The idea for the Mud Meditation was born out of creative impulse. During my studies in classical percussion, I always longed to be more a part of the creative process - interpretation alone didn't satisfy my creative craving. I ventured years ago into the territory of composition, but I have long desired to create my own instruments, in the effort to have a hand in the construction of a total sound world. As a percussionist, I have always loved searching for new sounds and unique instruments, so being capable of making my own was a natural outgrowth of this. Two years ago, I started taking a ceramic class at the Fairmount Center for the Arts, creating clay percussion instruments. The compositions below are the first musical experiments with the ceramic instruments I have made: a clay keyboard, clay tongue drum, and an udu, accompanied by booming bass drums, oozing bowed marimba, and voice.