Holding down the fort

I was thinking during band practice today when the directors had the low brass play our background rhythm for "Edge of Glory" (yes, the Gaga song). It's a bit weird to read, but once you figure it out, it grooves. I remembered when I was playing flute or piccolo, I would just tune out whenever the director worked with the low brass. After all, their parts were so boring.


But now, I love playing trombone. Rocking out on the baseline can be tons of fun, even if you'll never get the recognition that the hotshot trumpets do. Because they couldn't do it without you. And even if they don't realize it, you do. And hopefully so do your directors.

Some of my favorite songs to play are actually the slower ballads. Something about having the sustained notes underneath a melody, whether it's a soloist or a section, is really neat. I like to close my eyes and picture the sounds as wisps of color in the air, and see my sound rise up and support the melody, pushing it higher into the air. Often, the most musical parts can be found in the chords behind the melody. There was one particular measure in "Summon the Heroes," where, under the trumpet soloist, the first trombones held a whole note, the seconds and thirds had moving quarters, and the baritones had corresponding eighth notes. It was such a neat moment in the music that most people wouldn't notice consciously, but that's one of the beauties of music.

In sixth grade I sat there with my flute and wondered why anyone would ever want to play a non-melody instrument. Many years later and just a little bit wiser, I get now that some of the best parts aren't melody. I've been so jealous of horn counter-melodies on so many occasions. They really get the best "Hollywood lines," to quote my director. And some of the oom-pah tuba parts and walking basslines they get make me jealous. Music really only happens when everyone contributes, from the percussion to the bass lines to the chords, counter-melodies, melodies, harmonies, ostinatos... the list goes on. And that's what makes music truly beautiful.

I've often found that playing a piece well with a group can be a truly transcendental experience. I feel connected with the other players on a fundamental level in a way that I haven't found anywhere else. Music is a universal expression of the soul, and I feel that our shared humanity connects us as we create these sounds weaving in the air, carrying our dreams, our lives, our stories - for that is what we put into the music that we play.

Legitimate writer status: Achieved!

So over the summer, one of my projects was to write and submit a story for the second Machine of Death anthology (www.machineofdeath.net). It was a great experience for a (still young) writer - I had never edited a story to that degree, or indeed really shown one to other people. Boy, was that terrifying. Fear of rejection is the main thing that's kept me back from pursuing these creative things (and more than a few other things in life), so it was really difficult to hand it off to other people and accept criticism of it.

Overall, I think it turned out well, but could have used some work. Still, I'm proud of the end result, and was (yes) a little disappointed when I got the e-mail this morning that it didn't make the anthology. With 1,958 submissions and only 30 stories chosen, it doesn't surprise me. The best part is, this doesn't bother me - it's just motivating me to try again. It was a form letter, and I'm not sure if this was their only rejection letter, but it does also include reassurance that a lot of the stories we're great but they don't have room in the anthology. Apparently my story is still in consideration for possible future projects, but we'll have to see on that one. It'll probably take a while.

Smiling after getting a rejection is a little odd, I suppose. But it's not like I really expected to hit it right straight out of the gate. Writers are supposed to suffer - it's where we get our best material. :-) One thing about this really stressful semester is that I'm discovering what I really miss about having free time, and I love writing. I love creating in many senses, but writing, creating worlds, characters, stories, may just be my favorite. My dad mentioned to me last night one of the story ideas I came up with in sixth grade. There's still potential there. And my other characters all keep growing with me.

Step one, survive this semester. Step two, figure out what I'm doing next year. After that, I should have free time again. I'm missing NaNoWriMo again, since school and marching band take up too much of my time, but maybe next year will be better. And if I start planning now... :-) For now, maybe I'll get a picture or two together for the MoD evidence photo contest. And maybe do some homework.

For those interested, the full story is after the jump. Enjoy, and let me know what you think! I welcome any constructive criticism and would love to keep improving. (Basic background to the anthology can be found at the MoD website, link above.)