Feel the chill of mountain air, freshly fallen snow, and the breathtaking excitement of sheer downhill momentum as you take your audience all the way from the top of the peak all the way to base camp.
Snowboarding
Contents: Score (PDF)
Pages: 3
Duration: 2'20"
Grade: 5 / Advanced / Grade 8 (AMEB)
In 2003, I was invited to perform on a live-to-air broadcast for ABC Radio in Canberra. Spying an opportunity to create some new music, and also recognising the need for more unaccompanied solos for Piccolo, I set about writing myself a short solo to perform. After deciding on Rondo form for the structure, the part I struggled with most was finding a creative title which best the character of the piece. The day of the broadcast I still had no idea what to call it, so it was agreed on air that I would play it, and anyone who was tuning in was welcome to title it for me. As it turned out, a listener rang in and said that it sounded like snowboarding. Done! There are some definite nods to Shostakovich throughout this energetic piece. Additionally, there are some imaginative explorations of tremolo, finger snaps, harmonics, flutter tonguing, and silence for the performer to experiment with. Ultimately, an effective performance will create momentum through a careful observance of the tempi and lyrical playing. “Snowboarding” was recently performed by the Ukrainian Piccolo player, Danets Hanna in June, 2021.
"It was super interesting experience! Greg very clear with what he want and his piece for piccolo solo interesting and charming. It was pleasure to work with him" - Danets Hanna, Piccolo (Ukraine, 10 Jun 21) “This is a wonderful composition! It's full of movement and very well written.” - Sage Tichenor, Nashville-based Flute/Piccolo player and Sound Engineer (USA, 19 Jun 21)