T. 41--Canyon Drive

In one of my many family visits to the mountain west, I remember when we drove through Provo Canyon. We had driven through it before, and we would do so many more times since, but this one time was particularly memorable because I got inspiration for this piece for strings as I admired the mountains and hillsides immediately around us. I started to quietly hum a melody to myself. It was similar to the chorus in the hymn, “How Great Thou Art.” I was so impressed and inspired by the view around us as we drove through the canyon that I started to write this piece soon after the vacation.

 
In this piece, I have the players use a number of extended techniques to depict, as realistically as possible, a drive through Provo Canyon in Utah. It starts with the start of a car engine, after which a segment of interlocking eighth-note rhythms represent the car driving down the road, passing several other cars on the way. The driver turns on the radio and switches between classical music, a weather report, and finally a simple folk pop-style song. All of this is original work. I just wanted to write something that sounded like what one might hear from the radio. Between stations, the strings are meant to replicate radio static by producing a scratching noise with the bow pulled firmly across the strings. Since I couldn't replicate that in Finale, you hear my less-than-adequate attempt at making the static noise myself in this recording. I also hoped to create a message in this piece, one of optimism and hope for the near future in the face of trying times. The weather report and the lyrics of the song reflect this message, with the idea that sunshine will follow rain. 

After the song ("I know where the sun hides"), the strings transition to the highlight of the piece: the entrance into the canyon itself. The melody that the voice hums is the very same melody I had in my head that day my family and I drove through Provo Canyon. I feel this piece presents an accurate representation of how the view I saw and the feelings I felt would sound. I was also inspired by other compositions that depict views of nature. Eventually, the strings peter out as the car comes near civilization again, passing more cars (represented by the basses, as in the beginning of the piece). The last measure was the best I could come up with to represent turning the key to turn off the car. I worked hard on this piece, and I was able to spend a lot of time on it because I had a lot of free time over the summer. You can also see in this piece, as well as in Epic Flood in E Flat, that at this time I am starting to get used to using harmony and chord progressions.