I sat down last night determined, not to write Prelude (no fugue) No. 6, but to futz around on the keyboard until I had some valid ideas. Further, I decided not to do it on the computer screen, i.e., in Finale, but to use my Moleskine music sketchbook for the purpose for which I bought it.

So for two hours I tinkled and banged and tried to explore. I wrote down three motifs. I came up with nothing.

It occurred to me this morning that if I rely on what I can do with piano and paper, then all I’m going to get is John W. Schaum’s Purple Book at best, because that’s the level of my pianistic ability. So tonight I will return to the method that produced the other Preludes, which is actually a version of drawing the music on the computer screen.