As I continue to sketch for my new composition, ORBITS, I made a pact with myself to be open to musical ideas of any style, from any source of inspiration, even from my past work regardless of how seemingly unrelated. This week I’ve been developing a musical idea that was inspired by my time in in the forests of northern Georgia, as well as by the music of the “newgrass” musicians I admired as a child (Bela Fleck is obviously an influence in this particular sketch). The larger concept of “various orbits” is strengthened by this work of developing this little sketch. Gravity; friction; attraction; repulsion; how is our human experience defined by the ways in which we come into contact with “the other”, things that are surprising or foreign? How do we maintain our identity as we are influenced, changed, and manipulated by others outside of our control? I find that the most interesting works of art right now are ones in which ideas are pushed up against a variety of opposition and influence. Will it come through changed?
