I grew up one mile away from the Picardy stone and as a child used to enjoy walking with my dogs or cycling to it. It is near the edge of my neighbours field and I am always interested to see the different agricultural activities that go on around it according to the seasons eg: ploughing, sowing the crops or lambing. The Stone lies in a direct line towards the hillfort on Dunnydeer hill, and Recumbent stones on the slopes. It’s one of the only Pictish carved stones standing in its original spot. Initially I was inspired by Steve Garrett’s entry of the sounds of glacial ice to the Interactive Map. During the intro and outro segments I’ve used the first 3 chords to create suspense as to whether the piece will be in a major or minor setting. Once the tonality is established the piece moves into the second segment. This depicts the route taken to the stone through the grand beech tree avenue and along the stone dyke-lined farm tracks.The first part (which is the last theme you hear) portrays the arrival in the grandeur of the stone. The energy, history and connections to the past can be felt. It closes with the same outro as the intro, as the piece has come full circle, illustrating the constancy of the stone in time. The great thing about this process is that listing is just as much a part of the creative process as composing, and so everything is open to interpretation. Instruments used: Fiddles, Acoustic Guitar, Foot Tapping, Diatonic Harmonica, Diddling, Synthesizer.
Arthur Coates