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Drone Sustained sounds. A blending of the various voices into a single consistent chord. Interruptions for breathing, bowing, etc., are expected. |
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Improvisation Spontaneous musical reaction to the other simultaneous sounds. A musical interaction created in the moment of the music.* |
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Melodic Legato phrases. Melodic lines, not necessarily tonal (preferably not tonal, or in a specific key). |
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Short Sounds Staccato notes, short bursts of notes, short phrases. Improvised actions decidedly short in nature. |
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Silence The absence of sound. Resting. |
* Improvisation Note: This should be within the context of over-arching idea and understanding of the piece, that of collaboration and communication. The improvisations are not to be thought of as "solo" opportunities or vehicles, but rather a personal contribution to the creation of the greater composition.
Color also plays a significant role in the score -
images can be displayed in one of the three following colors:
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= | Softly Low Volume |
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= | Moderate Volume |
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= | Loudly High Volume |
The dynamics, or volume, should be thought of in general terms.
If a player is instructed to play quietly, that does not mean that each
individual sound must be precisely pianissimo, but that they should play
generally in the quiet realm with variation and diversity of volume.
For example, the following images would be paired with the indicated meanings:
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= | Play a drone sound, loudly |
| WHILE | ||
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= | Improvise, softly |
Other Notes:
Pitch
Pitch is similar to dynamics, in that it is not specific, but relative. If the placement of the image is high on the page (indicating "high sounds" in conjunction with a sound type, such as short sounds, for instance) that does not mean that all the sounds must be played at the top of the instrument's register, but rather they should be generally higher than not. They should predominantly fall within the top third of the instrument's register, but need not be the highest notes possible.
Transition
Transitions from one graphic instruction to the next should be gradual and smooth. When a new image appears, it means to transition to the new directive, not stop whatever is being played and play something new. If/when we have the ability to do so, we would like to fade the images from one to another, or find some way to make the visual transitions more gradual.
All score images created by Nathaniel Hamon.