This piece takes its sonic inspiration (and its title) from the 1990s indie rock subgenre called “shoegaze” and its fraternal twin “dreampop.” The sometimes noisy and always effects-laden sound of bands such as My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins helped define the genre. Rather than focusing on virtuosity, shoegaze emphasized exploration of musical timbre: an approach that resonates with my own compositional practice.
Shoegaze is written for solo 5-string electric violin and utilizes combinations of effects often found in shoegaze music, seeking to bring together the aesthetics of composed classical music and indie rock. The 5-string violin adds an extra low string to the four of the traditional violin, allowing it to play in both the violin and the viola ranges. Further, because it “plugs in,” it is able to take advantage of the effects pedals and amplification normally associated with the electric guitar. My aim in this piece was to treat the 5-string electric violin as its own unique instrument, taking advantage of its particular qualities, and not simply as an amplified violin or a bowed guitar. I’ve always admired efforts to expand the instrumentation of composed classical music, and Shoegaze is but one contribution to that goal.