20 Hz ~ 20 kHz

Update

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:43:43 +0000

It’s been far too long, dear reader. Life has been hectic, and this blog has unfortunately fallen by the wayside.

I spent the summer at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau, where we the opportunity to study harmony and counterpoint with the legendary Isabelle Duha, composition with Allain Gaussin, Francois Paris (who employs his own unique forms of equal temperament) and Richard Danielpour. We also went t to IRCAM and messed around with openmusic, audiosculpt and max/msp. Overall I think it was a great experience, and would recommend it to any composers interested in French music.

In other news, Mill Valley Philharmonic has commissioned a guitar concerto to be performed in June. I’m pretty excited about it, and have been toying with the idea of incorporating Nicaraguan folk tunes into the piece, perhaps el solar de monimbó or son tus pérjumenes, mujer. We shall see.. it’s still in the very early stages.

And we’re busy here at Davis – Wet Ink Ensemble just performed a great concert (and read some grad student pieces), and Fabien Panisello is visiting from Spain. It’s gonna be a good year!

Fluffy Donut Marmalade

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 01:04:32 +0000

Recordings from the February 3 fluffy donut jam session with UC Davis graduate composers Ben Irwin on clarinet and Liam Wade on electric bass (and singing). I’m on guitar and cajon.

Clarinet and Guitar Warm-up

Where’s Scott when you need him?

Blues (ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog, tutti frutti)

Ben’s piece

Epic final jam

Hope you enjoy!

Debussy and Stravinsky

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 17:16:10 +0000

Paris

8th November, 1913

Don’t fall to the ground, Dear Friend, it is only me!!! Of course, if we begin, you wishing to understand and I to explain why I haven’t written yet, our hair will fall out. And then, something marvellous is happening here: at least once a day everyone talks about you. Your friend Chouchou has composed a fantasy on Petroushka which would make tigers roar… I have threatened her with torture, but she goes on, insisting that you will “find it very beautiful.” So, how could you suppose that we are not thinking of you?

Our reading at the piano of Le Sacre du Printemps, at Laloy’s house, is always present in my mind. It haunts me like a beautiful nightmare and I try, in vain, to reinvoke the terrific impression.

That is why I wait for the stage performance like a greedy child impatient for promised sweets.

As soon as I have a good proof copy of Jeux I will send it to you… I would love to have your opinion on this “badinage in three parts” : while speaking of Jeux, you were surprised that I chose this title to which you preferred The Park. I beg you to believe that Jeux is better, first because it is more appropriate, and then because it more nearly invokes the “horrors” that occur among these three characters.

When are you coming to Paris, so one may at last play good music?

Very affectionately from us three to you and your wife,

Your very old friend,

Claude Debussy

“Conversations with Igor Stravinsky” – Igor Stravinsky and Robert Craft.

Conceptos básicos de análisis musical

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 23:57:50 +0000

Conceptos básicos de análisis musical. Programa – Análisis

English coming soon – outline of basic concepts of music analysis.

Big Crunch Singularity

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:51:47 +0000

I wrote a brand spanking new aleatoric electroacoustic composition last month for the amazing free improv/new music trio Broadcloth (Anne Rhodes, Nathan Botranger and Adam Matlock). It’s called Big Crunch Singularity, which is a theory that the universe will end by imploding back into itself, creating a massive black hole. The tricky part about writing electronic aleatoric music (with non-realtime electronics) is that the tape part is fixed, while the instrumental part is very fluid and can change drstically with every performance. Since broadcloth is a fantastic improv group, I wanted to leave them plenty of room to do what they do best (… improvise). Take a look at the score if you want to see how I tried to balance the aleatoric free improv parts and the pre-composed tape segments. It was quite a challenge.

To be perfectly honest I’m not terribly happy with it – I think I could have used much more detail in writing the instrumental parts, and probably made the electronics a bit more subtle. But it’s not a bad start – next one will be better.

Check out the premier: Saturday, Jan. 30 at Audobon Strings.

Weekly Compositions!

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:48:58 +0000

One of my biggest problems as a composer is finishing pieces; coming up with ideas is easy, but expanding them into actual interesting compositions is where it becomes complicated. Every time an idea is born it seems to have infinite potential; it could grow up to become president of the united states or ceo of a fortune 500 company. The more decisions I make as to how to develop or present the idea, the more I worry about the opportunity costs of these decisions, which very often causes me to abandon the idea or “save” it for later. Well, I’m going to try to break out of this unfortunate cycle and practice the fine art of finishing pieces. The goal: write one composition for guitar from beginning to end each week, for at least 4 weeks.

They don’t have to be very good, interesting or innovative (although it would be cool if they were), they just have to be finished.

New Haven Improvisers Collective – Acoustic Session

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:20:52 +0000

Recordings from today’s session – myself, Nathan Bontrager and Paul McGuire.

Long Tones

Free Improv

123

Modes of Limited Transposition

Apple

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:36:04 +0000

I stumbled upon this awesome poem and thought I would share it with you, dear reader. Hope you enjoy!

The apple of deliverance,
Gives me nourishment,
Sweet nectar, dripping down my throat

I thank you, apple,
You give me strength, to climb that hill,
For up top, there lies a great reward,
Much like you, great Apple,

Another bite, of your delicious flesh,
Nutritious, red and gold skin, white crunchy body,
I bite again, savoring your juices and textures,

You travelled far to reach my grip,
And my teeth grapple your plump, round body,
My tongue and jaw work together,
Frantically hustling, each in its own way,
To deliver your goodness deep down.

Enzymes and molars break you down,
But, Apple, it is not a malicious way,
For deep down you take form again,
And do your true work,

You are beautiful, Great Apple,
But your work is the fruit of your existence,
I eat you, Apple,
I do not frame you.

Sixth Mode of Limited Transposition

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:45:37 +0000

And so we proceed: a crippling bout of laziness has kept me from finally finishing these fingerboard diagrams, but it’s about time to wrap things up. Here is the sixth mode, with all of its transpositions.

Sixth MLT, First transposition:

Sixth MLT, Second transposition:

Sixth MLT, Third transposition:

Sixth MLT, Fourth transposition:

Sixth MLT, Fifth transposition:

Sixth MLT, Sixth transposition:

Fifth Mode of Limited Transposition

Tue, 26 May 2009 01:02:31 +0000

Meet the fifth mode of limited transposition – a “truncated” version of the fourth mode. This one is also interesting – I kind of like it better than the fourth… the two consecutive semitones remind me of the blues pentatonic scale.

Here they are: all six transpositions!

Fifth MLT, first transposition:

Fifth MLT, second transposition:

Fifth MLT, third transposition:

Fifth MLT, fourth transposition:

Fifth MLT, fifth transposition:

Fifth MLT, sixth transposition: