Project 12: Notation, Notation, Notation
Notation, Notation, Notation
This week I worked on writing for guitar and beginner piano—and I learned a lot!
Week 1 Wrap-Up
What a week! With my notebook now filled with over 15 pages of notes on how to write for guitar (HUGE thanks to Johnathan Godfrey for his amazing dissertation on the topic!), Week 1 of Project 12 is now complete!
Writing for Guitar
Dealing with the guitar first, I know I still have a long ways to go, but am now excited about forays into guitar writing rather than absolutely terrified. One of the most interesting things I learned about guitar this week was that 29 of the guitar’s 44 ordinario note range is all available in first position! Going through four or five different versions of the guitar part (and taking a stab at notating a few barres and string preferences), I’ve definitely learned a lot about how to think about voicings, counterpoint, and melodic contour for the instrument. In addition the aforementioned dissertation, score videos from the BC channel on YouTube were also incredibly helpful! I definitely recommend these two resources for any composers wanting to learn some fundamentals on writing for guitar.
Writing for Beginner Piano
Layla’s part also had its challenges, as well! While my original plan was to keep her part more atmospheric (allowing her to work on things like dynamics, timing, improvising on the black keys, etc. rather than on learning a specific melody), Walter asked during the week if it would be possible to also write a melody for her to play. In putting her part together, I was finding that trying to have her either switch from melody to atmosphere—or doing both together—would be a bit too tricky for someone just beginning.
So instead, I wrote an entirely separate melody. While the rhythm is simple, the melody repeats frequently, and most of the sections stay within an octave, it’s something she can work towards as she learns more music. The melody transposes to different keys, there are moments that are completely unique (not part of the main melody), there is a large variety of articulations, and the piece is over 3’00” long—so it’s still a bit inaccessible to a complete beginner. However, the atmospheric part is able to be played by her right now, so with the addition of the melody line she now has a piece that can grow with her a bit.
Graphic Notation for a Beginner?
For the atmospheric part, I included both graphic notation with simple directions, and drawings that should help Layla understand what she should do. The clouds representing thunder get thicker and closer together the louder she’s suppose to be, the “lightning” gestures sit above the staff and are brightly colored to highlight how she’s suppose to play them with a sharper attack than the “clouds,” and scattered raindrops build into a downpour before petering out. The piece also uses glissandos as wind, accompanied by simple drawings that—once again—get thicker when she’s to play louder. Some people would think it odd to give graphic notation to a beginner (something that is usually not discussed in music classes until later in one’s coursework), but it is often a great starting point for someone who is still learning to read music. Not only does it help reinforce concepts like dynamics and timing, but it can also help students start thinking about different tone colors as well. Clouds are fluffy and soft, lightning is quick and aggressive, raindrops are gentle but short and distinct.
Also, Layla loves tigers, so I just had to draw one on her music—it’s for her birthday after all!
Week 2 Wind-Up
This week, I’m working with the Grand Circle New Music Ensemble, based in the Grand Circle region of the American Southwest. Their ensemble has commissioned a piece for viola, cello, double bass, and vibraphone, and asked that I write on a topic dealing with nature.
I’ve done quite a bit of traveling, and absolutely love being out in the wild. Anyone who has checked out my catalogue can easily tell that I love writing about experiences in nature—and people who know me from my percussion days know that I LOVE the vibraphone—so this is going to be a really fun and fulfilling week for me! I can’t wait to get started!!
Have a great week everyone!
