In progress: Guitar Suite (Toccata)

So I'm writing a Guitar Suite for a friend of mine; someone who is very skilled and who will hopefully make me famous in France. ;) Or not...

Anyway, I have started two movements, after laying out some of the main thematic material, which will be used throughout the suite. One is an Andante ballad, and the other, a Toccata. While I am stuck with writer's block on both of them, I have more completed on the Toccata and I have more of an idea as to where it's going, so I figured I'd bring it on over here.

So here is a mus and a midi of what I have of the Toccata. My plans for the rest are: Continue the next section I have presented(7/8, only 2 measures so far), then reprise the beginning yet changed slightly, coda to end. I already know what the ending will be, in exact form, and many ideas for the reprise, but I have to write this damn B section and I'm completely stumped. By the way, the melody for the section is the lower voice (F,G,A,D,G, then F,G,Bb,D,G). I will variate on that, and keep the accompaniment (which eludes heavily back to the opening motif from the beginning), but I have no clue as to how.

Any help or comments would be greatly appreciated.

More technical summary of the Toccata: The opening presents the main motif for this movement, B-D, with G-Bb underneath it. The minor third is the most important motif in the piece. When the pulse action stops and the higher, more fluid melody starts, we hear a slight allusion to the key of E, but whether it is major or minor is ambiguous. From sounding like we were in G(neither maj or min), to E, there we have the minor third. But the pulse comes back in, and the two keys and the two different textures (one bouncy and staccato, one fluid and legato), fight with each other, and then the E is struck below the pulse. The pulse continues, now with an Eminor feel, although keeping with the original pulse-notes, which sound more like G (the two sounds sort of pull at the ear, I've found it to be quite enticing). Then, A is struck under the pulse, then D# which pulls us even more towards E, when suddenly an E #9 is thrown at us, solidifying the key. Now the melody from before comes in, but this time it sounds more at home, and we realized that what seemed to be la, do, di, do, etc, is actually do, me, mi, me, etc. What I mean is that first, it sounds like we're in G, and the melody is using a high 6 and a lowered 2, but in actuality, once we get solidified in E, we hear that the melody is actually using the tonic and both major and minor thirds (which alludes to the inital pulse, of B (major 3 in G) to D, and G to Bb (minor 3 in G), so we hear once again the pull of major vs. minor. Then some coloristic flourished come in, there's a little section of E major to G minor, which is including both aspects of minor 3rd and the major and minor conflict, in a more straightforward way. More flourishes using the higher frets, then the pulse comes back, but this time the pulse is in the home key of E as well. Then we get the melody transposed to A, the sub-dominant. Then we start to get back the minor 3rd idea when the melody is put in G minor, then Bb. Then the music dies down, and we are taken into the B section. *huff* Get all that?

Hrm. I was going to comment on the unchanging rhythm of the thing, and then just as you start the next section I see you're starting to vary that. It seems to me that rhythmic variations are one of the more effective things you can do with this to keep the audience on their toes...

Here it is folks.... my ultimate solution for writer's block:

First make sure your notation program is on and running. Put a handful of change in your pocket.

...then...

Run outside your house and touch the curb on the otherside of the street, run back to the sidewalk on the side your home is on and do twenty pushups.

Go to the nearest corner store and order a can of clear pop and a can of dark pop. It doesn't matter what kinds....

Go to an alleyway close to the corner store and set the pop cans near the wall.

...then...

Invent some sort of an amusing game with the change in your pocket. Maybe something to do with throwing it at the pop cans at the wall. If some hobos come and talk to you, invite them to play!

...then...

Walk backwards to your house while saying the words, "crazy person crazy person" over and over as fast as you can.

...then...

Go back inside your house, and.....(this is the kicker).... write something that is the complete opposite of what you're thinking of.

I guarantee results.

Just try it!!! It works for me.

But seriously... sometimes introducing a theme that is COMPLETELY NEW is what is needed. You have a very constant texture there that could stand to be broken down a little. Don't worry about justifying it now. Later on you can make it part of the overall form.

I think it's great that somebody else is writing for guitar here, besides me and a few others. one thing though, the music to me seemed a tad confusing at points, but besides that I like that your doing this :D keep it up, and I would love to get a score for the finished product ;)

Regarding the rhythmic variation, I agree that it is a bit of the same for a while...but I'm trying to remedy that with the new section, as you pointed out, Caltech...

And Tumababa, the new section is my attempt at what you were saying, although maybe I could use to change it a bit even more as it goes along, sort of stray even farther from the original ideas. I think after a few more measures of what I have in the new section, I will drop out the staccato accompaniment, since it is merely repetition of the motif from the first part, adding a more lyrical sound and texture.

Carulli, what do you mean by confusing? And sure, I'll send you a copy of the Suite when I'm done. ;)

Thanks all for listening.

Nicholas,

Writing for classical guitar has got to be short of impossible for non-guitarists. I can

Ooh thanks for the in-depth comment!

About some of the playability concerns, I am a 'somewhat' guitarist. I can manage most chords, and I know the basics. My father is an amatuer guitarist, and my best friend and my brother are as well. I wrote my Mass for Soprano, Guitar and Viola for the same person I'm writing this suite for, so I have picked up suggestions from her from that piece, which I am trying to think about for this one. It seems to me it's all about figuring out exactly how the performer would play it, which I've been doing.

About the chord in 29, I do belive I meant the top note not to be a C, but either an Eb or an E. I will go back and change it, but I initially meant for the performer to play a bar with one finger either higher or lower.

As for what strings she should use, I plan on going through the piece in its entirety with her once I present it to her; I'm not quite sure of all the sounds, as I don't own a guitar. But what I'm trying to focus on now is just playability, and making things somewhat difficult, but not awkward. So thanks for the comments, and please add more.

Whether my opinion is valued or not, I do believe your suite became a touch repetitive. Oddly enough it also reminded me of The Twilight Zone's theme. I'd suggest trying to manipulate the main theme a bit more. Great work so far though.

I didn't really feel direction in this composition, reminds me a of a curilli piece except curilli (is that even how it's spelled? hehe) kind of has an melodical flow that directs us to the next part of the piece.

Regarding the rhythmic variation, I agree that it is a bit of the same for a while...but I'm trying to remedy that with the new section, as you pointed out, Caltech...

That intoduction has reminded me of Steve Reich's Desert Music, Movement 1. You have obviously started in a minimalistic style and I certainly don't think that rhythmic ostinato hurts the texture. I do think that you should introduce a new theme (lyrical or something melodic, motivic maybe) sooner or later but I think you should expose the first material in a broader tonal spectrum. In the first page, the music is probably graviating towards G but at the 6th bar you have something like an intermezzo, which is still in G in my opinion, and then you develop the second motive (the motive with the stepwise motion) and the first, repetitive min3 motive loses it's dominance... I think you should include that too in there so you can create a more adrenalised expectation for a new theme at the end of the second page. I though that the music moved away from that first idea fairly fast.

But maybe that's just my post-minimalism fan ear speaking. :)