04/23/2013 (12 Moons Solo Project Day 113)

12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 113

Date: 04/23/2013

Instrument: Tenor saxophone

Location: Performance Hall at Chief Sealth High School.  Seattle, WA

Notes:

My energy centered on harmonic language with a consonant sound today.  I worked for some time in Chief Sealth’s main performance hall before developing this improvisation.  In this piece, I created cycles that balanced the use of melodicism with the percussive sounds possible through combining traditional and false fingerings at a fast tempo.  The improvisation uses one primary gesture which I tried not to stray too far from.  As the improvisation took shape, the original melodic figure becomes augmented, adding or taking away pitches in the cycle, and therefore also adjusting the rhythms at play.

The piece uses a root finger cycle that creates 3 separate two-note chords, each focusing more volume on the highest  note of the two.  I also added the side C, or trilled the B (left hand) or low F (right hand) keys.  On the 3rd chord, I would also at times play a secondary chord which is notated as 3.a below.

1.  (Left Hand) B-A-G keys, Octave, Low B  // (Right Hand) High F#.  This creates (in the tenor key) a middle octave E and upper octave F

2.  (Left Hand) B-A-G keys, Octave, Low B.  This creates a middle octave G# and upper octave Eb.

3.  (Left Hand) B-A-G keys, Octave, Low B //  (Right Hand) E-D keys.  This creates a middle octave F# and upper octave C#.

3.a  Left Hand) B-A-G keys, Octave, Low Bb //  (Right Hand) E-D keys.  This creates a middle octave F# and upper octave D (quarter step sharp).

-Neil