In this article, I would like to document how I began creating marimba versions of my works.
Sending Sheet Music to a Performer
One of my high school classmates is a marimba performer.During our email exchange, the conversation turned to the kind of music I compose.
I arranged my piece “Bird View,” originally included in Relax 2017, for marimba and sent the score.
The reply I received was simple: “So this is the kind of music you write.”
Through this exchange, I realized that when sending a score as a gesture of introduction,
it is better to keep the number of pages minimal and the structure simple.
This became the starting point for a new direction:
composing pieces that could be played lightly, almost like taking a short break.
Blocks
After arranging “Bird View,” I composed “Blocks,” a piece with an even simpler structure.Unexpectedly, the piece gained some popularity, and I was surprised to receive a message from someone who performed it in a competition.
Since “Bird View” was originally written for piano, certain passages did not fit naturally on the marimba.
Learning from that experience, I composed “Blocks” specifically with the marimba’s tone and resonance in mind.
Leading to “193193”
Following this path, I composed “193193.”I designed the piece to be extremely simple, ensuring that the entire score would fit on a single page.
By reducing the structure to its essentials, the quietness of the sound itself and the comfort of repetition became more pronounced.
Marimba Version EP
The marimba versions have quietly found their audience, and I am currently preparing an EP that compiles these works.It will not be flashy, but rather a calm collection of pieces that place minimal burden on both performer and listener.
Going forward, I hope to continue composing carefully structured works that are also practical and approachable as scores.