Fall 2017 - Blog Assignment #1

#1. This first recording is of a solo cello piece that I wrote last year called Cajón.  I feel that this piece best represents my point of view as a composer, combining aspects of both Western and non-Western music in a way that reflects my identity as an Indian-American.  Because I have not yet worked with electronics before, I have tried to push the limits of acoustic music performance into something that becomes almost theatrical.  In this piece, many different kinds of tappings have been used in order to explore a variety of timbres.  This piece is also the result of a successful collaboration.  Initially, the piece used only one kind of tapping sound, but over time the cellist and I had worked together and experimented with new playing techniques so that the piece morphed and eventually included seven different types of tappings.






#2. The second video is of a piece called Stop Speaking by Andy Akiho for snare drum and tape.  I love this piece because it is pretty amusing and ironic in its use of the computer text.  I also really like the relation of the snare drum to the tape sounds, sometimes playing the same rhythms in unison and other times playing off against the voice.  I love pieces that connect with audiences using humor, which is something I like to strive for in my own music.  In this class, I might also like to explore some interesting visual or dance elements that play off of the meaning of the text used.