Laughing Crowd of Frogs: Drafts 15 and into 16

Tree Frog Hiding (Beverly Gaddy)

 NOTES ON DRAFT 15 HERE:  ONLY THE FROGS! 
(minutes 5-8 only)

OK now for the frogs!  I love their polyrhythms (two or more overlapping rhythms) - the way one frog will start and the others join in but not at the same speed or meter (repeating length), so you get this kaleidoscopic pattern...just when you think it's the same, it shifts into something new.  The problem is getting the harmony to brighten the sounds and not make it dark or dreary.  I believe they do this to camoflague themselves so you can't locate any one individual frog.  Their songs overlap and combine to confuse the predator.  It's mesmerizing, like tessellations.


The actual chord is an F augmented chord, which I used in Drafts up to 13.  But it was too dark so I brightened it up with an alternating chord sequence. Here is DRAFT 15a.  I plan to move the harmony into the winds but first I have to get the harmony right before I spell it out for all the instruments. (and add lots of rhythm and percussion!)

Tree Frog on sidewalk HHI (Beverly Gaddy)

Since I want to include the F tonic (home) and the sharp-5 I choose a new alternating harmony that includes both (F major to A major and back).  I love to hear the frogs breathe!  Here is DRAFT 15b.  It breathes.

I like the b sequence so I lengthen it to fit under the frogs, changing it up by stepping downward by whole steps until I get back to F - A -F, and then leaping up by major thirds until it gets too high for the horns and I have to shift into the winds.  Here is DRAFT 15c. I like the changing harmony. I don't like returning to the F (tonic) in the middle...needs to keep searching... Now I need to go to the beginning of the sequence and shift the harmony from brass to winds to show the living breath of the frogs.

Now Here's DRAFT 15d.  I had to switch things up a bit so it wouldn't get dreary. Got it to stick to the french horns for now, with the strings joining in at the end, making home, well "homier."

Tree Frog Wishing for Company (Beverly Gaddy)

I can't believe I wrote another DRAFT 15e. Finally I had the idea of adding in short notes--long notes are too dreary. Perk it up!

And another Draft 15f.  I was hoping this would be the last because it was "F" for frog, afterall! But the rhythm was off...so I made one little switcheroo with the rhythm:  Voila! Draft 15F version 2.

And happiness was starting to set in!  Here is Draft 15g .  I was just about laughing. Got it ready with Draft 16.  I've been so focused on listening I forgot to take notes for you.  Can you hear what I changed?

So I mixed it back in with the whole symphony and I named it DRAFT 16!  This is the draft I will take to show the symphony performers on Monday.  Here's a picture of the mixer window for Draft 16.

I hope it makes you smile!  Maybe it will help you feel more comfortable in a crowd!