Palms Upward is a piece inspired by my experience with meditation. I had the idea for the piece while meditating outdoors, with my eyes open, watching clouds drift by. The piece opens with 2 overlapping guitars. As one fades out, the other fades in. I was trying to capture the feeling of watching the clouds come into my field of vision, and then slowly move on. When the clarinet comes in with the simple 3 note motif, it’s like a little thought entering the mind and taking the focus away from the present moment. As the strings join, it’s as if the little thought is becoming bigger. The piece is more or less a long crescendo, ending with a “bell”, played by guitar harmonics.