brainstorm 30 degrees, a start to a larger piece (this is the idea I want to develop)

After coming home I took my guitar and wanted to experiment. There is a bit of microtonal stuff in there based on tuning. I have written a piece for orchestra and guitar before, but for some reason I feel like I am overwhelmed with possibilities at the moment.

My plan is to expand this idea for orchestra. This is basically a transcript of my improvisation. It will be orchestra with a guitarist. I want to brainstorm this stuff. Form will not be identical.

Feedback on notation technique is appreciated as well. I actually thought about removing all the time signatures (since the caesura signifying a 1/16th note break is a compromise in itself), but it's there for now.

Audio file isn't perfect, please check the score simultaneously (had problems with the arpeggios where there is a simultaneous E and E-10c).

(Oh yeah, this is on solo guitar, it doesn't say it on the score apparently)

For some of my own immediate thoughts: I am in-between starting the orchestral version with the guitar on its own or starting with an intro of some kind. I like the abruptness of the start of the guitar theme. It's like stubbing your toe and being angry at the table corner for bestowing such pain upon you. The guitar impro version is also quite dense, so maybe there's space between the ideas. Additionally there is a lot of fragmentation, which can work well in a Rite of Spring style, where everyone sort of does their own fragment. Maybe this could grow over time (I also like the returning to theme). In the C part the recording does not convey what it sounds like on the guitar (issues with my own technical limitations aka lack of will to fight with musescore) and there is something I want to do there.

One of the larger problems will be the microtonality. Of course guitar is quite a different instrument to many others and the microtonality here is relatively tame (except for the bends) and some instruments can certainly be prepared to match the vibe of the guitar (microtonally tuned harp?), but I feel like it will still pose many issues. Although I must admit, sometimes older string quartets etc. are not perfectly in tune - and I love that vibe.

And if you find the piece humorous or straight up dislike it, don't be afraid to say it! I don't want to be stuck in an echo chamber and I have thick skin. Honest feedback is my favourite. Keep in mind still that this is the start of an idea.

Apologies if there are some etiquette mistakes, new here. Love from Finland

-Pyry

30 degrees.pdf

Hello @PaavolaPyry and welcome to the forum!

Very interesting piece!  I have a limited (some) amount of experience with guitar playing as well as microtonality.  From what I understand in your tuning indications the G string should be tuned slightly sharp, and the B and E strings slightly flat.  Since the piece is in drop D tuning as well and basically using D as the tonic, this tuning puzzles me.  If you were trying to achieve intervals closer to the ones found in the harmonic series, I'd think that you'd want the G string slightly flat as well (bringing your G#'s in this piece closer to the idealized 11th harmonic and a "purer" tritone sound).  Although when I write microtonal music, I have vacillated between different goals, sometimes deliberately going for an "out of tune" sound to create a warped sense of tonality (using 24 tet).  Other times I do try to get closer to the intervals in the harmonic series with justly tuned intervals though (using 1/3rd and 1/6th tones).  What is your intent with microtonality?  Thanks for sharing and I'd be stoked to hear more!