Composition: Create Focus and out of Focus Moments in Music

[Alaudidae]

Hello everyone.
I'm trying to compose music with the intention of creating moments in music that will be in focus and than in other time, they will be out of focus.
In my case, I'm trying to create moments in music like an Alzheimer’s Disease.
Do you have any thoughts how to create this moments?
I thought about using effects like reverb to create depth and maybe some kind of positions in the mix for closer and farther away in the room, but it is not enough for me.
Also thought about using felt in piano and than regular.
In strings I thought about going from regular playing into Sul Tasto and maybe Harmonics.
In Brass using Con Sordino.
All of this techniques will change the sound normally produced in the instruments.
The music can be played in every instruments (Orchestra, Piano, Ethnic and so on...)
I'm trying to think in a composition perspective , how to do that.
Any thought will be very appreciate.
Thank you.

Click to read more...

 

[sundrowned]

Some things that first come to mind:

Melody for the focus, less melody for the out of focus
Clear instrumentation for focus, unclear for out of focus
Simple and clear harmony for focus, vague and unclear for out of focus
Rhythmic momentum for focus, static for out of focus
Etc

 

[Akoustecx]

As someone who until recently was primary carer for someone with early onset dementia, and having friends who've lost parents to Alzheimers, it can be very distressing for both the patient and their carers.
Dissonance, harmonically challenging articulations (eg. extreme sul pont) and arhythmic phrasing would be the best way of representing Alzheimers effects and replicating experiencing them for those with no personal exposure.
Done right, it would be possible to create everything from the subtle confusions that arise early on, all the way to the full on horrors of the person you once knew considering you an enemy that must be violently defended against. If you wanted to represent the interaction between patient/(carer/relative/friend), then a canon that gradually decoheres, with increasingly startling moments of juxtaposition becoming more frequent, might be a way to experiment with the form of the piece.

 

[Alaudidae]

Thank you.
I thought of more things.
I saw Bernstein: Ambiguity in Mahler's Adagietto and he talked about us has listeners , we have know idea in what beat we are on, or in what meter we are in. (Harp)
Or we are not sure in what key we will be in by removing to root of a chord.




I appreciate more thought please.

 

[Alaudidae]

As someone who until recently was primary carer for someone with early onset dementia, and having friends who've lost parents to Alzheimers, it can be very distressing for both the patient and their carers.
Dissonance, harmonically challenging articulations (eg. extreme sul pont) and arhythmic phrasing would be the best way of representing Alzheimers effects and replicating experiencing them for those with no personal exposure.
Done right, it would be possible to create everything from the subtle confusions that arise early on, all the way to the full on horrors of the person you once knew considering you an enemy that must be violently defended against. If you wanted to represent the interaction between patient/(carer/relative/friend), then a canon that gradually decoheres, with increasingly startling moments of juxtaposition becoming more frequent, might be a way to experiment with the form of the piece.

Thank you.

 

[Alaudidae]

Some things that first come to mind:

Melody for the focus, less melody for the out of focus
Clear instrumentation for focus, unclear for out of focus
Simple and clear harmony for focus, vague and unclear for out of focus
Rhythmic momentum for focus, static for out of focus
Etc

Thank you.