Today I discussed the first movement of my string quartet with Bill Alves. He gave me some very good comments with ways to improve my first draft. One of the interesting things he said was that at the very beginning of a work, the audience will be very lenient and give the work at least a few minutes of slow building up. Their ears are fresh, and they will be listening carefully at that point. So that means that I can really expand my opening section with long, harmonic tones which are spread out from the high to the low range. Also, when something new is introduced, it can be expanded on for more than a few seconds.
One of the problems with writing music (or perhaps novels or poetry or whatever) is to know when something has gone on too long, or not nearly long enough. The creator has spent quite a bit of time with her nose in the work that 5 seconds may seem an eternity. This is when it is more than helpful to have someone else listen and give an impression of what needs to be expanded or contracted.
I am now ready to attack another draft of this movement, and perhaps I will take it to my friends in the Lemonwood String Quartet on Sunday for a draft-reading!
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