Snare drum, I have come to learn, is very hard to write effective music for. Nevertheless I have been immensely inspired by the vast catalogue of music written for the Snare Drum commissioned by Tom Sherwood. I used this piece as a chance to find my voice through an instrument I don’t play frequently. It’s not often that I write very literal music but that is not the case here. All of the material in the piece is meant to evoke the chosen title “Blossom”. Rhythmically, the grounding motif is a feathered gesture which is intended to sound like a blossom. Likewise, one of the most unique features of this piece is the use of the vocoder, creating a sense of blossoming through the pitch material over time. By the nature of vocoding, all sound blossoms from the snare drum and the vocoder is merely a vessel to bring a new voice to the drum. This is something I was very intent on executing when I started the piece. I wrote this piece in the aftermath of one of my worst experiences with burnout and I use it now as a symbol of optimism as I ended up finding a way out and writing music that I am proud of. A necessary reminder that any motivation and inspiration is always bound to blossom again if given time.

Written for Tom Sherwood and Ajay Wadhwani