a piece for saxophone quartet and microtonally-tuned electric guitar (2018), c. 10:30

If you’re interested in performing Arrow, please contact me at benliebermanmusic@gmail.com.

Program Note:

Arrow is my first real foray into the magical world of microtonality. It mostly uses quarter-tones, but there are all sorts of unstable, untempered pitches in there too, thanks to the nature of saxophone multiphonics. It is also the first piece I wrote in which I utilized a non-standard guitar tuning, in this case, a microtonal tuning with some strings tuned a quarter-tone away from the conventional half-step.

Arrow is dedicated to Emily Kelly Rubin, who is my heart and also my most trusted sounding board.

I’m not sure why “Arrow.” If I’m being completely honest, I just thought it sounded cool. Other working titles were “Turbulence” (too heavy-handed), and “The Dark Lord and His Harlequin” (too opaque and also too suggestive…forget I said anything).

My therapist suggested that it’s called Arrow because it’s from the heart. This seems about right. (She’s very good.)

Arrow, piercing my heart. Arrow, from my heart to yours. Arrow, for Emily, my heart.

Arrow is not a love song, but a lot of love went into it.