December 24, 200817 yr Here are some sketches. There's much developing to do, especially in that middle section, and the development that is there needs to be refined. Also, realize that microtones won't play back in MIDI, neither will the repeats, so yeah, keep all that in mind. The score's a mess too. viola.pdf viola.mid
December 24, 200817 yr I don't have time to give an actual musical feedback right now, so I'll just say one thing regarding the notation: You seem to switch freely between clearly indicated time signatures and "free" time signatures where the bar lines are more orientation signs. This can be a bit confusing at first, since the strict use of time signatures in the beginning implies that it's all notated in a traditional form, and you make no indication whatsoever when those time signatures no longer apply (measures 10, 11, 23, 38, 39, 43). This seems a bit inconsistent. I'd recommend that you either write the actual time signatures every time that they change (for example 9/8 in measure 38 and 2/4 in measure 39), or don't write any time signatures in the first place, but keep the bar lines the same, for orientation (like Messiaen does it, for example). Or, if you really only want to write time signatures for certain parts, indicate clearly where they no longer apply, for example by writing a big "X" as time signature, or using only dotted barlines in the passages without fixed time signature. Personally, I think you could just leave out the time signatures alltogether though. The rhythms are simple enough still to be easily readable like that, and since it's for a solo instrument you have no coordination issues with other instruments. There's also this passage between measures 6 and 10 which is notated in a way that makes it seem that it's not actually meant in a strict 4/4 but as a greater unit. But still you steadily continue with the 4/4 and only expand it in measure 10 (without giving notice). If you already don't mind putting in more notes in a measure than what's indicated by the time signatures, it would seem more logical if you also applied this to measures 6-9 and removed the barlines there. I don't think they help orientation that much. But I realize you said "the score is a mess" yourself (which seems like an overstatement to me - it looks rather fine to me) - so you might have changed some of this stuff on your own anyways.
