SSC

Not a bad exercise. Notice how depending on the rhythm, register, etc etc you can end up making very different harmonies, and yet at the same time maintain a borderline uncertainty. You can be on the edge of atonality, but never quite there or go directly for it.

I think that thus far, you've done pretty good overall. You've got a pretty active imagination. I particularly like what you did with the start of the quartet here, and you played some with the rhythms and pedals.

So, now let's leave serial techniques aside for now and look at something else that's pretty important for any composer. Besides music history, musicological fields (theory, etc) and techniques/styles, a composer has to have a really good grip on instrumentation, and more than that actual techniques related to each instrument.

Each piece that you write for any instrument has to be not only a search for getting the sounds you want into reality, but a research into the instruments/techniques you're using. If you write something for Tuba, for example, you might as well want know everything there is to know about it as to make the best use of the instrument. Specially when you're dealing with solo instruments, or small ensembles.

So, from this, I recommend that you listen to a couple of Luciano Berio's Sequenza pieces: III for female voice, and VI for viola solo. This is a whole different type of thing, and where I want to go with it is that sometimes just one single instrument is more than enough to get the point across.

In a sense, less is more sometimes, and don't underestimate an instrument only because classical literature has not been kind to it (poor Viola...)

If you don't have any objections, I'd suggest we actually start working on a piece. Think about what you want to do, what instruments to use, techniques or just the overall feel, sound or character. It doesn't matter if you can't decide on everything right away, but give it some thought and post it here.