920bpm

Thanks, this is helpful.

Hello, I'm writing a piece for two electric guitars and have encountered some things that I'm not sure have a standard way to notate them, so I thought I would get people's thoughts on what would be best. 1. The piece is played primarily with picks, but occasionally I want to specify that a certain chord is played with fingers, or with pick and fingers together - should I just write "with fingers" each time and then "with pick" when it goes back to using a pick? 2. Palm mute - I was thinking of just writing "p.m." followed by "ord." when it gets back to normal (and having a performance note at the beginning saying "p.m. = palm mute"). How does that sound? Are there any 'standard' ways to notate those things?

Thanks, although that book is only Book II of the Preludes, it led me to find this: http://books.google.com.au/books?id=hGu9TsKn1nkC&pg=PP1&lpg=PP1&dq=%22maurice+hinson%22+%22preludes,+book+i%22&source=bl&ots=UiSUlwf37R&sig=OyJPD3ZRKzh668fCyvAUSB92fGo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=xUEuU6buJMbDkwXO2oCABw&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%22maurice%20hinson%22%20%22preludes%2C%20book%20i%22&f=false Des pas sur la neige is here described as "Two part song form." I'm a little puzzled by this "song form" term. Why is it being used for instrumental pieces? Des pas sur la neige is a little bit song-like/lyrical but the term is also applied to Voiles, which seems strange...

For example, look at the 6th prelude, Des pas sur la neige (http://conquest.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/8/87/IMSLP59704-PMLP02394-Debussy--Preludes-Livre1--Schirmer-Ed--1stHalf.pdf). Although these more freely structured preludes could certainly be analysed in different ways, it seems to make a lot of sense as: A = bars 1-15 A' = bars 16-31 Coda = bars 32-36 So what do you call that? "Sectional form"? :dunno:

I'm tutoring some students who'll be taking an AMEB (http://www.ameb.edu.au/) Musicianship (theory, aural, bit of history/general knowledge) exam this year. There are a couple of set works that they have to know and answer questions about, one of which is the Debussy Preludes (just Preludes 1-6 though). One of the questions that has come up in past exam papers is "what is the form of [insert Debussy Prelude]." I'm at a bit of a loss because I've been studying the preludes and while Dancers of Delphi and the Wind on the Plain are basically ternary form, the others are more free and don't seem to fit into any traditional structures. I'm not really sure what "label" to give them and unfortunately the exam questions seem to be asking for labels, they tend to be of the brief, specific "what is the form" variety, rather than a more open "discuss the form of..." type question. So is it possible to give a name to the forms of Voiles or Preludes 4-6 or are they too complex/unorthodox? Has anyone analysed these pieces?

LOL, lighten up you two. I already said the ppppp in the example was a bit extreme. It is a hastily whipped up draft after all. And the post about Ligeti was clearly not serious, but maybe you have trouble comprehending stuff like that? Or getting to the ends of sentences... Thank you for actually answering my question.

I just checked and Ligeti goes up to pppppppp and ffffffff in his piano etudes, so ppppp is really not so radical you guys hohoho

OK, yes the ppppp's are a bit extreme. Maybe it would be ok to write ppp and then say something like "(as softly as possible)". So oboe would be softer in the high register, but not on the F note? What a dilemma...

How about Takemitsu's 'Equinox':

I'm writing a wind quartet piece at the moment with this (attached) passage in it. What I'm going for is the bassoon playing the bass note and the clarinet playing the melody in the 3rd stave as the prominent voices in the texture, but with the two upper lines playing as softly as possible, almost as if they're faint upper harmonics of the clarinet line or something. So what I'm wondering is: would it work having the flute playing the most high line (and oboe playing the second highest line) or would the flute be too loud in that register? Would it be better the other way (oboe playing the highest line, flute underneath)? What about flute playing the highest line as whistle tones?

Ooh, I forgot Zorn, Invitation to a Suicide and Shaolin Ulysses are 2 of my favorite film scores. I also love Jerry Goldsmith's Chinatown score

I would recommend: Dirty Projectors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4he_jgJrMCk and Cornelius and Shugo Tokumaru

I am having a piece of mine performed publicly for the second time today for the first time, I think that's a kind of composer milestone.

For a harmony textbook, I really like Tonal Harmony by Kostka & Payne, it goes all the way from "this is a clef" to different 20th century approaches, is full of examples from real pieces and is not difficult to follow at all. It doesn't really have jazz in it though..

Since 1955 or so. He did something like 100 films. These are some of my favourites that are on youtube: The Man without a Map http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_nLJ1CCuq4 Hymn to a Tired Man Ran Crazed Fruit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0LWJU3uajo this one reminds me of Mingus, weirdly Woman of the Dunes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ceienj-4QfQ