Road-testing new tunes
Rick Hirsch
I finished two new original jazz ensemble pieces in the past month or so. Here are the videos of the first time they were read by humans.
This is always an important part of the writing process for me, as it reveals instantly what works and what doesn't. In the case of the first tune ("New Dog..."), I think it was just how I wanted it. The second tune, though, revealed that there were a few voicings I wanted to tweak (to achieve a different intensity) and that I needed to clarify an instruction in a trumpet part. Nothing major, but good to know about before sending off to the client who commissioned these.
There's a New Dog in Town
(sightread by the Zeropoint Big Band in State College, PA)
p.s. You may enjoy this other blog post in which I show the evolution of "New Dog" from blank paper to finished chart.
Dream Big
(sightread by the River City Big Band in Harrisburg, PA)
