Hey

Hey so I haven't updated this in a while. That four chord sonata turned out to be more philip glassy and less classical then I expected. Its one of those works I love to listen to but I don't think anyone else will, haha. Kinda repetitive with one violin soloing endlessly over other chordal harmonies that are consistently repeating. A couple fruits came out of this discordant apple tree though- a basic fughetta, interesting "avant-garde" chord progressions with an "avant-garde" violin solo that I'm proud of. And, ironically, its not in strict sonata form as all three pieces pretty much maintain the same speed. The second movement is in the dominant though, so hey, I tried. If I can get a decent sounding midi version up, I'll post it.
The guitar concerto was fruitless- I'm way too early in the game to even be thinking of writing something like that. The idea is cool though. Right now trying to finish a piano sonata, which will take a long time if it's going to be halfway decent, and I'm going to keep myself from going crazy by writing short, simple, piano pieces.
I can't guarantee I'm ever going to update again, but who knows?
-Tom

Sonata for Strings

I'm currently working on a simple four chord based sonata for strings. I've basically taken a piano sonata I wrote in "honor" of Mrs. Amicci and I'm orchestrating it. It's definitly more free this way, and gives me a lot more opportunity as far as drawing out passages, adding in melodies and such. Its fun too, a lot of fun. Maybe someday I'll hear it, hahaha.

Songs put up.

I've been taking guitar lessons for about 3, almost four years. Because of my drive to play the guitar, I've also practiced it alot, making me about half decent by now. THing is, is right now what my teacher and I do is record songs, which is really cool. Well, most of the time my teacher and I, or sometimes just me, comes up with a chord progression and I just jam on top of it, improvisin' and stuff. Sometimes I actually have a melody or a part written out. I usually do rhythym and lead, and then he adds bass and uses the 8 track's built in drum set.
So I've put these songs up on amaze.fm .
Tea Time For Tommy
Now, the only problem I have with the website, is that there is no way to delete songs! I accidently uploaded a bunch of wma songs that didnt end up playing, so I had to convert them and re-upload them as Mp3s. Well, check them out if you have time.
Music for My Muse is my latest.

Guitar Concerto.

Today, as I was in mass, I got hit with an idea of something I wanted to do. Of course, this is in the middle of mass, so its debatable whether or not I should've been focusing on it instead of the mass anyway, but it's too late now to change anything.
I've always wanted to write a concerto. The only problem is, I'm not good enough at the violin to write a good violin concerto, or at least one I can play, nor am I good enough at the piano.
So then the thought hit me.
What about a guitar concerto? I mean, If theres anything I'm good at, its messing around at the guitar, and I think it would be a lot of fun if I exactly got to lead a smallish orchestra in it, and be the solo instrument. So it was decided then, that that is what I need to write.
Well, now comes the hard part: I need to know what a Concerto is. To my limited knowledge, its a piece where in one instrument is picked as the solo instrument, and while the other instruments are backing up the solo instrument, the solo instrument dances around them, introducing melodies, improvising solos, and so on and so on. At worst it could be seen as an opportunity for the soloist to show off. At best it could be seen as the focus being put on one person trying to push the boundaries of whatever instrument they're playing. I'm hoping whatever I write lands somewhere in the middle, because I'm not going to be pushing boundaries on the guitar anytime soon.
What needs to be done, in order for me to write this to my fullest extent, is research. Questions to ask are:
-What sound am I going for?
-What key?
-What instruments are backing up the main instrument?
-What will the tempo be?
-What will the mood be?
-What format, as one movement or multiple ones?
-How long?
And so on and so on. Probably the easiest way to decide what sound I'm going for is to look for something to inspire it. Whether it be a poem, or a sunny day in a certain spot, I just need to find a moment. Then I need to capture that moment and commit it to music, releasing it through the instruments to be heard by others.
AS far as being able to be able to write this in a certain form, I need to do one thing: listen. I need to listen to past concertos, to examine them in detail. To see how the solo instrument and the "back up band" play off each other.
To start, I found a little gem on youtube:
McLaughin's "Mediterranean Concerto"
This is a very good example of the sound I'm ideally looking for. The main thing I like is how the guitar is the main purveryor of the melody. However, I think what I would love to see is the melody passed off in different forms, played by different instrument groups and then returned to the solo instrument. Well, I guess all I need is time.
With school the way it is, I wish it was another break, where I could spend a good few hours just working on music related things, instead having to worry about sleep, school or anything really.
-Tom

The first post.

Hey, everyone, anyone, and no one in particular! I'm writing a blog. Woohoo. These first posts are always so awkward. I guess I'll try and take some of the awkwardness away. Well, I'll tell you why I'm posting in this blog. It's mainly for me, first of all, to help my writing but it's also a neat way to keep in touch with other people. I've done a blog before and I really enjoyed writing in it, so I thought I'd do it again.
Most of my posts will be music related. It will either be talking about what's on my mind for future prokects, current projects, or past projects. If I get anything recorded I'll try and post it up here. Or whatever. I'll probably post alot of youtube videos and what not as well.
Alright, peace,
-Tom