01
Describe the gesture before adding more material
Write one sentence naming the sound and its role: a bell-like tone returns with space between each appearance. Add a few descriptive details, such as a rounded attack or a lingering tail, as intentions to explore rather than measured properties. Note what makes the gesture recognisable when it returns. This gives the composer a centre for the piece without prescribing every production choice. Keep a separate line for unresolved decisions, including the source of the sound and whether it will be newly recorded, synthesised or drawn from material with suitable rights.
02
Choose one dimension of change for the middle
Draw three boxes labelled arrival, development and departure. In the development box, describe one change: the spaces between appearances gradually shorten, while the basic tone remains recognisable. Another version could change the texture while preserving the spacing, but keep those versions separate so their intentions are understandable. The boxes are a narrative outline rather than a waveform or timing measurement. After making a sketch, listen and record where the intended change is unclear. Revise the description or the composition from that actual observation, without inventing audience feedback.
03
Make the ending a decision and keep the notes
Choose whether the gesture stops, fades or returns once after a longer silence. Explain what that choice contributes to this particular piece instead of treating it as a universal rule. Add a title, version date and a short note about what to compare on the next listen. Preserve an earlier version if a later revision changes the central idea. The completed sheet should contain the gesture sentence, three development boxes, the ending decision and open questions. It can travel with a rough recording so collaborators understand the intention and can respond to specific moments.