Music Technology & Production
Eli Farnhill
Rain on the Forest Floor
This composition explores two main ideas. The first is how a simple occurrence that may be considered mundane can evoke euphoric emotions in a person. The second idea that is explored is how something that starts off easily can change over time creating something that is complex, and potentially overwhelming. These ideas are important to me because I feel that people focus too much on getting to the final goal of a project as fast as possible. If they have to walk through a forest they may try to take the fastest route. They may get a more enjoyable experience if they take a detour and see more of the forest. Regarding the second idea, I myself have a habit of taking on additional tasks that seem easy at first but these tasks change and can become overwhelming at times.
The primary strategy used in the piece to explore these ideas is repetition. The main theme of the piece contains many repeated elements and the theme itself is repeated often throughout the piece. This theme is, theoretically speaking simply in that it is not musically complex. It starts off playing slowly, gradually speeding up with new elements playing alongside it until it builds into something that one could find overwhelming. Repetition is a fundamental part of most music, but in this piece, it was used as a writing and production strategy.
By using this evolving repetitive musical idea I have learned that repetition is useful in the completion of a task, but to keep it interesting a new idea must be introduced to support the repetition. My newest work and upcoming releases have been influenced heavily by my work on this composition. These pieces are built upon a repeating loop that is layered with sounds found in my environment and live improvisation. This whole experience has changed my outlook on what is musical, both philosophically and on a more fundamental theoretical standpoint.