MAGMA | 06/13/04
Chompy surprised me this morning. For the first time in months, she woke up before I did. I admit, I had become accustom to waking up before her, going about my morning ritual and taking her out. Not today, though. I had only been asleep for about six hours when *bam* she's up. Most dogs would bark for a while or jump in bed but not Chompy. She just emits these pitiful groans that guilt you out of bed. Once I took her out, I went back to bed and woke up about five hours later. I watched the Cubs squeak out a victory against Anaheim before dinner.I made some chicken dumpling soup and while it was good, it wasn't nearly as good as the last time I made it.
I've spent the past five hours writing MAGMA. The mood of the piece is extremely fun and light-hearted, so I'm not sure it's the best title for it. Perhaps I need to save MAGMA for something a little more...edgy. Anyway, this is a bass-feature piece, complete with cadenza. I have to admit that it's probably the best bass line I've ever written. I'm not sure how easy it is to play--I drew my little five-string-electric-bass fret board on a sheet of notebook paper and I think it makes sense but we'll see. Unlike the last two pieces, this one came flowing out and when it gets played, I think it will be a huge hit.
While I was working on the piece, I got to thinking about how mad I was at FSU for not wanting to hire me to direct Mas N' Steel. I guess I was naïve in thinking that the best person was always hired for every job (especially when there are "free" grad students available). Of course I hope the band does well with the new guy but no matter how good they become, a part of me will always be sure I could have done it better. Although a lot of good people left, a number of good people are coming in the form of graduate students (and more importantly, they don't all play lead), which will insure that the band doesn't suck. I was hoping to enjoy at least one semester of them sucking so I could laude myself as having a crucial role, but I doubt that's going to happen.
Friend from CalTech, you still owe me a guest-journal-entry, so send it to me.
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