In the last 6 weeks I think I've been able to spend only about 10 hours on The Deep, some of that time spent studying the score for flaws (and let me just say what an overwhelmed state of mind THAT little exercise led to!). Mostly issues of No Time for the Winds/Brass To Breathe.  They need some Rests.

But in the second half of April I went away to Harbin Hot Springs Retreat, to soak in the wonderfully relaxing and rejuvenating warm waters, do lots of meditation, eat great food prepared by their capable chefs, sleep & hike & explore & stretch.  I Rested!  And healed - I had a cranio-sacral session with Jim Gilkeson that opened up my own ability to breathe deeply, plus feel grounded and connected.

So I've been worrying about all the work necessary to create Rests for the winds/brasses in The Deep, but while at Harbin I came up with a strategy: Separate out the winds, instead of having one staff for flutes, one for oboes, etc., have Flute 1 and Flute 2, Oboe 1 and Oboe2, etc.  This makes a mess of trying to see all the staves at once (I have to pull them apart in Sibelius so I can see what I have), but at least once I do that I can move things around easier. 

And it's working!  So is this a coincidence? I'm having trouble breathing, and my composing is not giving winds/brass a chance to breathe either.  Then I get some Rest, and am able to put in Rests so the wind & brass players can breathe, and now the piece is seeming to breathe better, too. And there is more clarity.  I imagine that those little gaps in the sound give the listener a chance to breathe as well, what do you think?

Did I develop this inability to personally breathe deeply by being a string player with endless sound capability with the bow?

Time for a few deep breaths, and some Rest.