Maps Without Grids is in a lot of ways, one of my best pieces. It uses the “golden section” ratio in myriad ways, including in tempi relations. The sharp-eared will notice that there is hardly any material at all in the piece—I think of it as my own “Bolero.” The melodic material is derived from a tone-row that I snitched from one of my composer heros, Luciano Berio. I don’t think he ever noticed. I composed it in the summer of 1992, using a Tascam 4-track, a DX-7 and I sequenced the material using the Finale notation program. More technologically savvy composers than I have helpfully pointed out that there are much better ways to accomplish what I was doing. Big deal. I make no apologies for my ineptitude. No apologies are made either for the now-unfashionable FM sounds or the dorky mix—I still like it. It’s dedicated to my teacher and friend, Timothy M. Sullivan.