An excerpt from a 52-minute (and potentially much longer) composition, based on a simple counting procedure that yields perpetual melodic variation.  Taking insights from perceptual psychology, I have used tuning and timbre to ensure that the listener is always at the edge of something familiar but never quite arrives there.

A composition by Horse Lords (of which I am a member) commissioned by Peabody's contemporary music ensemble Now Hear This. I arranged and notated the parts for the ensemble and I perform the guitar part. As in "Sammusik," a simple mathematical procedure generated much of the musical content; the pitches, the basic rhythmic structure, the electronics, and the large-scale form of the piece are all governed by the same law. This was performed at Peabody in 2018, a studio recording released in 2020, and further European performances were scheduled for 2020 but cancelled due to COVID-19.

Over the past year I have been transcribing performances of virtuoso guitar music from Mauritania, which I have undertaken both to better understand the music and technique myself and to bring some public recognition to this music, which is so under-studied that these are the first transcriptions of it. The music is very complex and these can only serve as a complement to a more thorough contextualization, but it has been and continues to be a valuable way for me to deepen my appreciation for these artists and to expand my own work. Ould Dendenni's performance may be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWzkHYuZFKw