Sunday, March 1, 2015

February 24th

This week, I had a private lesson. We discussed several ways to improve my piece, including using an antiphonal texture in the most recent 16th note passage I wrote, reorchestrating repetitions of material, adding octaves at several locations, and varying metric placement. Other suggestions included letting the two-note oscillation pattern rest, thoroughly planning the remainder of the piece, and creating points of greater climax.

I also want to discuss this week the book "Story", by Robert McKee, which has been very influential on my conception of this piece, and other pieces. Though about screenwriting, the general concepts dealt with in the book can be applied to many arts.
One important concept in the book is the idea of tension and release, and how to pattern it within a work, grouping points of higher tension into larger and larger divisions: "scenes", "acts", and finally the entire work. I attempted to model this piece after the basic narrative structure outlined in "Story", and it has provided me with a very useful creative restriction.
McKee's comments on art more generally have also resonated with me very strongly. Several of my favourite quotations include:

"The principle of Creative Limitation calls for freedom within a circle of obstacles. Talent is like a muscle: without something to push against, it atrophies. So we deliberately put rocks in our path, barriers that inspire."
"Anxious, inexperienced writers obey rules. Rebellious, unschooled writers break rules. Artists master the form."
"When talented people write badly, it's generally for one of two reasons: Either they're blinded by an idea they feel compelled to prove or they're driven by an emotion they must express. When talented people write well, it is generally for this reason: They're moved by a desire to touch the audience."
"Difference for the sake of difference is as empty an achievement as slavishly following the commercial imperative. Write only what you believe."
"This craft is neither mechanics or gimmicks. It is the concert of techniques by which we create a conspiracy of interest between ourselves and the audience. Craft is the sum total of all means used to draw the audience into deep involvement, to hold that involvement, and to ultimately reward it with a moving and meaningful experience."

These are only a selection of the many ideas in "Story" that I found reflected my own compositional goals and philosophies. Of course, there are competing and equally valid artistic philosophies, but I have found that recognizing my own goals in "Story" has helped me better understand the direction in which I hope to move.

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