The first movement in my string quartet has its origins in a progressive metal song I was working on for a projected new album by my old rock band Sleepy Hollow.

It is in a modified sonata form. Classical sonata form contrasts two themes in different keys, which I do here. However, I repeated this exposition three times and each time, the meter and diatonicism deteriorate, giving a feeling of further departure from the original music. Since I've already "developed" the theme in this way, the central section is modeled after a heavy metal solo area, with each player getting a lead. The score allows for the musicians to make their own leads, but in this version the Kodak Quartet uses ones I wrote (they did their own version where they wrote solos).