This is an alto feature for alto 2. It’s an added plus if the player has some experience playing classical music.
5 reeds, 4 flügelhorns throughout, 3 trombones (buckets), 1 bass trombone (bucket), accordion (this part could alternatively be played on violin or vibes), guitar, piano*, bass, drums. *The pianist needs to prepare pads to put between the strut and the strings, so that when the pedal is pressed and you strike the key, you get a muted but resonant tone. Soft socks can work, but they shouldn’t be jammed in too tight to overly dampen the vibration of the string. The pad(s) you make should cover the strings evenly from middle C down a 9th to low Bb. Some pianos have a strut separating the strings you need, so then you need two pads placed on either side of the strut or two soft socks.
Recorded on Data Lords, “Braided Together” was first composed in a string version, entitled “All Night in Gusty Winds” for Dawn Upshaw and the Australian Chamber Orchestra using Ted Kooser poetry (Album: Winter Morning Walks). It is very lyrical and a lovely short little piece that I would have never thought to write if not for Ted’s magnificent poetry. Melodically, writing to this poem made me think differently, and of course in terms of form, it was the poem that drove the form. This piece has more single unison lines than in my other works, and its sentiment comes from the poem itself. If you try writing something to a poem you love, you will see how it changes your writing as you reach to meet the poem in music.
Under “Solos” and “Instrumentation” you can see what information I am giving to those that are buying sets of scores & parts for their group that need to know how to get that unique sound out of the piano. You can experiment for yourself.
See full selection of Study Scores (individual, or by album).