A question for pretty much anyone...

If you saw the cover of the score for a piece that looked like this, would you want to play it? Or at least hear it?

It's funny. I'd look at it. If it was a smart composition, I'd read it. If not, I'd make a mental note about this composer and move on.

If it was a cool piece then yes. But if it was just being "funny" for the sake of being funny, then I'd run away from said composer forever.

Maybe I should clarify. The title wouldn't be a joke. If you open the score you will find parts for Pterodactyls 1 and 2 (and maybe 3) right above the percussion line.

No, I got it. There are other pieces like that. But the music has to be sound. The piece has a gimmick, obviously, but if it DIDN'T have the gimmick and was still a solid piece of music, then I'd definitely like to try it.

okay, you have to tell us what you mean by that. Recorded sounds? Players imitating pterodactyls vocally? Or just some avant-garde piece where the only "true" performance would be real pterodactyls, rendering the piece unplayable?

Because the other three ideas aren't in the realm of avant.

Basically - dumb.

okay, you have to tell us what you mean by that. Recorded sounds? Players imitating pterodactyls vocally? Or just some avant-garde piece where the only "true" performance would be real pterodactyls, rendering the piece unplayable?

You guessed it with number two. I think it is safe to assume that not everyone in your average audience is aware of the vocal technique known as the "pterodactyl screech." To the best of my knowledge it's most common in hardcore music and its various sub-genres, though I'm not sure I've ever heard it done in a song; maybe it's more of a live show thing. The idea was to use the title and program notes to pique the audience's interest, then introduce the screech midway into the piece to solidify the atmosphere. There would probably be at least two offstage vocalists, more if the technique is used a lot in close succession; it can be rather tiring. Depending on the volume of the sounds they were making, they might be miked and speakers would be used to bring their sound into the concert hall; then you could mix it all into a stereo or quadraphonic field. There couldn't be just one screech either; after the first one there would need to be others that continued to depict the scene: baby pterodactyls, various animalic emotions, etc.

The concept came from a vague idea I presented to my composition professor before the end of the semester (before I graduated); I thought it would be cool to mix hardcore vocals in with a concert piece. I couldn't think of a way to make standard growls or screams work in a concert setting, and pig squeals only serve to be either creepy on simply imitative of pigs. I'm not going to write a piece about a farm; that sounds boring. The pterodactyl screech, though, seemed exotic enough to actually work well; it might be comparable to using a Mahler hammer, shotgun, cannon, or train whistle in a piece.

Then you would score it for wind ensemble and vocalists. The performance technique doesn't change the fact it is people not animals performing.

You're no fun. Let's say there's a hypothetical band director looking at different pieces to play. He sees a piece that says "for wind ensemble and vocalists," and he thinks, "I don't want to have to track down vocalists to do this piece." Then he sees a piece that says "for wind ensemble and pterodactyls," and he says, "What the heck is this?" Then he reads a little more about the piece. Maybe he likes it, maybe he doesn't, maybe he decides it's too much of a hassle to do, but I succeeded in at least getting him to read more about it. If it sticks in his memory well enough, maybe he'll mention it in the next "strange pieces I've heard of" conversation he has.

The usage of "pterodactyls" instead of "vocalists" in the subtitle acts simultaneously as a source of intrigue for the audience, a source of comedy for the conductor and performers, and a marketing technique.

Band directors look for professional works, not gimmicky ones.

This.

I can buy that. So my next question then is how do gimmicky compositions make it out there? I know that there are

I think that people paying attention are a different matter, and I won't to listen to pieces by composer who only cares about how people would perceive his works. So if jtay feels like doing it, he should go for it. As for me, Pterodactyl's Nest is pretty good title and if someone had managed to create a thrilling atmosphere it would be great. Late jurassic music opposed to classical and contemporary...Yeah, do it :thumbsup:

Yeah, I'm no fun. For the most part neither are band directors. They will look at it and see a childish gimmick and be frustrated that they have to infer from the score what they are supposed to do.

Band directors look for professional works, not gimmicky ones.

My band director had us play an Eric Whitacre piece called "Godzilla Eats Las Vegas" and it was absolutely brilliant. I would encourage anyone who's never heard of it to go look it up, it's hilarious if done correctly. :P Some band directors do have a sense of humor.

The other stuff we played on that concert was more avant-garde though, it's true. Dominicus is also right that if you want anyone to pay attention you should probably establish yourself first.