Slow Going

I've been working on a new piece for the past week or two and it's really coming along very slowly.  I actually came up with the opening melody rather quickly, but everything that follows has been a challenge.  The main concern is that it has an Adagio tempo, so keeping things moving and interesting is a primary concern.  Also, giving the music momentum, a proper structure, and a forward-moving direction has been a real challenge.  This one is in sort of an Irish style - a stylistic homage to Percy Grainger, whose music I've admired since my days in High School band.

As I told someone recently, though, a major part of my creative process is to sit back and listen to what I've done and let my imagination dictate what comes next.  I just seem to be spending a lot more time than usual sitting back.  There are a bunch of false starts, dead-ends, and good material that I can't seem to fit into the context of the whole piece.

The whole process has been a little disheartening, but I buckled down this past weekend and made some firm decisions.  Now I'm about ready to tie things up in a coda, put on some finishing touches, and call it done, so I can move on to the next new piece.

Beating the Block

I've noticed a pattern to my creative output over the past few years:  I tend to be very productive in the spring and summer months and then suffer terrible writer's block in the autumn.  It's not a lack of ideas - I have a bunch of concepts and styles that I'd like to try - but whenever I sit at my computer to get to work, nothing comes out right.  I usually take this opportunity to take a short break and focus on something else, like an art project, a new recipe, or some other endeavor, to get my mind away from writing music.  If possible, I like to take a vacation out of town or just listen to music I've never heard before. This way, I can come back with a fresh, renewed perspective.

So in September and October I've worked on a few art projects and recipes and have planned a trip to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in early November.  I've also been plugging away at writing and have amassed pages and pages of sketches, slowly developing a few ideas into a new piece.  It will be a pseudo-Baroque piece in E minor that features G-string notes and a little bit of bariolage.  It should be a fun challenge for beginners.  It's coming along slowly, but I like the direction it's headed.