This piece took me a while to construct but I was super excited to begin analysing how to develop and transform a theme using different compositional techniques whilst at the same time ensuring that the work functioned as a whole structure. Some of the formatting for this score was a bit funny (I have a tense relationship with Sibelius), however, I was able to include all the different techniques I was keen to write for including harp harmonics, buzz rolls, flutter tonguing and brass mutes. I am intrigued to see this score get marked so I know what to work on in regards to my arrangement skills. The title of the piece is "Yurahi: The City of Balance".
A link to the midi track on Soundcloud can be found here: Yurahi: The City of Balance Soundcloud
0 Comments
Below are the files for my composition for my first structures assignment as a "block form" piece. This was an interesting challenge as I had to manurer my way through different overlapping key signatures and figure out a way to make all the different blocks as unique from each other as possible. I decided to use this assessment to help work out some thematic ideas for a story that I am building upon for a project later next year, thus the reason for the title "Motive Mapping". The first file is the clean score and the second is the annotated score
I got permission to build upon my previous assessment for sound recording by adding more instruments and re-recording some of the tracks that I knew I could've done better. My notes of the process are in the file below. The link to the final bounce for my sound mixing project is right here: "Oversaturated" Sound Mixing Project
This assignment tasked us to write a bunch of small pieces using as wide a range of scoring and texture techniques as possible. Currently, I have yet to upload all the pieces as some are in a pdf format. I found this task an interesting challenge that definitely made me rethink how I write and perform music. The score for Musial Whispers was performed by the Ecuatorial Ensemble for Sound Spectrum this year.
I'm very proud of how this assignment turned out. We were tasked to rescore the foley and music for a game trailer - I chose the trailer for the creepy indie game "Limbo". I researched by having a listen to other games with similar moods and atmospheres and how they use sound to make the player feel unsettled and small. Quite often, this resulted in using a lot of ambience combined with harsh, reverberant sounds. The mixing was more of a task than compiling it together as I realised that sound mixing was crucial to the immersion of videos games (so I saved a lot of time for that).
The synths act more as ambience than actual music and I tried to keep the tonality as ambiguous as possible to keep with the "unsettled" atmosphere with the lack of a tonal centre. Link to the original trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4HSyVXKYz8 Link to my re-scored sound: https://soundcloud.com/user-751676690/limbo-trailer-foley-score-replacement The task was to rescore a scene to fit the mood and atmosphere the original movie intended for it. This one took me for a bit of a spin, but I liked the conflicted panic of John Travolta rushing around to find that all his tapes have been mysteriously erased to the slowly decorticating sound of smooth jazz. The differences between the high pass filtered sound and the full mix is supposed to emulate the transition from diegetic to non-diegetic sound.
https://soundcloud.com/user-751676690/blow-out-scene-film-media-hannah Assignment Brief Create a minute and a half of music for an LED light show installation and follow the narrative instructions given for the shape and tone of the music.
For this assignment, we had a choice between two themes; Deep Space or Over the Rainbow. As the Star Wars fanatic that I am, I chose to do the Deep Space Installation. Intentions I wanted to dive back into electronic music as I knew it would be appropriate for the guidelines given and that I could mix and master it to a high standard. My initial response was to use radio waves and frequencies as a running motif throughout the piece, alluding to the sci-fi themes. My first draft included two major "drops" and used ascousmatic sounds to replace other instruments e.g. a crash symbol was replaced by the sound of smashing glass. Edits and Re-submission On the Edit, I had feedback to get rid of the harsher sounds (in particular the glass smashing) and to make it feel more ambient and spacious in the beginning. I had to rework the piece a bit, getting rid of the piano loops and replacing it with pad like synths and arpeggiators. Looking back, this was definitely the right move and made the piece feel more like "floating in space" rather than being "trapped in space". Link to Final Submission https://soundcloud.com/user-751676690/deep-space-installation My first time working in surround sound with Spatial music this year resulted in a pretty cool track called "Are You Even Listening?". You can listen to the full track "here."
Structure: It uses the "cocktail party effect" to create a sense of chaos and confusion as there are too many voices surrounding the listener; all voices appearing to be important and unintelligible as they sound at the same level and shift from speaker to speaker. As the top end of these voices start to drop off and fade away sporadically, a very loud, very clear whisper tells the listener to "focus" again. The track eventually drifts off into a layered, electro-orchestral piece of music, using synthesisers, strings, drum machines and field recordings. The music builds to a climax and suddenly cuts off to the voice again reminding you to listen to the conversations, asking in the end as everything else fades away "are you even listening?" (roll credits). Intent: For me, this is an audio insight into what it's like having ADD or ADHD. I was inspired by the interesting, personal Acousmatics assignment one of my friends made last semester, so I pushed myself this semester to create a piece that was more personal and philosophical. I wanted people to ask "what was that about" and discuss what they heard, how they interpreted it and how they related to it. Unlike most of my lyrical music, I wanted to make people think a little more than feel (as its an interesting topic that many people may have experience with). Process: The process behind it was fairly structured - I knew how the narrative of the track would play out and I knew the steps to get there e.g. loaning out a field recorder and recording a couple of dinner parties with my friends. However, there were a few rewrites along the way. Halfway through creating the musical section, I scrapped it and started fresh again. It felt boring and familiar like I wasn't pushing myself. So rather than doing a purely acoustic instrumental piece, I took a completely different approach which started by using synthesisers and "non-musical sounds". Yet again, I drew a lot of inspiration from my peers and their electronic music backgrounds. This score was for my final Materials of Composition assignment. We had to create an original orchestral score of approximately 100 bars in length and using acoustic, orchestral instruments. A summary of the piece and its score can be found below. The midi audio for it can be found linked "here." I lovingly titled this piece “Bubbles and Balloons” as I wanted to focus on timbre. There are 3 sections in the piece; Section A called “Bubbles”, Section B called “Balloons” and Section A/B called “Bubbles & Balloons”. Structure and Intent: In Section A, I focus on non-sustaining instruments and their upper registers to mimic the delicate and light “bubbles”. The marimba begins the piece in its upper register with a round, warm and percussive / “popping” timbre. It’s eventually joined in a canon by pizzicato strings and other light woodwinds as “bubbles fill the room”. This section concludes dramatically with everything popping at once and smoothly transitions into Section B with cello, marimba and bassoon. Section B has longer, sustained phrases with rich and “rubbery” tones of the brass section and the lower registers of the strings and woodwinds to signify “balloons”. I had to keep in mind that these long phrases had to be “breathable” for the instrumentalists and used varied rests and smart layering to achieve the full, but playable sound (particularly within the bassoon ostinato). Added percussion on the repeat of the period increases the energy and tension, showing the “balloons” being stretched thin and about to pop. At the second turn around, the balloons don’t in fact pop but are let loose and fly around the area as the orchestra modulates chromatically. This leads into Section A / B where bubbles & balloons are filling the room as the A and B Sections combine for interesting motivic variations and timbral mixing. The piece slowly winds down as different sections of the orchestra get to have semi-solo phrases e.g. brass in bar 86-89. Eventually, I end on a sort of gag with the last soloist being the lone marimba that started it all. Final Thoughts: I had a bunch of fun (and stress) making this piece and am glad I got to see it come together how I imagined it. The irregular time signature was interesting to work with and I learnt a lot with my lecturer about grouping it idiomatically for the players and conductor to feel the pulse. This was super important to the piece as the weird and changing time signatures gave the piece a continuous rolling / tripping over itself sort of feel that I loved. I had to read up a LOT about what each instrument could and couldn’t achieve e.g. the trombone could only slide a tritone and that a flute could actually pitch bend (thank you Samuel Adler). When it eventually came to editing, I admit I did have to pull a late night in the midi labs where I ran into a couple of third years doing the same. This made me feel a little better with a funny, silent show of camaraderie. I definitely felt the stress with this one and know that I should’ve started work much earlier than I had - however given the circumstances under which I completed it, I am overall chuffed with the work. This score was for my Materials of Composition assignment 2, where we were instructed to compose an original string quartet. My analysis for the piece and the score can be found below. The link to the Sibelius audio can be found "here." Artistic Intentions
My artistic intentions for this string quartet was to blend my style of contemporary composition with traditional baroque structure and styles. I use similar tropes of baroque / classical composition such as outlining the chords I-V-I to start off the piece. However, I was influenced by contemporary harmonic progressions near the end, heavily revolving around chords IV and vi. Although the melody is simple, I mix it up with a counter melody by the 2ndviolin, using rhythmic motifs to align them e.g. triplets. Compositional Process I’m not as familiar with writing for strings so this was an interesting challenge. I’m unsure about how I’ve blended the ranges of each of the instruments, however I made sure to chat with string players to discuss what pieces are easiest for them to play e.g. where to put rests, using interval jumps alongside crescendos etc. From this information I tired to write as idiomatically for the instrument as possible. Initially, I created the melody using solfege. After giving this to the 1stviolin, I worked out the bass part given to the cello. This gave me the basic harmony I was working with and allowed me to fill in the 2ndviolin and viola part accordingly. The rhythm isn’t too complicated as I didn’t want to overcrowd the piece and so I could focus more on harmony. This also means that simple rhythmic motifs are easier to identify. Techniques Employed I used pizzicato in the viola and cello at the start of the piece to have a nice contrast to the B section an give the piece somewhere to build to. The final A section is then the same motive with bowed strings instead, swelling to a sweet and “vocal” conclusion. I wanted the piece to feel lively, so I decided to keep vibrato throughout it’s entirety. Formal Structure The formal structure is approximately based on ternary form with an A section; The Exposition where the main motive is identified outlining chords I – V – I. It then moves into the B section in which I explore the main motive and it’s variations. I decided to keep the rhythm mostly the same as that’s the most identifiable aspect of the motive. Putting it in the relative minor differentiates it from the A section and builds it to the last section. The last section is back in the home key (Bb major) and is the A section that moves somewhere else and resolves differently to the first A section. This gives the piece a sense of finality in the musical narrative returning to the home to a “new normal”. |
Categories
All
Artist SummaryI'm a WA Fremantle based singer-songwriter / composer. Here, you can have a gawk at my studies, compositions and performances. Archives
August 2022
|