Week Three

[stagemanagers]

[Last week, some shit went down! Salieri's scene went off without a hitch, but the good mood didn't last. The first motive was a bit of a doozy, and yet it didn't even have anything to do with the eventual accidental death of Mumble Happyfeet! At least Sissi was already pretty much dating Death anyway, right? She's probably fine, wherever she is.

This week, new menus have been posted in the cafeteria. But, more importantly, it seems that other new information has emerged. Everyone wakes on Sunday with some new memories - or are they old ones? - floating around in their heads. Maybe there was something to your discussions of time travel after all. Maybe there was someting to the Wizard's knowledge of the future.

Regardless, you're still stuck in here. At least there's some new places to explore this week. Maybe you'll find something helpful.]

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

(( Be sure to submit your memory regains and your AC for this week! Hester's office hours and the merch booth also remain available! ))

Comments

[violentenvies]

[the change in topic gets his attention, and he'll follow it readily] Generally I compose for orchestra, but sometimes for quartets or trios, depending on what instrumentation is needed. Though I will admit, some of the instruments in here are even unknown to me.

As for how it works...[he motions her a little closer to the piano, moving to sit there despite quite a few papers still being scattered on the ground] It is a combination of compiling technical pieces, like a puzzle, while also understanding the emotional flow and movement of such pieces.

[comeandfindme]

[ Oh, well... Okay, then, Peregrine moves closer to the piano so she can see it better. ]

How can you tell what's gonna move people? Like...if this melody or that'll do what you want it to?

[violentenvies]

There are certain melodies, and certain endings to things, that evoke in us a certain emotion.

For example, if I'm going to write something heroic or positive, it will certainly be in major: [he demonstrates as such, creating a sweeping melodic and harmonic line, grand]

Similarly, for comedies, it is also usually in major, but it tends to be lighter and moving, like laughter: [and he demonstrates again, a light, cheerful little line that skips and hops over itself like a child]

However, for sad or dramatic things, minor is the best option: [a third demonstration, this one long and lyrical]

Those are some of the main tools. There are many others; more specifics to this, in when to lean into the note and when to pull back, when to stop a piece altogether and soforth but from there it's a matter of using these tools to tell the story.

The story is paramount, and the music must support it.

[comeandfindme]

[ Peregrine listens. She doesn’t interrupt once, simply listens with actually rapt attention. She nods along as he explains, with each melody seeming to understand more. ]

Wow…When did you start all this? [ And, before he can answer: ] How do you know which instrument to use where? How do you learn how to compose for so many different ones?

[ It seems Salieri’s found a fundamental truth of Peregrine’s character: She loves to learn. ]

[violentenvies]

[Ah--that certainly is a lot of questions. He has to admit, he's a little surprised, but...he's not one to turn down an inquisitive mind. He scoots over a bit on the piano bench and pats the seat next to him]

I started this when I was but a boy. My elder brother taught me violin, and I started composing small things then. I didn't really deeply study it until I was taken in from the Monestary, and from there it became my vocation. Learning to compose for many instruments was part of my training, as was starting to learn which instruments went best with others.

As for choosing which ones to use, it depends on what I'm writing for. There are many different types of ensembles--that is, groups of instruments--that are used for a variety of pieces. If we're speaking of opera, that is usually played by a full orchestra. However, there are also Quintets, quartets, trios--[he's just gonna go on and explain to her a TON about instrumentation for as long as she's willing to listen, quite frankly. This is his passion, so he's more than happy to talk about it]

[comeandfindme]

[ And, no matter how much Salieri talks, Peregrine listens. She nods along, asking little questions as he goes on ("What do you like writing for most?" or "Which instrument did you learn to write for first?" or "What's the most people you've composed a piece for?") and never once showing a dip of interest.

She hangs on his every word. ]

[violentenvies]

[Salieri is more than pleased to answer any questions she has, especially since she's paying such close attention. At one point in the middle of an explanation of how to reverse a portion of a melody, he pauses, and reaches out to grab a blank piece of staff paper]

In fact--would you like to give it a try?

[comeandfindme]

[ A flash of surprise crosses her face. ]

Me? I mean… It probably won’t sound…you know, any good. I barely know the difference between the notes.

[violentenvies]

Well...in that case, that's easy enough to teach. [he'll set the lined paper on the piano stand, as well as the pencil, and turns his attention to the keys]

We'll start here, before the paper. Now--have you played any piano before?

[comeandfindme]

[ She shakes her head. At some point throughout all of this, she'd taken a seat to get a better look at the piano, at everything. ]

Besides, like...poking at keys at school when I was a little kid.

[violentenvies]

Then allow me to explain.

We'll start with the white keys. Though they were black in my time, but for some reason they've switched. [he seems a bit amused by this] Nevertheless.

In music, your basic pieces are seven different note names. [he presses down a white key, then follows up each white key going upwards] A, B, C, D, E, F and G. And then, once we hit G, the next note repeats as A. So notes that are 7 white keys apart from each other will always have the same name.

So if this--[he presses down a note] is C, then where is another C?

[comeandfindme]

[ She follows along, counts once he presses down the first C. D, E, F, G, A, B—

She presses down on a key an octave away. ]

Here. [ No question in her voice. ]

[violentenvies]

Good. [a nod--he then plays a different note] And if this is E?

[comeandfindme]

[ F, G, A, B, C, D—

Another E rings out throughout the band room. ] Here.

[violentenvies]

Excellent. [simply a statement.] Now, I want you to play, once note at a time, from one C to another, upwards]

[comeandfindme]

Just that? [ But that sounds so easy! Well, alright. She nods and does so. ]

[violentenvies]

There. Now you've played your first scale.

[comeandfindme]

...Oh. Just like that, huh?

[violentenvies]

Just like that. That scale was called C Major.

[comeandfindme]

'Cause it started on C and it was in a major key instead of a minor one? ...I don't know a lot about what those mean, but like, I know they exist.

[violentenvies]

That's correct. There are certain things that make a scale major or minor, but for now it's much easier to simply hear it.

Try playing from A to A now.

[comeandfindme]

[ She counts briefly to find A and does so. ]

Is this an A Major scale?

[violentenvies]

Not quite. Did you hear how it sounded different than the C major? That was A minor.

[comeandfindme]

Huh. But, I didn't do anything weird or different, just...played from A to A. Is...it 'cause of how it sounded?

[violentenvies]

Correct. Major and Minor are based on how they sound. There are different types of minor scales, but for now, we'll stick to natural minor, which is what you played.

You can really hear the difference if I play A natural minor--[he does so, on the all white keys, up and back down]-- and then A major. [again, eight notes up and back down, this time incorporating some black keys]