(A prime performance by the Neu!/Kraftwerk combo. I love how uncomfortable the audience looks!)

I'm writing a monophonic (i.e., one sounding element at one moment in time) ensemble piece for my composition class, which is an interesting and difficult pursuit. Some minor compromises to monophony will be made -- I'll allow myself to hold notes for whatever duration, to allow harmonies, and also discount percussion as a single 'event' -- but the rules are simply for the sake of musical ingenuity, in the end. Compromises don't represent any kind of failure, but rather personal artistic judgement.

Weirdly enough, I haven't been listening to much music since I started this composition class. When thinking compositionally -- which I've been doing quite a lot -- I just haven't felt compelled to listen to anything. What's undoubtedly stupid, however, is the fact that I'm not writing much music either. And I guess only I can change that!

Reading two books of differing styles and moods (like The Stranger and A Scanner Darkly, for instance) is a good practice, I find. That way, if you don't feel like getting into one, you always have the other, and you're still reading something in the end.

Anyway, too tired to go on.