Pathway to the Void


When beginning this project, I wasn't sure how to approach it. I have not done anything with music in regards to composing or writing my own music since middle school, so I was trodding through uncharted territory once more.

Going into it, I knew that I wanted to do something with string instruments, as I have always loved string instruments most out of any other type of instrument. They inhabit an ability to portray emotion and tension in a way that I feel is more powerful than any other instrument. I originally wanted to go for an ethereal piece, reminiscent of the background Studio Ghibli soundtracks (source).

However, as I continued through the composition of the piece, I found myself crafting a soundtrack that seemed to fall more in line with an eerie, almost horror-esc feeling.

The beginning of the piece is a duet between an upright bass and a cello, setting up a haunting lower octave range. Then the violin and viola enter, the former playing a range of notes that add tension, and the latter playing notes that fray up and down the strings, adding a feeling of anxiety and fear to the piece. Then the final inclusion of a symbol and drum alternating with echo enters, imitating footsteps. This seals the whole piece together, allowing the listener to fully experience the fear that the piece drives into them.

McLuhan said, “we continue to think fragmentarily, and on single, separate planes. Myth means putting on the audience, putting on ones environment.” (114). The perception of music and media as a whole is dependent on the person perceiving the medium. It is constructing that perception with things like color theory, instrumentals, and symbolism that allows each and every person to perceive it differently.

The perception of the piece as a whole is different depending on your experiences and how you perceive it, but I chose to perceive it as a piece that builds suspense upon someone who is entering an unknown situation. This is evident by the graphic above, which is a doorway to a strange hallway that fades into black. My perception is shaped by the media I consume.

The only question left to be answered is; what does this make you visualize?

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