Entry #8 - I write my own Harbour Symphony

Delf suggested it to me today, and I took him at his word. I don't even care if it doesn't get played this week. In one of our 7806 course readings on improvisation, the author puts forth that an important part of improvising is the willingness to be changed, to come out on the other end of your experience a different person. This in itself isn't that remarkable a statement: we change a little every day, whether we know it or not. But to be open to the experience; to me, it makes all the difference.

At first I thought I could come up with a crazy-ass title like "Knock Knock, Who's There: Charley Pride" but my humour is pretty cheesy, so the best I could come up with was "Blowin' in the Fog." Hey, it's a start.

I knew a few things at the outset: that horns need a few seconds to get their air back after a long blast of 5 seconds ;or more; that it takes about 7 seconds to achieve silence in the harbour after the echo of the horns dies away that the crowd at the rehearsal enjoys the piece when there's lots of interplay in between the parts; that my concept of how the piece would sound would probably resemble nothing of how it would actually sound played on ship's horns. Armed to the teeth with these ideas, I saw down and composed.

I knew I had no control over pitches, so I treated it more as an exercise in rhythm, i.e., a percussion piece. Began with some long blasts, a few short rhythmic pulses, bits of space here and there (always important), my attempt at a quote from the Ode to Newfoundland, an improv section for EVERYBODY, big finish...and I'm done. Half an hour later, I had all 6 parts written out as well.

It was exciting, just to dare to dream what it might sound like. I had a lot of fun writing "Blowin' in the Fog" - so much in fact that I may even write another one soon, once I think of a snazzier title.