Self-Seed (2021) for clarinet duo

Self-Seed, composed and performed by Rachel Yoder, is a clarinet duo in which the two parts represent two different “selves.” It can be performed as: (1) a duo for one clarinetist with multitrack video, (2) a duo for one clarinetist playing live with a prerecorded audio track, or (3) as a live duo played by two clarinetists. Self-Seed has text instructions and written-out sections as well as some improvisational freedom.
During the challenges of the pandemic I found comfort both through gardening and in the writings of the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. He describes positive and negative emotions/thoughts as seeds that we can cultivate or not at our own choosing. This idea brought to my mind plants that can self-seed, constantly dying and regrowing. Self-Seed is an interaction between the "worst self" -- detuned, angry, and anxious -- and "best self," a source of love and light. The “best self” attempts to calm and comfort the “worst self,” allowing the fruits of negativity to wither and die back, so love can flourish.