When you’re gambling at a casino, you may win a few bucks here and there and leave with more dollars than you brought with you. It may be as little as $20, or as much as $1,000. When cashing out you were never presented you with a form to declare your winnings to the IRS. If you think you’re home free, think again. As a U.S. citizen, you owe Uncle Sam a piece of the action regardless of the amount. Many players think that just because they were not given a tax form there’re home free. Not so.

So, what does get reported to the IRS? Larger amounts that are won at gambling establishments such as casinos, lottery retailers, horse race tracks and off-track betting parlors. They will issue a form W-2G, one copy to you and one to the IRS. Here are some details:

Machine Games

$1,200 or more won at a slot machine, video poker, video keno, video blackjack, etc. This only applies to a single jackpot payout amount. Accumulated credits are credit meter wins and do not count.

$1,200 or more won at a live bingo game will also trigger a W-2G, and $1,500 or more at a live keno game (minus your wager amounts).

The casino will not withhold any gambling taxes from awards in the $1,200 to $1,500 range provided you present a valid photo ID and social security number. If you do not provide this information, 28% will be withheld.

Live Table Games

Winnings from live table games are not reportable on a W-2G, except if there is a very large prize amount offered for a small wager, such as a dollar bet for a shot at a progressive table jackpot, where the winning odds are over 300/1 and the win is more than $600. For example, Caribbean Stud offers a huge progressive jackpot for wagering only $1, if you’re lucky enough to hit a Royal Flush.

If you win $600 or more in any other wagering game, such as horse, dog racing or sports betting, and the amount is at least 300 times your bet minus your wager amount, the establishment will gift you with a W-2G. If your winnings exceed $5,000 and the amount is more than 300 times your bet, 25% will be withheld. The same withholding percentage also applies to any cash prize of $5,000 or more in poker or other card tournaments minus the buy-in amount.

Winnings on state lottery games such as lotto, numbers, scratch-offs, etc. can be collected at your local retailer up to $600. Any more and you’ll have to visit the main lottery office in your community, where a W-2G also awaits you. This information is from the New York lottery. Other states may have different rules.

Winnings on Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) contests at this time are considered games of skill. DFS sites will issue a 1099-MISC, not a W-2G for winnings of $600 or more.

Video Lottery Terminals (VLT)

$600 or more in winnings from any class II ​Video Lottery Terminal game will also invite a W-2G. This includes any winnings on machines at jurisdictions that are operated by a state lottery. For example, New York State has nine race tracks with VLT’s that are pseudo slot and video poker machines.

Deductions

The good news in all of this is that gambling losses are tax deductible but only up to the amount of your winnings, and only if you itemize deductions on your tax return.

The IRS wants to make sure that you indeed lost what you claim you lost, so a record of all your losses is required. Win- loss statements are available from most major casinos at the end of the year, provided you used your player’s club card when playing machines. Save those losing scratch-off tickets, Lotto, Powerball, and Mega-Millions tickets, daily numbers, Quick Draw, OTB, etc.

For losses on Daily Fantasy Sports contests, the IRS position at this time is unclear. Because of the skill factor, your winnings are in the hobby category. Therefore, any losses would not be deductible, although this situation could change at any time.

You don’t have to record the tickets on your tax statement, but they may be necessary if you are audited. All the IRS wants to know is the type of wager, the amount of the bet and the date of the transaction.

Always play it safe and check with your tax preparer for your personal needs.

Confusion can reign in the kitchen when you’re never quite sure where that old cutting knife your Aunty Nora gave you ten years ago is. Either that or the knives you can find are loosening their grip on reality, health and safety thereby risking a disaster in the making. Knives are a vital tool any serious cook should have in his or her cooking utensil kit. Without a good quality set of knives you risk injury to yourself as well as a lower standard of food and even hygiene when it comes to creating a perfect dish for friends, family or business associates.

So what should one think about before buying new kitchen knives? The first point to consider is how many knives you want and for what types of food you want the knife to be used in conjunction with. A single chef’s knife is relatively wide ranging in scope and can cut through most meats and vegetables. However, this knife will not be so effective when it comes to breads, cakes, fruits and the various amount of cutting styles related to peeling, shaving, mincing and dicing.

If you are someone who likes to prepare and cook food on a regular basis for family and guests, then the safest and most cost effective choice is to buy a set of knives, each designed with a different style of cutting in mind. Chicago Cutlery for example produce a varied array of sets including the Fusion 18-piece kitchen knife set with maple block which has received rave reviews from previous buyers. A set like this includes the mandatory chef’s knife as well as a peeler, bread knife, slicer, parer, steak knife and, amongst other things, an extremely helpful and beneficial sharpening tool to keep your knives sharp.

Made from high-carbon stainless steel, these food preparation utensils are some of the sharpest and best made knives on the market and Chicago Cutlery reviews have certainly pointed to the benefits of these qualities. The sets also come with an attractive wooden block which when positioned in a kitchen interior adds aesthetic charm and decorative elegance to the setting. No need to hide your ugly old knives away in a draw any more, for the handles on these knives are a quality asset in themselves which have been specially made for added comfort and grip.

Fashion jewelry, also known as costume or novelty jewelry describes a category of jewelry featuring earrings, necklaces, watches and bracelets, targets what’s hot today and is more for novelty and fun than long-lasting market value. Fashion jewelry is often metal or even non-metal plated as opposed to solid gold or solid silver or gold or silver plated; and, may or may not be decorated with non-precious and/or semi precious stones. For added sparkle or bling, crystals and other cultured gemstones may be used in place of precious and semi-precious gemstones.

Trends in fashion jewelry are inspired by runway fashions and are set by what is hot in the world of high fashion. Without giving up style, fashion jewelry is often less costly than designer jewelry.

Designer jewelry, also known as fine or precious jewelry describes a category of jewelry featuring rings, watches, earrings, bracelets and necklaces and is often associated with a nationally or internationally known company, brand or logo. Pieces are generally made of better metals such as solid silver and solid gold; and/or, silver plating or gold plating. Designer jewelry may retain its value long after the style and popularity have passed. Designer jewelry often features precious and or semi precious gemstones such as diamonds, sapphires, rubies, garnets, pearls, and emeralds.

Trends in designer jewelry can be seen on the runways of Paris, Milan, Rome and New York but are set for all fashion lovers to follow by hip celebrities, movie stars and rich elite members of high society.

When selecting the right piece of jewelry it is important to determine a few factors before making a selection. First off, is the person receiving the jewelry allergic to any metals or non-metals? This is often most obvious when discoloration appears on skin after wearing a specific piece of jewelry. This may determine the type of metal or plating and will often lead to designer jewelry, as gold and silver may be less likely to cause irritation. The second consideration is setting a budget. While designer jewelry can be more costly than fashion jewelry, designer jewelry has the potential retain value in the future. The final consideration in this article is in regards to personal taste. When purchasing jewelry, fashion or designer, it is most important to consider the person wearing the piece of jewelry selected. For gifting purposes, no one likes to return a gift, especially one as personal as jewelry. For a successful purchase, try to visualize other pieces you have seen your loved one wear and try to find a piece that will complement a collection. If there is no collection, jewelry may not be the best choice.

Organized motorcycle clubs are recognized by their “colors” (custom motorcycle patches worn on their vests), in some areas these are also called “cuts.” While many motorcycle patch varieties exist, they can be categorized into three basic groups.

The one-piece patch, a single custom patch comprised of an emblem, traditionally worn on the back of a vest, that usually designates the member of a family club or riding club–not a traditional “MC.”

A two-piece patch that usually signifies a club in some sort of transition. It can mean that the members are awaiting approval from the area’s dominant club to become a sanctioned “MC” and earn the right to wear a three-piece patch.

A three-piece rocker style patch is worn to signify a true “MC.” Traditionally, this patch is earned by members in three parts. While practices vary from club to club, the most common practice is for a “prospect,” who has been sponsored by an existing member, to first wear the bottom rocker indicating where the club is from. Next, the prospect will earn the top rocker bearing the club’s name and finally the full emblem in the center of the jacket’s back. A three-piece patch is a public sign of commitment to a particular MC’s protocols and lifestyle, and therefore, MC’s take them very seriously!

If casual riders are planning on starting a motorcycle club, here are a few important considerations they should keep in mind. Riders thinking of starting a new club should check around their local area to see if an existing club is a good fit for them before starting another club. There are now hundreds of clubs across the country devoted to military veterans, firefighters, police, American Legion members, and many more. Most casual riding groups refer to themselves as riding clubs or “RC,” to avoid being mistakenly recognized as an outlaw club. A one-piece custom back patch can be fun to design and shouldn’t invite any negative attention from law enforcement or outlaw clubs in the area, as long as the design and colors aren’t a rip off of an existing club. However, if members of a new club have committed to a certain lifestyle known as “1%-ers” and are firm on wearing a three-piece patch, they should ask around their local area (motorcycle shops, biker bars etc.) or attend a Motorcycle Rights Association meeting to determine how to obtain permission to become a sanctioned club from the local dominant club. The local dominant club will, in most places, be a “1%” club, meaning they are an “outlaw” club not chartered by the American Motorcycle Association. Dominant MC’s have learned that bad publicity from one club can have negative effects on all clubs in an area, that is why they take it upon themselves to sanction the forming of new three-piece patch wearing MC’s.

Even after obtaining permission from the local dominant club, new MC’s should be aware that wearing a three-piece patch with the “MC” badge may bring their club unwanted attention from law-enforcement who treat many MC’s as gangs.

Once the one-piece or three-piece custom patch has been designed and voted on by members of the new club. The club should hire an experienced custom patch supplier, like Stadri Emblems to digitize and make the club’s custom patches. Using a trusted company ensures the new club patch does not fall into the wrong hands and the club’s design will never be sold to non-members or worn without a member’s permission. A club’s custom patches say much more about them than their name and where they are from. A new club should be informed and choose the style of patch that is right for them.

In the wheel industry there are two main types of wheels: 3 piece forged and cast. There are many advantages to each type as well as disadvantages. The main difference between the two is the manufacturing processes used to create them. The forging process helps to create a light, strong, and durable wheel, while the casting process is less expensive and quicker to produce.

In the forging process, 3 piece wheels begin as high-quality T6-6061 aluminum alloy billets. The billets are then subjected to intense pressure to form the shape of a wheel. Due to the great amounts of pressure, tiny imperfections, holes, and cracks that can form during manufacturing are eliminated, creating a dense grain structure. The process of manufacturing a forged wheel also uses less metal to achieve a desired strength, thus reducing weight, which can improve overall vehicle performance.

A forged 3 piece wheel also uses a number of different parts. The wheel is made up of a face (center), outer barrel (outer hoop), and inner barrel (inner hoop). Both the inner and outer barrens are sealed together and then fasted with the face by a number of bolts. This construction allows for manufacturers to provide different wheel widths and offsets.

Cast wheels use a different manufacturing process than forged wheels. There are two types of casting: gravity and negative pressure. In gravity casting, molten alloy is poured into a mold in the shape of a wheel where it then cools. With negative pressure casting a vacuum sucks the molten material into a mold, reducing the number of air pockets in the wheel. Both casting processes are both less expensive and quicker than forging.

However, cast wheels are not without their faults. Tiny imperfections can still remain in the wheel after it cools which can lead to cracking, quality, and reliability issues. The process also requires more material be used to achieve a given strength, therefore cast wheels are usually heavier than forged 3 piece wheels.

Forged 3 piece wheels offer owners up to a 35 percent reduction in weight over similar cast wheels due to their construction. While forged wheels may be more expensive than cast, the high-strength and quality properties ensure that a forged 3 piece wheel will be more reliable and durable.

Infants abandoned in dumpsters, back alleys, public restrooms, or parks make heartbreaking headlines whenever they are found. Only the decency of the homeless veterans, who so often find these children while looking for food scraps, saves the lives of the babies. Sadly, it is sometimes too late for the child, even though paramedics or police respond within minutes.

Please don’t throw away your baby!! If you can’t take care of your newborn and have nowhere to turn in Los Angeles, for example, take the infant to any L.A. County Hospital Emergency Room or Fire Station, and hand the baby to an employee. This will grant anonymity under the Safely Surrendered Baby Law. Don’t just leave him or her on the doorstep or in a waiting room. That would constitute abandonment and is illegal.

California’s Safely Surrendered Baby Law allows birth parents to give up their baby confidentially within three days of birth, without fear of arrest or prosecution, as long as the baby has not been abused or neglected. Medical personnel will only ask for optional health history information, in order to help the child. They will give you a bracelet that matches one placed on the baby, in case you change your mind within 14 days and want your baby back. You can go to http://www.babysafela.org for more information in Los Angeles County, or call toll free 1-877-222-9723 (1-877-BABY SAFE).

Texas was the first state to pass a “Baby Moses” law in 1999, although records show no babies were surrendered until the following year. Some 35 other states now have similar laws, although the time limits vary widely. Upon last checking, Texas allows 60 days from birth for the baby to be safely surrendered. There is some controversy over the laws, with opponents believing they actually encourage mothers to give up their babies. Nevertheless, the lives of more than 300 babies have been saved. That’s 300 precious souls able to grow up in adoptive homes, where they can be cared for and loved.

Be sure to pass along this information to anyone else you know, who may be panic-stricken because she’s just given birth, or check the Internet for the laws in another state.

© 2006 Shirley Ann Parker

Wonder what more to add to your jewelry collection in your jewelry box? If you are looking for something exclusive, antique jewelry can be the perfect answer. Classic and charming, antique jewelry can add that perfect touch to your couture. Flaunting such a timeless piece of jewelry would surely be a signature style statement.

Any jewelry crafted in the time period before the 1900s is usually termed as antique. The more old the piece, the more expensive it becomes. The price of a piece of antique jewelry also depends on the intricacies of the craftsmanship, the condition of the jewels used and the number of repairs done to the piece.

It is easy to locate a store for ordinary jewelry. However, you would not find exclusive antique jewelry in any store. You need to know where to look for if you are shopping for such pieces. Boutiques and antique dealers are known to buy and sell antique gold and silver jewelry pieces. You can buy them at auctions as well.

Online stores also offer connoisseurs the option of choosing and buying pieces of antique jewelry according to their wish. It is a good idea to choose a reliable store for buying a piece of antique jewelry. Go for the popular ones that have been working in this field for many years and are well-known among customers.

It is difficult for a buyer to judge the authenticity of a particular piece of antique jewellery. So it is best to opt for a store which is well-renowned in this particular field. This ensures that the piece you are buying is a real one and not a replica. However, it is advisable that you look for certain things before you buy any such piece.

Look for the seam of any piece of antique jewelry. The presence of a seam indicates repairs done to the piece. It is best not to choose any jewelry with multiple seams. The puns and clips of the item are also sure tell-tale signs of their age. It is the back portion of the piece of jewelry that reveals its original condition.

Be it a gold necklace set with guineas or chandelier earrings studded with rubies, or even a gold ring, classic jewelry have an appeal of their own. Wearing a single piece of antique jewelry can make you the cynosure of all eyes at any party. Owning such a collector’s item adds to your aura of style and elegance.

Often antique jewellery pieces are passed down from one generation to the next as family heirlooms. It’s a huge misconception if you think that any such piece of vintage jewelry is only suitable for the aged to wear. An antique piece of jewelry can enhance the charm and appeal of anyone, young or old.

Owning a piece of antique jewelry can sure make you the talk of the town. However, you need to possess a certain amount of poise, dignity and grace if you wish to flaunt it properly. Antique jewelry is also pretty expensive. However, shelling out a heavy amount becomes worthy when you feel the ethereal appeal of the amazing adornment!

The Klavierstücke N.9 by Karlheinz Stockhausen, with its “characteristic repeated chords, obsessive trills and peculiar ending, is a highly characteristic and unmistakably idiomatic piece. Composed between 1955-1961, the piece exemplifies the composers intensive researches specially in the field of musical time.

The article “How time passes” by the composer published few years before this piece was unique and probably the first in 1957 to investigate the perception of musical time and to suggest new techniques for handling the musical time. “The temporal organization of musical elements” has never been studied, at least never so thoroughly. Musical rhythm was never processed in such a way.

The piece makes extensive use of the Fibonacci series in which each element is the sum of the two immediately preceding it. Those numbers are specially used in tempo and time (rhythm) relations. It also clearly sets in use a fundamental rhythmical concept probably best defined by Pierre Boulez: “temps strié – temps lisse“.

“Temps strié“: can be only incompletely translated as “pulsated time”. The original meaning of the term is wider than that, it includes but is not limited to pulsation. More adequately it means any rhythmical construct which can be measured, compared, referenced through a clearly defined basic unit or pulse. This is similar to a drawing on a quadrillated paper, while “Temps Lisse” is literally “smooth(ed) time”, when there is no clear reference beat or pulse.

Those opposing concepts are clearly exposed in the beginning of the piece; the starting bars (1-3) with the equally spaced “pulsated” chords followed by the “smoothed” chromatic line motif at bar 4.

Regarding pitch organization, this piece clearly demarks with serial techniques specially by making abundant use of repeated identical chords, creating pitch reference axis by prolongation. This feature may even be called to be the “motto” of the piece.

This paper will however concentrate on the ending part, the coda of the piece. Specifically starting from the third bar of the page 6 of the score.

The Pitch Space Organization of the Opening Measures

“The” Chord:

To grasp the material, pitch-sets and “themes”, for analyzing the Coda, one should have first some information on the main constituting elements of the piece. Those are clearly set in the opening bars.

The piece starts by a large diminuendo on a 140 times repeated chord, 139 eights and one dotted quarter, from ff followed by f to pppp at 160MM for a eight note.

As it will be seen soon, the time pulse of 160MM and therefore the accuracy in performance of that precise tempo indication is of a crucial importance for the structural integrity of the piece. The ratio 160BPM/120BPM (or 160BPM/60BPM), which is 2/3, will be used extensively throughout the piece.

To count the number of repeated chords in this analysis there was a decision to take in the first bar. Shall one count 140, which is the correct number of chords: 139 time eight notes and one dotted quarter note or shall we take the number 142 from the time signature (142/8) as a “fake” (virtual) number of chords? I think there is a subtle notational effect in here. The diminuendo is so long and goes so far pppp that I believe the last dotted-quarter chord is supposed to “sound” as if there were still three (more) eight-note chords yet imperceptible ones.

In actual performance, if played well, the effect is (or should be) as if there are still three more repeated chords at the end of the bar, but so softly played that they are almost unheard.

All repeated chords all through the piece always appear as a succession of equal rhythm values and never with a “stop” as notated in the first bar.

The importance of this point is that if we assume there is actually 3 very-very soft (suggested but not actually played, “unheard”) chords in the space of the last dotted-quarter, we get 142 for the number of attacks for the first bar and we shall base our numerical relationships analysis on that first number. That is the option I will take for the present paper.

However the stop with a dotted-quarter note seems structural if we consider the connection to what may be called the “secondtheme” (bar 3).

The “thematic chord” of the piece is a well-known and widely used aggregate. The PC-Set Prime Form: (0,1,6,7), Forte Code: 4-9 with Interval Vector: [200022].

One cannot miss the connection of this PC-Set with the beginning of Alban Berg’s op.1 Piano Sonata, literally the same notes.

In the second bar we have 87 chords with the same dynamic span. The time-length relationship between those two bars are 142/87 = 1.63218… A number very close to the golden ratio (1.618..)

The “Second Theme”

The third bar presents a very interesting setting of a straight chromatic scale. From the point of view of pitch-space organization, there are here many points to note.

The line is a straight chromatic one with “stops” at pitches D, F, A, A and B. Those are PC-Classes: 2,6,9,10,11. The gaps between them are filled with grace notes.

Those lasting “main” notes form the PC-Set (0,2,3,4,5,8), Forte Code: 6-Z39, interval vector: [333321].

This set, (023458), has no common tone with the set of the previous chord (0167), and their interval vectors [200022] and [333321], even though they have common values, present very different characteristics.

Specially on IC’s 2-3-4 “the chord theme”s interval set has all 0’s and while the “second chromatic theme”s set has all 3’s.

In this beginning the composer presents us with two completely contrasting ideas. From the point of view of pitch organization, the first idea of a repeated chord affirms a strong reference sonority and prolongation with PC-Set (0,1,6,7) while the second “theme” (or idea) creates a “smooth”, unmeasured-like sound-space by delicately underlining PC-Set (0,2,3,4,5,8) from within a chromatic scale.

Time Organization in the Opening Measures

In the presentation of the two main musical ideas, at the beginning of the piece, the contrast in time organization is even more accentuated than the pitch differences.

With 1 for an eight-note, the durations of the second theme notes form a series: [3-8-5-13-5-8] if we omit the first “3” we have a perfectly symmetrical Fibonacci series: 8 (+) 5 (=) 13 (-) 5 (=) 8.

On one hand the omission of the dotted-quarter note in the beginning of the third bar as shown above, may suggest that this note (chord), which is identical to the opening one, is a part of the preceding bar, thus it makes a connection with the last chord of the first bar, on the other hand the duration (3) of that chord also fits in the Fibonacci series above.

Duration and tempo relations for the first 3 bars of the composition can be summarized as follows: In the “Duration in 8th.” column the symmetries: 139 – 3 / 87 – 3 and 8 – 5 – 13 – 5 – 8 are clearly visible. Furthermore if as explained in section: we count 142 attacks for the first bar and compare this to the length of the second bar; 142 by 87 we get the ratio: 1.632183908045… an irrational number interestingly close to the Golden Ratio

This first part of the composition is now continued by an interesting series of the same chord and silences: The row created by the repetitions of the chord and the silences in between is worth noting: [13-2-21-8-1-3-8-1-5-13-2-5-3]. This is actually a shuffled Fibonacci series: [1-2-3-5-8-13-21].

With these constituting elements we can now get to the point of this paper which is the Coda of the piece.

Overview of the Ending Section

From the notation we see three kind of notes in this section:

1. Note-type A: Normal-size notes within grace-note groups
2. Note-type B: Grace-notes groups
3. Note-type C: Notes gradually added into pedal resonance, creating an aggregate (chord), in the low range of the instrument. This can be thought like a pedal chord [E-B-A] which is to be sustained until the end of the piece. This aggregate, the PC-Set Prime Form: (0,1,6), Forte Code: 3-5 with interval vector: [100011] is a subset of the first chord.

The perceptibility of this last “chord” is created by the dynamics mf ff and f the range contrast (low to extreme low compared with the other notes in the section) and the resounding effect of the sustain pedal in that range.

Pitches as Groups of Grace-Notes

In this section the ending of the piece is examined bar by bar. The division in bars in this section of the piece is structurally significative because it presents groups of grace-notes with varying time-intervals (silences) between them.

The speed of the groups of notes and the evolution of the “waiting” times between each group is the subject of the next section.

Bar 1 of the Coda (measure 3, page 6 The first group of notes-bar starting the Coda section shows a clear analogy to the second “theme” of the piece.

The analogy is obvious when comparing the PC-Set of this bar (all notes taken as equal in weight) which is: (0-1-2-4-5-8), Forte-Code 6-15, interval vector: [323421] with the “long” lasting “main” notes of the “second theme”: the PC-Set 0,2,3,4,5,8, Forte Code: 6-Z39, Interval Vector: [333321].

Bar 2 of the Coda (measure 4, page 6 The second group, set in a bar of 5/8 duration forms the PC-Set: (0-1-2-4-8), Forte-Code 5-13, interval vector: [221311], this is a subset of the previous bar.

Bar 3 of the Coda (measure 5, page 6 This third bar is one of the longest of the section: 21/8, note that the notes are to played as fast as possible but gradually slowing down, and one must wait for the remaining time of the bar throughout the section.

The second group of notes is the full-size notes, to be played mf,f of ff:

Considering the grace-notes only, pitch-classes C and F are most repeated ones, three times each. There are closely followed by C, D and B. Those PC-Classes form the set: Prime Form (0,1,2,3,7), Forte Code 5-5, Interval Vector: [321121].

This set is related to the one of the first repeated chord: (0,1,6,7) and have related ones in many structurally characteristic places throughout the piece.

However, the “weighted” pitch-classes stated above, C-F-C-D-B are most clearly heard just before this Coda section in two different ways.

First it is stated as a chord, then slightly modified, as PC-Set (0,1,2,6,7) Forte Code 5-7, interval Vector: [310132].

Bar 4 of the Coda (measure 6, page 6) This bar is one of 13/8 length which is the previous step from the last in the Fibonacci series used: 1-2-3-5-8-13-21.

In analyzing first the most weighted notes C,D,G, notated as full-size note-heads one can not miss the analogy with the initial chord of the piece C,F,G,C. The sets for the first chord of the piece and this passage being respectively (0,1,6,7) and (0,2,6) present analogy even though their interval vectors are somehow different: [200022] [010101].

The pitches notated as grace-notes display interesting analogies with previously heard elements too.

All pitches form the PC-Set (0,1,2,3,4,5,7,8,10) with Forte Code: 9-7 and the interval Vector: [677673]. But the way those pitches are segmented is very interesting from the point of view of the structural integrity of the piece.

All the notes of this bar can be segmented in several ways with or without the full-size notes of the left hand and the resulting sets can be examined and compared to the first chord of the piece.

Pitches in the remaining bars of the “Coda“

The remaining bars of the “Coda”, from the point of view of pitch organization can be similarly analyzed. One crucial point in here should be the separation of the grace-notes sized notes with the full-sized ones.

Those “parts”(grace-notes and full-size notes) can (and probably should) be examined both as different “voices” for the PC-Sets emerging by connecting even distant full-size note-heads but also as a kind of “PC-Set Polyphony” to display how two different sets are sounding simultaneously because they are clearly set apart by dynamics and texture.

For example connecting notes notated at the same or close dynamic levels (i.e. f and ff reveals structural points worth noting.

The sets are all centered around PC6 thus emphasizing the tritone and building around with minor-major seconds. This creates a continuity by referring to the sound of the first chord which has been set through repetition and prolongation and a central reference sonority in the piece.

Time Organization in the Coda

The instructions for performing this “Coda” are very peculiar: the “small” notes are to be played as fast as possible but one must wait for the remaining time of the bar before proceeding to the next but at the same time towards the end the speed of those “small” notes must decrease, they must go slower and slower yet the tempo of the beat duration which affects the elapsing time of each bar should not change.

This view can be sectioned as sub-groups in several ways. There are some centers of symmetries around some values.

Conclusion

This is a real masterpiece of the XXth. century, creating new idioms for the piano, it creates amazing sound effects while having an incredible structural integrity which reveals itself in analysis layer by layer.

Op-ed articles, also known as opinion/editorial articles, are a great way for aspiring writers to publicize their work and, in exchange, receive an amazing amount of publicity for free. You can write an op-ed piece and get it publicized provided you follow these simple rules.

Before you begin to write, you need to target which newspaper you would like your article to appear in. You stand a greater chance of getting into your local paper than in a national publication like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, or USA Today. Still, if one of the national publications appeals to you, then give it a try.

1. Follow the rules. Every newspaper has guidelines on what their specific requirements are. Familiarize yourself with these guidelines and stringently hold yourself to their requirements. Failure to do so will mean you will be rejected.

2. Write with precision. Newspapers do not like verbose writers, unless it is for a feature piece and it is for a high end publication, such as The Washington Post. Short, crisp, and to-the-point sentences are the order of the day.

3. Write with persuasion. Whatever your point of view, write persuasively. Do not muddy the waters by giving vague answers. If you are discussing a problem, count on offering the solution. Expect that your article may occupy one half of the op-ed page; the other half may feature a rebuttal or an opposite point of view.

4. Double space. As with any submitted writing, you must double space your text. Expect the editors to work their magic on your piece, including removing entire paragraphs to make everything fit.

5. Submit a cover letter. Yes, you more than likely will have to snail mail your letter, so send it off with a cover letter to the appropriate contact person.

6. Your contact information. Your name, address, city, state, country, zip, contact numbers, and email address are all needed. More than likely none of this will be included in the piece, but they do need a way to get back to you.

7. Resource box. Unlike ezine sites where you can write a lengthy discourse on who you are and have links to your site, it is likely that only a one or two word sentence about “who you are” will be included. So, consider writing your own resource box and hope that they like it. [You can count on it being changed if they do not.] It could be written something like this:

John Doe is a Detroit based freelance writer affiliated with Writer’s Write.

Yes, that may be about all the information they want to share about you with their readers.

More than likely you will know within two weeks time if your piece will get published. Some papers will contact you to let you know if you have been approved/rejected, while others will simply publish your article. Do not hound them as you may want to become a regular contributor.

What is the next step?

1. If you are approved, you can expect letters to the editor — from readers — in response to your piece to begin appearing in subsequent editions of the newspaper. Do not be surprised if letters begin arriving in your home or place of business too. Expect phone calls from people who may want to discuss your point of view further, or invite you to speak in front of their group, etc.

2. If you are rejected, consider modifying and resubmitting your piece or forwarding it to another publication. Accept criticism about your writing style, if offered.

3. Op ed pieces are sometimes picked up by syndicators such as Reuters or Google News; your piece can have a life well beyond the local newspaper. If you hit the national press, you can count on your article having widespread coverage. Do a search on Google a few days after publication and you may discover how wide a net your piece has cast. If that is the case, good for you!

Above all, op-ed article can help shape local or national opinion, so think of the greater good you can do as well as the publicity you just may receive when crafting your article. Although newspaper circulation continues to drop, online versions of these same newspapers continue to grow, thereby giving you exposure far beyond the intended market.