12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 338
Date: 12/04/2013
Instrument: Tenor saxophone
Location: Home studio in Clinton, WA (Whidbey Island)
Notes:
During my practice session this morning I worked with tiny texture fragments, weaving them into brief compositions. I was particularly struck by the solum beauty of two chords I paired together, and I then worked to find a fingering system that would allow for more complex voice leading to compliment them. The end result became the introductory figured played in today’s improvisation. In keeping with my practice theme today, I used this simple figure as the platform to sculpt a small improvisation around. This is the shortest piece yet during the project.
After improvising for some time and intuitively developing a piece, I transcribed the finished product into a fully notated composition, be it a small one, complete with multiphonic fingerings, pitch notations, and phrasing and dynamic markings. The two primary chords that opened the piece were interpreted twice, written below as Fingering System 1. I then moved into a brief “Intermediary Chord”, written as such below. To begin Fingering System 2, I removed the octave key, dropping the chords into the lower register and altering the internal pitch content of the chords. I then moved back to the “Intermediary Chord,” and finally into a series of dissonant chords labeled as Fingering System 3, which concluded the piece. These are written below:
-Fingering System 1.
Fingering a.) Pitches: D (quarter step sharp) and D (quarter step flat)
(Left Hand) 1-2-3, Octave, Palm D, Low Bb // (Right Hand) 1-2, Low C
Fingering b.) Pitches: F (quarter step sharp) and C (quarter step flat)
(Left Hand) 1-2-3, Octave, Low Bb // (Right Hand) 1-2, Low C
-Intermediary Chord. Pitches: F (quarter step flat) and D (quarter step sharp)
(Left Hand) 1-2, Octave, Low B, Palm Eb only // (Right Hand) 1, Low C
-Fingering System 2.
Fingering a.) Pitches: C (quarter step sharp) and D
(Left Hand) 1-2-3, Octave, Palm D, Low Bb // (Right Hand) 1-2, Low C
Fingering b.) Pitches: E and F#
(Left Hand) 1-2-3, Octave, Low Bb // (Right Hand) 1-2, Low C
-Fingering System 3.
Fingering a.) Pitches: G (quarter step flat) and F#
(Left Hand) 1-2, Octave, Low B, Palm Eb only // (Right Hand) 2, Low C, High F#
Fingering b.) Pitches: G (quarter step flat) and G (quarter step flat).
(Left Hand 1-2, Octave, Low B, Palm Eb only // (Right Hand) 1, Low C, High F#
The terms “Fingering Systems 1-3 and "Intermediary Chord” are purely for descriptive purposes only, and were notated in actual manuscript notation on my page at home.
-Neil
The image “The Executed” accompanying today’s post by Valdemar H. Elenbaas (1950).