Composing Session: August 14, 2010

Yesterday, I began working on expanding the fourth movement of Trackings No. 2.  I moved to the fourth movement from the second because I need to take a close look at the third movement before I can work on it.  I may need to reconsider some of the techniques I use in that movement.  I felt that my time is better served right now working on the fourth movement as I have a good idea of how to expand and revise this movement.

The primary melodic ideas are composed in 4/4 meter.  However, instead of the typical eighth note groupings of four groups of two, I use the grouping 3+3+2.  This grouping allows for an asymmetrical feel within a symmetrical meter.  Most of what I was able to accomplish on this movement was making editorial notes for what I intend for the piano to do on the original cello and double bass sketch.  In the next day or two I plan on incorporating these edits into the score.

The main thing I worked on yesterday was the diagrammatic sketch for Time in Memoriam.  I began by reviewing my notes for the types of elements I wanted to include within each section of the form.  After adding a few more notes, I began to sketch the shapes and colors for the first two-and-a-half to three minutes of the piece.  Eventually I will go into more details about this type of sketch, but suffice it to say that these shapes and colors will help me to identify which instruments will be playing where and for approximately how long.  When I created this type of sketch for Obscured Ruminations, it gave me a complete picture of how I wanted the piece to unfold.  I thought that it would benefit me to do this type of sketch for this piece.  So far I think it has as I am beginning to get a clear idea of the scope of this piece.