVER), I’ll have to do the same thing, so it’s good that I’m getting my practice in now.
One Day Wonder #248
For 1 horn, 1 trumpet, 1 trombone and tuba.
Just when I thought that the “join-in” was a thing of the past, along comes this piece. OK, it’s a bit of a letdown (I’m sick, so gimme a break!) from #247, but it does have its bright spots. For those of you who have tuned in a little late, the “join-in” is a piece whose parts join in to the fray until everyone’s in the mix. Only then can we have a coherent musical statement. In case you’re interested, prominent join-ins from the past include #19 and #46. At least those two come to mind. This doesn’t rank among those, but I like what happens here. There’s some familiarity, some strangeness and we finish a good distance from where we started. I guess it’s worth mentioning that I managed to get this tune written despite the fact that I woke up at 3 AM, couldn’t get back to sleep and then began to get deathly ill. Don’t worry, nothing too serious. All that tea has kicked my system into overdrive, and my system doesn’t like it much. Yeah, it’s kind of tough to sleep when you’re having severe stomach cramps. Because of that, I resolved to keep this piece simple. I’d chip away at it for a time, then I’d have a bout of cramps and have to lay down, write some more, then get so tired I couldn’t hold up my head, lay down, have a nap, then get up and write some more. I could have just taken the day off, hung out on the couch and watched The Steve Wilkos Show (it’s like ickier and more serious version of Jerry Springer), but I’m getting so close to the finish here, I feel the need to get things done. I’m going to give myself a day off after I finish #250, although that’s really not much of a milestone – 5/6 of the way through – but the occasional day off is good. But being sick and sitting around didn’t seem like enough of an excuse, so instead this piece was born. I still don’t feel any better. In fact, I feel much worse than yesterday, but I hope that this will pass soon.
Just when I thought that the “join-in” was a thing of the past, along comes this piece. OK, it’s a bit of a letdown (I’m sick, so gimme a break!) from #247, but it does have its bright spots. For those of you who have tuned in a little late, the “join-in” is a piece whose parts join in to the fray until everyone’s in the mix. Only then can we have a coherent musical statement. In case you’re interested, prominent join-ins from the past include #19 and #46. At least those two come to mind. This doesn’t rank among those, but I like what happens here. There’s some familiarity, some strangeness and we finish a good distance from where we started. I guess it’s worth mentioning that I managed to get this tune written despite the fact that I woke up at 3 AM, couldn’t get back to sleep and then began to get deathly ill. Don’t worry, nothing too serious. All that tea has kicked my system into overdrive, and my system doesn’t like it much. Yeah, it’s kind of tough to sleep when you’re having severe stomach cramps. Because of that, I resolved to keep this piece simple. I’d chip away at it for a time, then I’d have a bout of cramps and have to lay down, write some more, then get so tired I couldn’t hold up my head, lay down, have a nap, then get up and write some more. I could have just taken the day off, hung out on the couch and watched The Steve Wilkos Show (it’s like ickier and more serious version of Jerry Springer), but I’m getting so close to the finish here, I feel the need to get things done. I’m going to give myself a day off after I finish #250, although that’s really not much of a milestone – 5/6 of the way through – but the occasional day off is good. But being sick and sitting around didn’t seem like enough of an excuse, so instead this piece was born. I still don’t feel any better. In fact, I feel much worse than yesterday, but I hope that this will pass soon.
One Day Wonder #247
For 3 horns, 2 trumpets, 1 trombone and tuba.
I recently watched The Magnificent Seven and was thinking about Leonard Bernstein’s soundtrack. I thought it would be nice to draw from that and write a piece. I was particularly keen to embrace the more “rootin-tootin” parts of it. Well, that was the plan. It starts off well enough, with a potential hoe-down forecasted in the horns. Funny thing, it kind of takes a different direction and I couldn’t be happier about it. After the short intro, the trombone comes in with some things to say. The form is officially AABA for this first part, but if you listen carefully, you’ll hear that the measures get jumbled up and are never really the same until the last go-through. I cut’n’paste all kinds of measures from all over and put them in front of each other, in back of each other and practically to the side and so forth. And it all pretty much makes sense. Sure, that A section (or AABA section) is nice, but the real money is in the next segment. The trumpets lead into what is a series of five-beat phrases. The accompaniment stays in 4 until the trombone again becomes the dominant voice. Following that we’re back to the semi-rootin-tootin. This is really an unexpected gem. I didn’t know what to think of it during the first section, but in the second section, it came into its own. I honestly don’t know how that second section came about. It’s sometimes a mystery as to how these things happen. I can’t chart its creation to any higher brain functions. It was just there and I went with it. I’m not exactly ready to declare this one of my greatest hits, but since my expectations were so low and it turned out so very, well, good, I might possibly consider it one of my best in a little bit.
It’s quite fortunate that it turned out as good as it did, since I was feeling extremely rough during the final stages of this piece’s creation. You know, I’ve never had a problem with caffeine in the past, but recently, it’s hit me very hard. See, I got this great teakettle from my sister for Christmas and so for the last week, I’ve been drinking an entire pot of delicious jasmine green tea for breakfast. It was such a great experience. Mornings were cold (so was my apartment); the tea was hot. It was heaven. Well, the cumulative effects of drinking so much tea have manifested themselves in a really alarming way. I’m always extremely tense, my head feels like it’s going to explode, I shiver almost convulsively, I wake up in the middle of the night and I feel just awful. I didn’t think that yummy jasmine green tea could put me in such a state, but here we are. The thing is that all this stuff gradually crept up on me until I was a near-wreck. I guess I should say that I am a near-wreck. I went downstairs to play poker this evening (there’s a game in the building every week) and felt so rotten that I lost my bankroll on purpose, so I could come back up to my apartment and lay down. So much for that 10 bucks! A few years ago, I used to drink five or six cups of coffee at work. It didn’t affect me at all. Now I’m suddenly laid low by tea. Tea! Well, I’m going to give up all caffeine for the short term. But for the moment, I have to wait for all that accumulated caffeine to leave my system. I have a feeling it’s going to be a rough ride.
I recently watched The Magnificent Seven and was thinking about Leonard Bernstein’s soundtrack. I thought it would be nice to draw from that and write a piece. I was particularly keen to embrace the more “rootin-tootin” parts of it. Well, that was the plan. It starts off well enough, with a potential hoe-down forecasted in the horns. Funny thing, it kind of takes a different direction and I couldn’t be happier about it. After the short intro, the trombone comes in with some things to say. The form is officially AABA for this first part, but if you listen carefully, you’ll hear that the measures get jumbled up and are never really the same until the last go-through. I cut’n’paste all kinds of measures from all over and put them in front of each other, in back of each other and practically to the side and so forth. And it all pretty much makes sense. Sure, that A section (or AABA section) is nice, but the real money is in the next segment. The trumpets lead into what is a series of five-beat phrases. The accompaniment stays in 4 until the trombone again becomes the dominant voice. Following that we’re back to the semi-rootin-tootin. This is really an unexpected gem. I didn’t know what to think of it during the first section, but in the second section, it came into its own. I honestly don’t know how that second section came about. It’s sometimes a mystery as to how these things happen. I can’t chart its creation to any higher brain functions. It was just there and I went with it. I’m not exactly ready to declare this one of my greatest hits, but since my expectations were so low and it turned out so very, well, good, I might possibly consider it one of my best in a little bit.
It’s quite fortunate that it turned out as good as it did, since I was feeling extremely rough during the final stages of this piece’s creation. You know, I’ve never had a problem with caffeine in the past, but recently, it’s hit me very hard. See, I got this great teakettle from my sister for Christmas and so for the last week, I’ve been drinking an entire pot of delicious jasmine green tea for breakfast. It was such a great experience. Mornings were cold (so was my apartment); the tea was hot. It was heaven. Well, the cumulative effects of drinking so much tea have manifested themselves in a really alarming way. I’m always extremely tense, my head feels like it’s going to explode, I shiver almost convulsively, I wake up in the middle of the night and I feel just awful. I didn’t think that yummy jasmine green tea could put me in such a state, but here we are. The thing is that all this stuff gradually crept up on me until I was a near-wreck. I guess I should say that I am a near-wreck. I went downstairs to play poker this evening (there’s a game in the building every week) and felt so rotten that I lost my bankroll on purpose, so I could come back up to my apartment and lay down. So much for that 10 bucks! A few years ago, I used to drink five or six cups of coffee at work. It didn’t affect me at all. Now I’m suddenly laid low by tea. Tea! Well, I’m going to give up all caffeine for the short term. But for the moment, I have to wait for all that accumulated caffeine to leave my system. I have a feeling it’s going to be a rough ride.
One Day Wonder #246
For 2 horns.
What was it I said back in #235? I think it was something like: “The oddball chorale is the last refuge for an idea-deprived scoundrel like myself” or something like that. Well, the polyrhythmic invention is the new oddball chorale. With that said, though, I really do like this piece. It’s just that I’ve been spending a lot of time in the polyrhythmic camp. The good news is that after a few not-very-sincere tries to get Finale to generate quintuplets (you know, five quarter/eighth/sixteenth/etc. notes in the space of four of their counterparts), I finally succeeded. So yes, I’m going to feature them prominently here. You’ll hear them a lot; they’re the ones that proudly proclaim: “I’m a quintuplet!” This piece tries to skate a lot of thin lines. It tries to obscure its own sense of tempo most of the time, but ends up in a rhythmic canon a 2 later on. It tries to highlight polyrhythms, but at the same time, it strives to be lyrical. It tries to be busy, yet at times ambient. In other words, it tries to be all things to all people. I think that many things in it work very well. Sure, it’s no #242, but I find it a strangely captivating tune.
What was it I said back in #235? I think it was something like: “The oddball chorale is the last refuge for an idea-deprived scoundrel like myself” or something like that. Well, the polyrhythmic invention is the new oddball chorale. With that said, though, I really do like this piece. It’s just that I’ve been spending a lot of time in the polyrhythmic camp. The good news is that after a few not-very-sincere tries to get Finale to generate quintuplets (you know, five quarter/eighth/sixteenth/etc. notes in the space of four of their counterparts), I finally succeeded. So yes, I’m going to feature them prominently here. You’ll hear them a lot; they’re the ones that proudly proclaim: “I’m a quintuplet!” This piece tries to skate a lot of thin lines. It tries to obscure its own sense of tempo most of the time, but ends up in a rhythmic canon a 2 later on. It tries to highlight polyrhythms, but at the same time, it strives to be lyrical. It tries to be busy, yet at times ambient. In other words, it tries to be all things to all people. I think that many things in it work very well. Sure, it’s no #242, but I find it a strangely captivating tune.
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