I chose the title Evocations because I wanted the music to elicit or recall feelings, memories, or images to the conscious mind. The five movements are titled Memories on a Jasmine breeze, Somebody’s Samba, On Edge, Sweet Dreams, and Walking on air.
The first movement, Memories on a Jasmine breeze was imagined to portray day-dreaming while enjoying a perfumed, evening breeze. The movement presents gentle chord strumming representing the calm breeze interspersed with faster melodic passages representing “puffs” or “gusts” of wind. The quicker melodic playing style employs various techniques, such as hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides.
The second movement, Somebody's Samba, attempts to portray a beginner learning and attempting to dance a samba. The dance is characterized by rapid rhythmic steps and a swaying, rocking motion. Samba music on the guitar features primarily rhythmic treatment of harmonically dense repetitive chord progressions where the thumb plays bass notes and the fingers stab the top of the chord in a highly syncopated way.
The samba is mostly done in 2/4 time, but it can also be done in three steps to make a 3/4 time. Perhaps reflecting the beginning dancer, I included starts, stops and mis-steps: three or five beats. I imagined the dance teacher’s instructions might be: “One, two, ready go…Good, no, stop…Again…one, two, ready, go…Better…YES… no shuffling…no, stop…Count dancers…Again…one, two, ready, go… no, no, no, there are NOT three beats—it’s not a waltz…Again…one, two, ready, go…no, stop…OK, enough for today…”The third movement, On Edge, was meant to depict that agitated, nervous energy feeling we’ve all experienced. The work unfolds palm muting, double picking,and chordal stabs. Palm muting involves placing the side of the picking hand across the strings and then plucking the strings while the damping is in effect. Double picking employs alternating downward and upward strokes in a continous fashion.
The fourth movement, Sweet dreams, attempts to portray the wish we hope for those who will be going to sleep, especially children. The work presents a simple lullaby and then explores sweet, heavenly-sounding cascading harmonics. Cascading harmonics are a technique that combines alternatively plucking harmonics and open strings to create a harp-like effect.
The fifth and final movement, Walking on Air, attempts to render that feeling of well-being, elation, or blissful happiness. The movement features slides and Travis picking. Travis picking, also called pattern picking, refers to a playing style based on repeating a right hand pattern of thumb and finger moves throughout the work.