New Videos - Agincourt & A Hero's Welcome

Agincourt really seems to be catching fire, based on the appearance of a new batch of videos on You Tube.  Please to enjoy a very good performance by the Bowditch Advanced Orchestra:

Not bad!  A good performance makes up for the fact that they mis-pronounced my name in the intro.  But up next is the thundering herd known as the Clay, Carmel, and Creekside Middle School Symphony, also playing Agincourt.  The tempo is great in this one and I really like the enthusiasm that they bring.

Go, middle-schoolers, go!  You rock that advanced-level piece!  I'll end this post on a somber note.  Here's the Sierra Vista High School orchestra playing A Hero's Welcome.  Very expressive and  beautifully done - bravi.

I just wish the YouTube postings gave more information about the groups.  I'd love to know where each of these schools are, so I can add them to my map.

Major/Minor Dilemma

I finished "Shadows Of Venice" last night - ahead of schedule.  Of course, that means I need to start thinking about my next piece to keep the momentum going.  Looking at my chart (the one that breaks down my recent compositions into skill level and tonality), I need more major-key pieces for beginners and advanced students.  But here's the thing: looking at my royalty statement from September, most of my best-sellers are minor key pieces.  Here's the top five:

1. Gauntlet
2. Avatar
3. Gargoyles
4. Agincourt
5. A Breeze In the Keys

"Breeze" is the only major-key piece in the top five (actually, in the top seven) and I think that's due to the fact that it was new this year.  New music sells big at first, but Gauntlet and Gargoyles have been around for a while.  The conclusion that I'm drawing from this data is that minor key pieces sell better than major key pieces.  So now I'm thinking that I should focus on writing more minor-key music.

Shadows of Venice

I'm feeling really good about this new piece I'm working on!  I'm also feeling very proud of myself for writing a Grade 1.5 piece that only uses the first finger pattern on the G, D, and A strings (and a little E-string for the basses) and successfully negotiates three key changes.  It starts in B minor, transitions to E minor, over to G major, and back to B minor.

On top of that, it gives teachers the option to feature outstanding students with solos in each section.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, the piece is a modern take on Vivaldi's style and takes the form of a rondo, so there's a recurring main theme with optional solos bridging the sections.

And to add to the excitement, I've already come up with the title: "Shadows of Venice."  This is a nod to Vivaldi's stylistic influence as well as the back-and-forth style of the solo sections.

I hope to finish the main writing tonight and put the finishing touches on this weekend.  Then I'll be ready to jet off on my Florida vacation!

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.

New Videos

It's been a while since I've updated the ol' blog!  I found a couple of new YouTube videos that I can share.  First up is a nice performance of "A Breeze In The Keys" by the Evergreen Orchestra.  They do a great job with the syncopation.

The second video is not really a video.  It's a recording of "Las Mariposas Exoticas" accompanied by an odd little collage.  The style and the use of dynamics are really spectacular in this recording, the intonation is beautiful, and the tempo is rock-steady.  I'm not sure who the group is or where they're from, but bravi to them and hats off to their director!