And so it begins

Well, this is my first excursion into the world of blogging. For the next several months, I'll be posting related to course work, and detailing some of my thoughts on the process of composition.

This is all quite new to me, both blogging and composing in a formal setting, or indeed taking a formal music course of any sort. I've written music on a sporadic basis over the years as a hobby, and had always been meaning to check out a music course, but had never gotten around to it. However, since I'm due to graduate with a BA in linguistics at the end of this term, I figured now would be a good time to try, if I were ever going to.

Our first assignment wasn't exactly what I was expecting, although I don't suppose I really knew what I was expecting. I've never spent much time with atonal music, and can't say that I'm particularly fond of it, either. Perhaps this is because the term evokes 'art pieces', more experiments in random constellations of notes than anything else, which might sometimes be called 'interesting', but are rarely very pleasing to listen to. However, Dr. Ross rightly points out that atonal doesn't need to be unpleasant. I don't need to write 'Minuet in the key of a man collapsing on a piano'. Which probably means I'll be trying to skirt on the less dissonant end of the spectrum. But this is ok, I think.

I read Dr. Ross's post 'Why Atonal?' where he explains why he chose to make this assignment (and perhaps others in the future) about atonal music. The points are interesting and I tend to agree, although I might not have expected to beforehand. It can only be a good thing for a composer to have experience in a wider variety of idioms. I doubt this course will shift my personal music preferences, but it needn't. I did take this course, after all, because I wanted to try something different, and hopefully learn something. And even if what I write tends towards the tonal side of atonal, this is still further into atonality than I might otherwise have gone, which is hopefully good enough.

As for my composition itself, I've tinkered around with a few chords now, but it's mostly been freeform experimentation, and I don't feel that I've really found a thread to follow yet. I'll have to make sure I get something soon, though, since I don't know exactly when I'll be called on in class to perform it. I'll report more when I have more to report.