Lesson 74: Contemporary Work, Part 2 — Interpretation Without Tradition

• Map the sections of one modern piece before playing it through.
• Make breath, timing and volume choices that follow the score.

Make a plan you can hear.

Use the score you read in Lesson 73. Its written rules come first; build your own plan for the choices it leaves open.

1. Make a simple map

On one page, list each section’s start, likely length, main sound and loudest point.

2. Mark your choices

• Place breaths where the sound or silence allows them.
• Mark where volume grows, fades or stays level.
• Choose a length for each flexible gesture within the score’s limits.
• Check fingerings for unfamiliar sounds before joining sections.

3. Test one section

Record one short section, then ask whether its shape matches your map; change one choice and record it again.

For example, if a score allows a silence of 8–12 seconds, try 8 and 12; choose the length that makes the next sound feel right.

4. Join the piece

Practise the last sound of one section and the first of the next, then play the full piece using your map.

Now play these

Apply the map to your Lesson 73 score; see resources for editions.