Notational issues

I just finished getting all the notes put into Sibelius on my latest piece, K.A.H!. It was quite a session toward the end, to try and work it out.

the biggest issue is just how many techniques used in the piece.* The issue became "How do i notate these things quickly?"

Without having Stuart Dempster's book from the 70s on trombone (which i've yet to see. I know it exists. maybe UMKC has it in the library. haven't checked here.) I came up with my ways to tell the trombone player what to do.

The piece goes through several different techniques, standard playing, multiphonics (and some singing), playing on the mouthpiece, free buzzing, non-pitched vocal techniques, use of trigger positions to change timbre, etc. Some of the techniques are more standardly notated- multiphonics are often done as diamond notes for the sung pitches. But how about the others techniques?

Well, no one seems to like the trombone, cause there isn't much about how to write these things. When I look at certain scores that use the techniques, most are aleatoric in nature or just write out every single little thing. words words words, so many words...when you're moving around quarter equals 132, words aren't going to cut it.

so, what's eloquent? Different noteheads, of course! How else would one do it? i took some standard- like diamonds for multiphonics- and then used squares, triangles, arrows, Xs, anything I had lying around.

It makes the score quite pretty actually, all these different noteheads strewn around. And, as a performer, seeing the initial notehead with a definition along with it in a legend at the beginning is perfectly acceptable. Seeing words everywhere just clutters up the page.

Also, why does my hand smell so funny? i really have no idea, just does. I blame the enchiladas

by an by, Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas with Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout? Quite a tasty way to end a Saturday

K.A.H!

First off, i've hit 1000 views. doesn't seem like that large a number, but when i started this back in...um...whenever i started it, i never thought that'd happen. or that i'd start averaging over 100 views a month. thanks all. i do wonder how many of you really exist. lol

The trombone concerto has been tabled for the moment. Got a phone call from a buddy of mine demanding i finally finish SOMETHING for him by May. he preferred it be an unaccompanied piece. Aight, i can do that. bye bye concerto which has given me acid reflux. Hello unaccompanied trombone solo!

It's title is K.A.H! I don't normally hit titles first, but this was a must. I'm also a huge fan of acronym names. This one is a double homage- first, to the greatest robot ever fictionally created; Bender. secondly, written in solidarity with everyone else getting royally screwed by the government in the US. Solidarity with Wisconsin in their fight to actually be able to collectively bargain their whole contract, not just their wage (i'm sure they'll lose all benefits soon "to save money." Austerity is BS.). Written in solidarity with those in Michigan that face the possibility of losing local government entirely ("oh, a 3rd party firm decides your town is in a crisis? I (the governor) shall appoint a person in charge of said town, dissolve the government, and give this person totalitarian rule of your town till the 'financial crisis' is over. Bye bye local government, voting, and all public workers!" I do hope they keep one cop around, maybe a fire engine...maybe...).

You can decipher what K.A.H! stands for. I've given a large hint

Later i'll post on content. It led to quite the disagreement. The suggestion was made that i use material from this in my concerto. my answer "that's not really going to work..." this led to about a 15 minute discussion that seriously just went in circles. I hold to my opinion, as it also stems from how i feel about large ensembles (unwieldy cumbersome beasts with coordination issues.). when your theme/basic material is so hard that an elite soloist has difficulty then transferring that to a large ensemble seems...well, pretty damn hard.

especially when you open with multiphonics through a harmon mute. lol