Blackout Metal Mixtape for Concert Band by Anthony Joseph Lanman

Performed by the Indiana University Concert Band under the baton of Dr. Eric Smedley

I’ve often been told, “When writing for band, you can’t think like a guitarist”. This was always a bit difficult for me, as I’m, well, a guitarist. I struggled with finding the “right” way to think about band for years, and that always kept me at somewhat of a distance from the band world. I felt like an outsider, which in many ways, I am. You see, guitar is a very attack-based instrument. When played, there’s a strong initial attack on the strings, followed by a rapid decay of the note. And while wind and brass can certainly make strong attacks, they can also perform the opposite – near silent initial attacks with long, sustained tones. I struggled with this idea of, “…you can’t think like a guitarist”, until I decided to just embrace my “attack-y” way of thinking, and make it work for band. This piece wholly embraces my guitar way of thinking, and incorporates many influences from guitar based music – most notably, heavy metal. It is my hope that you can think like a guitarist and make it work for this amazing ensemble.