Since YCP is all about taking an idea and going beyond it at the moment, I thought it would be nice to start our second new weekly blog series with a piece that has a clear sense of development.

One of Michael Torke’s most famous pieces, Yellow Pages is a great example of how a small amount of material can used to last quite a long time! He uses a lot of methods to develop the motif in this piece, but the most audible can be found in the first minute or so. Listen to how the riff changes – each time one note gets a semitone higher, completely changing the feel of it, until the whole thing is up a semitone and suddenly it’s the same riff again!

Can you spot any other ways he uses the motif throughout the piece?

Send us an email or tweet us if you find any!