The following works are a sample of the music for guitar and mandolin that I have composed over the years. Please note that all of the following works are copyrighted. Should you wish to contact me about any of these works please go to the contact page.
They Go On Mumbling…(An Elegy for John Cage) (1993)*
This piece, for four prepared guitars, was written while I was a member of the Modern Arts Guitar Quartet. In it, twenty-three items are to be wrapped around, woven between, clipped onto, pinned underneath, or somehow attached to the combined twenty-four strings of the four guitars, each with its specific method of attachment and required location. However, there is no electronic manipulation of the instruments.
Six Short Pieces For Two Guitars (1996)** Theodore Norman, one of my instructors at UCLA, was instrumental in developing my interest in serious composition. These pieces began as one of his composition projects. Recorded Live 5/3/97.
Sonata for Guitar (2008)
A fascination with a simple two-chord progression—g-sharp minor to G major—was the inspiration for this solo guitar work. It is a traditional work in many ways, often centering around shifting tonal or modal centers and relying on the developmental process to spin out new material. A minimalist influence can be heard on the first movement. I was very interested in how repetition and cyclic phrases help the composer assert control over the momentum of a piece.
Suite for Solo Mandolin (2009)
The mandolin is an instrument that, like the guitar, can have a home in almost any musical setting--whether it be popular, country, folk, jazz, or (in this case) contemporary classical music. The techniques of this solo piece borrow freely from many of the traditions that the instrument is associated with, from arpeggio techniques found in the music of the great classical mandolinist Rafaelle Calace to “Atkins” style melody and accompaniment, to cross-string violin technique found in music as diverse as the solo Sonatas and Partitas of Bach to the mandolin playing of bluegrass artist Jesse McRenyolds.
Fretless Study No. 1 (2008)
The fretless guitar, when I first heard it, instantly fascinated me with its unique combination of new possibilities and restrictions. As this instrument is an unusual variant of the standard classical guitar, finding contemporary classical music for it was a near impossible task. I viewed this as an opportunity and set about composing music for it. I strove to write music for it that was interesting in it’s own right, but also functioned as a tool for building my own skills on the instrument. This is the first of my ongoing Studies for the instrument. This piece is available on the album Unplugged and Unfretted, A Collection of the World’s Acoustic Fretless Guitarists, available at Cdaby.com
Videos: Fretless Study No. 1
*Performed by the Modern Arts Guitar Quartet (Buzz Gravelle, Walter Marsh, James Phillipsen, Lawrence Schwedler) **Performed by James Philipsen and Buzz Gravelle.
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