Ornithology Suite

Description

1.     Tabby’s Duck, Goldie – I had a student who professed she didn’t like to play ‘A’s, so I constructed a motif, managing neatly to avoid the offending note. Her pet duck had gone missing at the time, so I threw in some repeated notes to represent some hopeful quacking.  As always, time spent practicing articulation and dynamics always pays dividends. This piece should be lively, with attitude. Try thinking like a duck.
2.     Finnegan, the Amazon Parrot – Finnegan and I were together for 7 years before we were sadly forced to part company, but during those years I got a chance to see how his moods changed during the day. This piece represents how he often was toward the end of the day, resting on his perch with one leg pulled up under him, feathers fluffed up and ready for sleep. Make sweet legato lines, smooth slurred phrases and, since the last loud squawk is now long past, create an overall feeling of calm.
3.     Blackbird Fantasy – The blackbird is my very favourite of all the songbirds, but rather than writing a piece that imitates the song, I decided I’d rather try to capture their ability to improvise. If you’ve ever listened to a blackbird sing, you might have noticed, as I have, that they often will sing a phrase, then wait a bit, as if either waiting for a response or deciding what line should come next. Weird, unexpected notes abound here – play into them, try to relish the weird.