Inclusive Orchestration
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Offeryniaeth Gynhwysol
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Since my last blog, the Quintet have been meeting regularly at Delyth's studio to learn our edited and adapted version of Cân y Coed Rainforest Symphony. As you may have read in my previous blogs, Delyth and I have spent time together inclusively orchestrating the piece, arranging it for a 5 piece bass recorder quintet so that my composition is compatible with my hearing loss, tinnitus & hyperacusis. We then sent the music score to Lloyd Coleman for feedback. Lloyd is the Associate Music Director of the Paraorchestra and score mentor for the project.
I should mention that in the photo & videos you'll notice 2 of our team had injuries! Delyth with a broken arm and Tim with a black eye & stitches. Both had separate pushbike accidents, but thankfully, are now healed and well. We all met at Ffwrnes Fach, where People Speak Up are based. It's a beautifully renovated chapel building and adjoins Y Ffwrnes Theatre. People Speak Up have kindly contributed the venue in-kind for Inclusive Orchestration, the main funding being from the Arts Council of Wales Creative Steps. In this short clip, you can hear one of my favourite phrases from the piece. What is most magical about it for me is that it is played in a low enough range for me to hear it and gentle enough, so as not to trigger by hyperacusis. |
Ers fy mlog diwethaf, mae'r Pumawd wedi bod yn cyfarfod yn rheolaidd yn stiwdio Delyth i ddysgu ein fersiwn a olygwyd ac a addaswyd o Symffoni'r Coedwigoedd Glaw Cân y Coed. Efallai y byddwch wedi darllen yn fy mlogiau blaenorol fod Delyth a minnau wedi treulio amser gyda'n gilydd yn sgorio'r darn fel y bydd yn gynhwysol. Fe’i trefnom ar gyfer pumawd o chwaraewyr recorders bas fel bod fy nghyfansoddiad yn gydnaws â cholli fy nghlyw, tinitws a hyperacusis. Yna anfonom y sgôr gerddoriaeth at Lloyd Coleman am ei adborth. Mae Lloyd yn Gyfarwyddwr Cerddoriaeth Cysylltiol y Baragerddorfa ac yn 2il fentor i mi ar y prosiect.
Dylwn nodi y byddwch yn gweld yn y llun a'r fideos bod 2 aelod o'n tîm wedi cael eu hanafu! Delyth wedi torri ei braich a Tim gyda llygad du a phwythau. Bu'r ddau ohonynt mewn damweiniau beic ar wahân, ond yn ffodus mae'r ddau wedi gwella erbyn hyn. Cyfarfuom yng nghanolfan People Speak Up, Ffwrnes Fach. Mae hwn yn adeilad capel sydd wedi'i adnewyddu'n hardd wrth ochr Theatr Ffwrnes. Mae People Speak Up wedi bod mor garedig â chyfrannu'r lleoliad mewn gwasanaeth i Offeryniaeth Gynhwysol, a rhoddwyd y prif gyllid gan Gamau Creadigol Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru. Yn y clip byr hwn, gallwch glywed un o'm hoff frawddegau o'r darn. Yr elfen fwyaf hudolus i minnau yw ei fod yn cael ei chwarae ar amrediad sy'n ddigon isel i mi ei glywed, ond yn ddigon ysgafn fel nad yw'n sbarduno fy hyperacusis. |
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However, once I was with the quintet, I could tell almost straight away that there were many bars of music that had troublesome notes in for me. Hearing it live was so different to my enhanced speakers at home. Although there were 'sweet spots' which actually made me feel calm and relaxed, there were parts that started to agitate my condition. I decided to record the piece and when I got back to my studio, I edited it using just the 'sweet spots'. I sent this to Delyth, she notated the changes, sending them out to the Quintet to learn for their next rehearsal. I then sent the rearrangement to Lloyd for feedback.
Lloyd felt that the music could have more dimension within it - so, Delyth and I got together on Zoom for a chat about how that might be possible with recorders. It is difficult to create texture, because unless you blow full pelt, the recorder will go out of tune, flat or sharp, which is fine if you are playing solo, but in a quintet, not good. We followed up with a meeting at Delyth's studio where the quintet experimented, and Delyth was right, it was out of tune, so we tried adding in some harmony notes, just here and there, to give a bit more depth in places. Below, you can watch a clip of a phone video that I took on the night of the newest arrangement as we were trying it out - |
Ond, pan oeddwn gyda'r pumawd, sylweddolais bron ar unwaith bod nifer o'r llinellau bar yn cynnwys nodau a oedd yn creu trafferth i mi. Roedd ei glywed yn fyw mor wahanol i'm seinyddion manylach gartref. Er bod yna ‘fannau mwyn’ a oedd yn gwneud i mi deimlo'n dawel a digyffro, roedd rhannau eraill yn dechrau sbarduno fy nghyflwr. Penderfynais recordio'r darn a phan oeddwn nôl yn fy stiwdio, golygais ef yn defnyddio’r ‘mannau mwyn’ yn unig. Anfonais hwn at Delyth, a nodiannodd hithau'r newidiadau ac anfon y darn at y Pumawd fel y gallent ei ddysgu erbyn eu hymarfer nesaf. Yna anfonais yr ad-drefniant at Lloyd am adborth.
Teimlai Lloyd y gallai'r gerddoriaeth gynnwys mwy o ddimensiwn – felly cefais gyfarfod Zoom gyda Delyth i drafod sut gellid cyflawni hyn gyda recorders. Mae'n anodd creu gwead, oherwydd oni bai eich bod yn chwythu nerth eich pen, mae’r recorder yn mynd allan o diwn, uwchlaw neu uwchben y nodyn, sy'n iawn os ydych chi'n chwarae'n solo, ond dydy e ddim yn ddelfrydol mewn pumawd. Dilynom hyn gyda chyfarfod yn stiwdio Delyth lle bu'r pumawd yn arbrofi, ac roedd Delyth yn iawn, felly ceisiom ychwanegu nodau cytgord yma ac acw, i roi ychydig yn fwy o ddyfnder mewn mannau. Gallwch wylio clip o fideo ffôn isod a wnes ar noson y trefniant diweddaraf wrth i ni arbrofi ag ef – |
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Now, it is Summer and mostly everyone is away on holiday. It's proved impossible to get all of us in one studio space at the same time, so Delyth and I have continued to meet and we are arranging the next quintet session with People Speak up for the end of September. Meanwhile, I am going to have a Zoom mentor meeting with Lloyd. I am learning so much on this journey, both in terms of composition for recorders, but importantly, where my hearing tolerances are and how to respect them within my creative practice. I am already applying this professional development in new creative contexts - such as playing the tenor recorder in Sonic Nature, my Artist Research trail. If you are interested to find out more about it, click the link below for more details. Meanwhile, for more regular updates about my creative practice, whey not add me as a friend on FACEBOOK.
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Nawr, mae'r Haf wedi dod ac mae bron pawb ar wyliau. Mae wedi bod yn amhosibl cael pawb mewn un stiwdio ar yr un pryd, felly rydw i a Delyth wedi parhau i gyfarfod ac rydym yn trefnu sesiwn nesaf y pumawd gyda People Speak Up ar gyfer diwedd Medi. Yn y cyfamser, rwy'n mynd i gael cyfarfod mentora Zoom gyda Lloyd. Rwy'n dysgu cymaint ar y daith hon, yn nhermau cyfansoddi ar gyfer recorders, ond yn bwysig, beth yw terfynau goddefgarwch fy nghlyw a sut i barchu’r rhain yn fy ymarfer creadigol. Rydw i hefyd yn cymhwyso'r datblygiad proffesiynol hwn mewn cyd-destunau creadigol newydd – fel chwarae'r recorder tenor yn Natur Sonig, fy llwybr Ymchwil Artist. Os hoffech gael rhagor o wybodaeth amdano, cliciwch ar y ddolen isod am fwy o fanylion. Yn y cyfamser, am ddiweddariadau mwy rheolaidd ynglŷn â fy ymarfer creadigol, beth am fy ychwanegu fel ffrind ar FACEBOOK.
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Inclusive Orchestration is funded by Arts Council of Wales Creative Steps. The Welsh language versions of my Inclusive Orchestration blogs are supported by Fusion Carmarthenshire. Our rehearsal space at Y Ffwrness is an inkind contribution from People Speak up. Inclusive Orchestration blogs are distributed nationally by Disability Arts Cymru & Ty Cerdd Music Centre for Wales. Disability Arts Cymru have also arranged for them to be showcased by AM, Wales' Digital Arts Platform.
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