Walking Me To Work: Guitar/Lute (Solo)

This solo manages to feel both contemplative and conversational, unfolding naturally across eight pages without ever becoming static. Wallen's gift for sustained melodic invention makes this an ideal showcase for a guitarist ready to navigate sophisticated harmonic language while maintaining lyrical integrity.

The piece carries an intimate, almost observational quality, as if the composer is reflecting on small moments of movement and transition. There's a quietness to it that rewards close listening, with harmonic shifts that feel organic rather than imposed.

Advanced guitarists comfortable with contemporary language and willing to engage with non-traditional harmonic progressions. This works well for recital contexts, competitions, or as a focal point in a program of contemporary solo repertoire.

• Treat the piece as a narrative rather than a sequence of technical challenges; let phrase shape emerge from the text's emotional arc rather than metric regularity alone.
• Pay attention to how Wallen voices chords across the fretboard; unconventional fingerings often serve the timbral palette she's building.
• Balance clarity of individual lines with the harmonic depth that accumulates through the piece's middle section.

Pair this with either earlier 20th-century modernist works or other contemporary solo guitar pieces to build a coherent recital arc. Its reflective character makes it excellent as a program closer or as a bridge between more dramatic works.

• Voice leading across open strings and closed positions
• Harmonic awareness in non-functional progressions
• Sustaining lyrical focus across extended single-line passages
• Interpretive decision-making in contemporary notation