music and transitions

Still obsessing on aspects of my new flute and synth and solo flute pieces. Something specific to these pieces which was new for me was an intentional starkness of phrases, divided from each other by big, awkward pauses. Up till now my music has tended towards developing by gradual transitions from one sound world or gesture to another. More sudden contrasts have been rare and tend to be used to make a special point or produce a strong structural divide.

Working with the synthesizer as a live filter for the flute made this more gradualist aesthetic difficult to achieve. The presence of the synthesizer sounds is controlled with exacting suddeness by the flute note/breath. This means that the beginning and ending of every phrase is sharply emphasised, reinforcing the necessary pauses for breath with the harsh beginnings and endings of sounds.