My first experimentation with ideas on the drumkit.

Yesterday I began experimenting with rhythms on the drumkit. The song will show the transformation from an apprentice Geisha into an established Geisha. The track will begin with soft, intricate rhythms on the ride cymbal to illustrate the initial changes in her appearance and statue. To show the obstacles she must overcome to prove herself I will use the toms and the snare to create tension and build the music to a crescendo. The drums will then return to a steady beat as she makes her mark as an established Geisha.

The shamisen

"...the setting was inspiringly beautiful, with the soft light of dawn and the slow rhythm of the shamisen music like a heartbeat in the background." Golden describing "The Courtier Returns to His Wife" dance in Memoirs of a Geisha, Chapter 23, p.268.

The Beginning!

Ok, so I have uploaded some images of the stimuli I will base my music project on but I haven't filled you in on what I intend to do...

As drums are my first instrument I will use this to my advantage and begin by writing a kind of percussion ensemble. I will use several instrumentation to illustrate the many themes present in my stimuli, such as prostitution, art, water, social backgrounds and beliefs...

I will also explore the reasons why the figure in the painting was called 'The Courtesan' and not 'The Geisha'. Is the courtesan seen more as a prostitute and the Geisha an artist? The music will demonstrate these conflicting ideas and the importance of the social background. The music will also demonstrate the transformation into a Geisha, the bright, intricate colours but also the dark, seedy side.

I hope to take inspiration from Taiko drumming classes available in Glasgow to add my own style on Japanese culture and perhaps add vocals, guitar and bass at some point if I believe it fits the mood of the music.

Another stimulus I will base my music on. Differences between a Courtesan & a Geisha?

My Stimulus.

The Courtesan (after Eisen) by Van Gogh.

Paris, summer/autumn 1887

Oil on canvas

My interpretation of Van Gogh's The Courtesan, the stimulus I will use for my music project.