Big Heavy Shadow or Frozen Ghost

"Big Heavy Shadow or Frozen Ghost" (2021) was my first experiment making indeterminate music. The 13 minute piece is for string quartet, piano, and electronic playback. The score takes advantage of the idiosyncrasies of the string family by asking the players to distort pitches, bow behind the bridge, and use the wood of their bow to create unpredictable sounds. Though the piece is very specific in it notation, it requires the players to be flexible in their judgement of the material and make choices as the timeline of the piece progress. The use of clock-time and mixed tempos create a heavy cloud of sound.