Research & Exploration: Cello Map
For me, music is as much about sounds as it is about notes. Getting the notes is good (vital even!) but the notes live as sound and just how they sound can mean the difference between a forgettable collection of notes and a mesmerizing piece of music
To put it another way, it's not just the words; it's how you say them.
THIS:
(Apologies for the terrible quality, but this was the only clip of this gem that I could find.)
For that reason, I spend a good portion of my compositional process searching for the perfect timbres for each and every element. It is a painstaking process that starts with standard scoring choices (i.e. that note should probably be played by that instrument) and ends in the most obscure corners of the musical internet, where I spend countless hours looking for the technique to match the sound I have in my mind.
Situated somewhere between those two points (though probably leaning towards the obscure...) is a fantastic website called Cello Map. I've spent the past couple of days exploring every corner and watching nearly every video to expand my knowledge of the cello's possibilities and get ideas for my explorations of other string instruments. Though I'm not sure what from the site will make it into the concerto, I hope you enjoy everything found there in the meantime.
