Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

Okay, the bass-guitar solo I was working on that somehow decided it wanted to be in six instead of four also a) has a somewhat "lighter" feel than I'd been aiming for, b) turns out to sound pretty good three octaves higher, and c) fingers reasonably on both recorder and mandolin, so I'm going to think of a new title for that and start over trying to write something with the feel I was initially aiming for. But I'm also going to finish an extended bass-guitar version of the 6/8 tune as well (I'm thinking maybe a "power trio" arrangement with the bass being the lead).

But last night during a failed attempt to sleep, promising ideas came to me for new tunes in 4/4 and 9/8, and a lick in 7/8 from last week popped back into my head. I'm not sure whether they'll wind up related enough to package as a suite, but if they do then I'll have yet another "will I get around to finishing this?" project to work on: a suite of tunes in 1/1, 2/2 or 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/8, 7/8, 8/8 or 8/4 (either a 3-3-2, or a 4-4-3-3-2 that I'd already been toying with), and 9/8. Is it worth trying to write something in 10/4, or is that too much like 5 to be worth it?

The challenge, of course, is that each of the tunes has to stand on its own as worth listening to, not merely demonstrate that boring music can be written in any time signature.

Finally, a question: if I've composed something where the 'A' section repeats and has a "first beginning" and "second beginning", is it easier for folks to read if I write it thus:

| first beginning |: 2nd measure | 3rd measure | 4th measure | 5th measure |

                            +------------------------------   +-----------
                            |1.                               |2.
| 6th measure | 7th measure | 8th measure | second beginning :| 8th measure ||

or like this:

2nd time: | second beg. |
|: first beginning | 2nd measure | 3rd measure | 4th measure | 



| 5th measure | 6th measure | 7th measure | 8th measure :|

assuming the engraving package I'm using can do the "extra staff in smaller print for a measure" trick? (Which I think it can.)