Tracking My Tracks

I’ve decided to use a violin, violoncello, and contrabass as my three instruments. The composing has already begun. I’m using a new software because, unlike with previous pieces, I will need the sheet music to this for the assignment.

I think it’s going well. Right now rhythm is a focus as well as which tone rows to use, when, and how.

I was recently assigned to compose a 12-tone (atonal) piece for Music Theory, so I’ve decided to incorporate it into the purposes of this project as well as my epilepsy has served as an inspiration for most of my compositions in my lifetime.

It took a bit of time, but I finally have a matrix of tone rows.

My main tone row (52064A871B93) was inspired and built from the German word “Epileptische” which is also the title of this piece. I had to assign each letter in the word to many numbers (or notes) in order to do this. I made assignments based on where the letters appear in the english alphabet, where they appear in my name, what number they look like themselves, where they appear in the musical alphabet (when accidentals are set aside)...etc. I also assigned the inversion of whichever numbers were a result of the above.

THEN I had to play around with all the possibilities until I found a tone row that avoided the use of M3, m3, P4, and P5 to avoid tonality.

My biggest struggle right now is finding the right timbre. I need to use three instruments for the assignment, but I’m not sure what direction I want...

This very well may be a finished work!

Each time I add a new take of First Aid, the end sounds like an end. It’s almost as if I have a progressive series.

Here’s the latest updated version of First Aid.

So I discovered something interesting. I decided to mute the “hip hop kit” track, so that I could only hear the music of the voices alone.

and I like it! It’s quite interesting. I don’t think I like it any better or worse than when the back beats are included. There is one moment that loses some intensity in my opinion (when all else drops and we only hear “help”). I also have that quote from my previous “exploring” post. The word “groove” was used and I believe the “hip hop kit” track adds a real groove feel.

WHOA.

I decided to add the second recordings (the ones made of each word AFTER telling each person what the project was about).

I continued an already set up “rhythmic cluster” and simply switched each word to the second recording while maintaing the same rhythms.

I am quite surprised-and almost scared-of these results! It’s the same rhythms and words, but it sounds very different.

I decided to look up experiences people have had when witnessing seizures, and I found some really great feedback that makes me think of “First Aid” and also encourages me that it’s going in a good direction.

I’d like to point out these statements by peacy on http://ask.metafilter.com/19224/witnessing-epilepsy

“They are medical emergencies and you just chug into the groove of protecting them from hurting themselves..”

“They are some of the most intense experiences of my life..”

We’ve reached and passed a minute in length! Yay!

More importantly, I’ve added an important section that deals with a few months of my life during which I stopped taking my meds. I thought, “I’m not having any seizures and these things hold me down!” Well, my partial seizures grew in strength and frequency, so my neurologist definitely recommended taking them again, and I had to readapt to them. We are about to embark on that part of the journey, but I shall leave it hanging here!

I did not do any composing over spring break.

I’ve been trying to be outside of the projects, however. I really want to share my pieces with people in the music department because I’d like their opinions/insight.

This piece has been slightly more than doubled compared to take 4!

My goal right now is 80 measures (about 2 1/2 minutes). There's no particular reason behind the number 80 specifically, but I wanted to have something to reach towards.

I'm trying to resist starting new pieces when I have unfinished ones! I think I'm getting in my own way.

However, in the future, I would like to do a performance piece or video (or it may need to be a combo) that includes my singing as my "epileptic self" and "non-epileptic self." I really like this idea, but it will require me to really dig deep and even separate myself. There are times when epilepsy feels like a separate part of me, but I've never thought to the extent that I think this will require.