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This week’s selection for Open Mic Adventures is something of a novelty—like most of my compositions, admittedly.  I wrote this piece for a reason, though:  I wanted to have a piece that would always play first on my Apple Music playlist when I get into the car.

You see, my “favorites” on Apple Music play in alphabetic order (by title) whenever I plug my phone into my car’s sound system.  I figured if I wrote a piece that alphabetically had to come before everything else, it would play every time I go anywhere, and I could collect some additional royalties.  I also calculated that if a few other people added the piece to their favorite playlists, the same thing might happen.

Well, I haven’t quite tired of hearing this piece yet, but it does, indeed, play every time I get into the car, so it already has far more plays than most of my pieces do upon release.

Is it any good?  Well, give “Aardvark” a listen and decide for yourself.

“Aardvark” is a piece for baritone/euphonium, vibraphone, and piano. It is largely in the key of E major, but also explores distantly-related keys. The main theme gradually transmutes across these keys and in the original key, before ending with a decisive E major chord.

I love that public domain aardvark sketch.  It’s pretty cool, and does seem to fit the music.

Here’s the original handwritten score, which doesn’t include the accent marks and articulation in the final version:

Happy Listening!

—TPP

Other Editions of Open Mic Adventures:

1. “Open Mic Adventures I: Oingo Boingo’s ‘Just Another Day’“
2. “Open Mic Adventures II: Billy Joel’s ‘Piano Man’“
3. “Open Mic Adventures III: Joanie Sommers’s ‘Johnny Get Angry’“
4. “Open Mic Adventures IV: KISS’s ‘I Still Love You’“
5. “Open Mic Adventures V: ‘There’s a Light (Over at the Frankenstein Place)’“
6. “Open Mic Adventures VI: Journey’s ‘Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’“
7. “Open Mic Adventures VII: ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’“
8. “Open Mic Adventures VIII: Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘The Sound of Silence’“
9. “Open Mic Adventures IX: Journey’s ‘Faithfully’“
10. “Open Mic Adventures X: ‘Time Warp’“
11. “Open Mic Adventures XI: Spooktacular Supergroup Covers ‘Monster Mash’“
12. “Open Mic Adventures XII: ‘Ghostly’“
13. “Open Mic Adventures XIII: The Penguins’ ‘Earth Angel’“
14. “Open Mic Adventures XIV: ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’“
15. “Open Mic Adventures XV: ‘O Holy Night’“
16. “Open Mic Adventures XVI: ‘Please Come Home for Christmas’“
17. “Open Mic Adventures XVII: ‘L’il Divertimento in C major’“
18. “Open Mic Adventures XVIII: ‘Satiean Motion’“
19. “Open Mic Adventures XIX: ‘Two-Day Minuet for Left Hand’“
20. “Open Mic Adventures XX: ‘Sleepy Student’s Serenade’“
21. “Open Mic Adventures XXI: Styx’s ‘Come Sail Away’“
22. “Open Mic Adventures XXII: ‘Blessed Assurance’“
23. “Open Mic Adventures XXIII: ‘Gabbi’s Gavotte’“
24. “Open Mic Adventures XXIV: ‘Softly and Tenderly’“
25. “Open Mic Adventures XXV: ‘Venite, exultemus Domino’“
26. “Open Mic Adventures XXVI: ‘Sonatina’“
27. “Open Mic Adventures XXVII: ‘Heavenly Sunlight’“
28. “Open Mic Adventures XXVIII: ‘Song of the Bigfoot’”
29. “Open Mic Adventures XXIX: ‘Lavender’s Blue’“
30. “Open Mic Adventures XXX: ‘Chorale for a Sleepy Wednesday’“
31. “Open Mic Adventures XXXI: ‘Carousel’“
32. “Open Mic Adventures XXXII: Hymn Medley“
33. “Open Mic Adventures XXXIII: ‘Spore Song (Mushroom Dance)’“
34. “Open Mic Adventures XXXIV: ‘Chase’s Dilemma’“
35. “Open Mic Adventures XXXV: ‘The Rings of Saturn’“
36. “Open Mic Adventures XXXVI: ‘The Rings of Saturn’ LIVE!“
37. “Open Mic Adventures XXXVII: ‘Private Lessons (Goth Chick)’“
38. “Open Mic Adventures XXXVIII: ‘Quasi-Date’“
39. “Open Mic Adventures XXXIX: ‘(I’m in the) Business of Love)’“
40. “Open Mic Adventures XL: ‘Parada’“
41. “Open Mic Adventures XLI: ‘Serenade for a Sleepy Student No. 2’“
42. “Open Mic Adventures XLII: ‘1001 Arabian Nights’“
43. “Open Mic Adventures XLIII: ‘Greek Fair’“
44. “Open Mic Adventures XLIV: ‘Skeleton Dance No. 1’“
45. “Open Mic Adventures XLV: ‘Skeleton Dance No. 1’ – BASS“
46. “Open Mic Adventures XLVI: ‘Canon Event’“
47. “Open Mic Adventures XLVII: ‘Skeleton Dance No. 2’“
48. “Open Mic Adventures XLVIII: Sloppy ‘Hipster Girl Next Door’ Medley“
49. “Open Mic Adventures XLIX: ‘Lament of the Lizardman’“
50. “Open Mic Adventures L: ‘Bigfoot Boogie’“
51. “Open Mic Adventures LI: ‘Minuet for a New Moon’“
52. “Open Mic Adventures LII: ‘Andante in D major’“
53. “Open Mic Adventures LIII: ‘I Need Thee Every Hour’“
54. “Open Mic Adventures LIV: ‘”Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus’“
55. “Open Mic Adventures LV: ‘Orange Roll’“
56. “Open Mic Adventures LVI: ‘Firefly Dance’“
57. “Open Mic Adventures LVII: ‘Kartofelsalat’“
58. “Open Mic Adventures LVIII: ‘Listless Chorale’“
59. “Open Mic Adventures LIX: ‘Silent Night’“
60. “Open Mic Adventures LX: ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’“
61. “Open Mic Adventures LXI: ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’“
62. “Open Mic Adventures LXII: ‘FRANTIC!!’“
63. “Open Mic Adventures LXIII: ‘Snowfall’“
64. “Open Mic Adventures LXIV: ‘Uninspired Étude in E major’“
65. “Open Mic Adventures LXV: ‘Scribblings I: Post-Christmas Concert Scribbling’“
66. “Open Mic Adventures LXVI: ‘Ode Napoléon’“
67. “Open Mic Adventures LXVII: ‘Cook’s Brief Bourrée in E minor’“
68. “Open Mic Adventures LXVIII: ‘Triumphant Processional’“
69. “Open Mic Adventures LXIX: ‘Moody Noodling’“
70. “Open Mic Adventures LXX: ‘Epistemology’“
71. “Open Mic Adventures LXXI: ‘Three Chorales in Diminishing Length’“
72. “Open Mic Adventures LXXII: ‘Blue Mage’“
73. “Open Mic Adventures LXXIII: ‘Red Mage’“
74. “Open Mic Adventures LXXIV: ‘White Mage’“
75. “Open Mic Adventures LXXV: ‘Black Mage’“
76. “Open Mic Adventures LXXVI: ‘The Blind Prophet’“
77. “Open Mic Adventures LXXVII: ‘Robobop’“
78. “Open Mic Adventures LXXVIII: ‘Pink Princess’“
79. “Open Mic Adventures LXXIX: ‘Purple Prince’“
80. “Open Mic Adventures LXXX: ‘Yellow Knight’“
81. “Open Mic Adventures LXXXI: ‘Green Knight’“
82. “Open Mic Adventures LXXXII: ‘Brown Friar’“
83. “Open Mic Adventures LXXXIII: ‘Advanced Funkification’“
84. “Open Mic Adventures LXXXIV: ‘Funk Chorale (Hymn to Funk)’“
85. “Open Mic Adventures LXXXV: Steelheart’s ‘I’ll Never Let You Go’“
86. “Open Mic Adventures LXXXVI: ‘1001 Arabian Nights’ Redux“
87. “Open Mic Adventures LXXXVII: ‘Heptadic Structure’“
88. “Open Mic Adventures LXXXVIII: ‘Angularity’“
89. “Open Mic Adventures LXXXIX: ‘White Boy Summer’“
90. “Open Mic Adventures XC: ‘Balladic Processional’“
91. “Open Mic Adventures XCI: ‘Tu Me Manques’“
92. “Open Mic Adventures XCII: ‘Jaunt’“
93. “Open Mic Adventures XCIII: ‘C20r4735 (Chorales)’“
94. “Open Mic Adventures XCIV: ‘Nobles Gases’“
95. “Open Mic Adventures XCV: ‘Akhenaten’“
96. “Open Mic Adventures XCVI: ‘Summer Vibes’“
97. “Open Mic Adventures XCVII: ‘Perambulating’“
98. “Open Mic Adventures XCVIII: ‘Mellow’“
99. “Open Mic Adventures XCIX: ‘Pythagoras’“
100. “Open Mic Adventures C: ‘Dancing in the Graveyard’“
101. “Open Mic Adventures CI: ‘Curious Little Ghosties’“
102. “Open Mic Adventures CII: ‘Boneyard Blues’“
103. “Open Mic Adventures CIII: ‘Rain on Halloween’“
104. “Open Mic Adventures CIV: ‘Heavy Metal Mummy’“
105. “Open Mic Adventures CV: ‘Promenade’“
106. “Open Mic Adventures CVI: ‘“’Hanging Gardens’“
107. “Open Mic Adventures CVII: ‘Roast Beef Sandwich’“
108. “Open Mic Adventures CVIII: ‘Skittlebräu’“
109. “Open Mic Adventures CIX: ‘Funny Phantom’“
110. “Open Mic Adventures CX: ‘Rainy Wednesday Morning Waltz’“
111. “Open Mic Adventures CXI: ‘Blue Field’“
112. “Open Mic Adventures CXII: ‘Green Space’“
113. “Open Mic Adventures CXIII: ‘ Red Blur’“
114. “Open Mic Adventures CXIV: ‘Violet Fantasy’“
115. “Open Mic Adventures CXV: ‘From Greenland’s Icy Mountains’“
116. “Open Mic Adventures CXVI: Intense ‘Walk Like a Man’ (Abridged)“
117. “Open Mic Adventures CXVII: ‘PRISM’“
118. “Open Mic Adventures CXVIII: ‘Procession of the Porcupine Prince’“
119. “Open Mic Adventures CXIX: ‘Obese Kangaroos’“
120. “Open Mic Adventures CXX: ‘Cuttlefish’“
121. “Open Mic Adventures CXXI: ‘March of the Molemen’“
122. “Open Mic Adventures CXXII: ‘Sea Creatures Praise the Lord (Psalm 148:7)’“