Week 1 - Prepare // Mar 22nd
Welcome to the Main Thread for the first week of the composition challenge! This is the place to discuss the Week 1 livestream and post your Week 1 assignments.
- Make sure you've read the guidelines before replying (<- click)
- Watch the kickoff livestream for help with the first section!
Week 1 assignment description:
Write one short "imitation" piece modeled off an etude by another composer of your choosing by using key elements found in the "model piece."
(For inspiration and some tricks on how to do this, watch the livestream above!)
If you want to describe your process (optional), feel free to use the following template.
- Etude you are imitating:
- Things you found easy:
- Things you found difficult:
- (Optional): a video of you performing it!
- (Optional:) questions
↓ Reply below with your assignments and questions! ↓
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I felt free to complete my Carcassi paraphrase in a slightly more traditional way. So, I post it here because it belongs to 1st week’s assignment. This is very time consuming work, and I don’t have so much time these days.
Easy: never easy to ‘imitate’ a true master of our instrument.
especially difficult: to keep the idea of the original, add new sounds, but remain consistent and don’t get too far from the basic structure. In this piece alternative rhythmic patterns and consecutive modulations give it a very dramatic effect. Hard to imitate with different voicing.
This is my first complete version, though not final: checking the pdf, I came up with new, maybe better, solutions. Never realized that composing is such a complex process, somehow had the idea that composers just ‘hear’ and write down what is given to them - from heaven or who knows where.....-
joosje i love what you said about your realization in regards to the composing process. It feel so great to be able to demystify the creative process and realize that everyone can do it! Great work with this etude, especially your analysis of the structure and texture. Thanks for sharing the update!
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
