Truth is No Stranger to Friction


[Apologies again for multi/cross posting, but hey, they are my blogs, so why not…]

This week I was busy working on a new drum set duet. As with most compositions, this one started out with a basic rhythmic idea that I would elaborate on. I was listening to a classical music radio station and one of the tracks played caught my attention. I listened for a bit, jotted down 2 basic rhythms on a piece of paper, then shoved the paper in my pocket for later reference. A few days later, I looked at the paper and started playing around with the rhythmic idea. Example #1 shows the basic rhythmic motif: drum set #1 plays a repeating 3-beat pattern on the snare drum, while drum set #2 plays a repeating 4-beat pattern on the high tom:


click on example to enlarge

The ideas here are:

  1. Layered rhythms that are separate, but exist in the same musical space.
  2. Staggered rhythms (in the example we can see that for every 4 times the pattern in 3 is played, the pattern in 4 is played 3 times, then the 4-bar pattern starts over).
  3. A sense of friction as the 2 rhythms move against each other.
  4. A sense of sameness, leading to the mind to go into a trance, or hypnotic type state, as the 4-bar pattern is repeated throughout the whole composition.


I like friction between rhythms. I like the way 2 different rhythms can move past each other creating a 3rd, larger meta-rhythm. I'm fascinated by how different rhythms interact with each other, and how we perceive those interactions (and also how we physically feel those interactions).

The next idea, in example #2, is to move notes to other drums, but making sure they are random instead of having any discernible pattern:



In many ways I'm treating these as 2 separate drum parts that just happen to be in the same composition. This random movement of the drums hopefully produces more friction, and even more of a sense of randomness.


Finally, in example #3, 2 new ideas are added to the rhythmic layers:



  1. Drum set #1 adds a bass drum playing once every 7 notes played by the hands.
  2. Drum set #2 adds a bass drum playing once every 5 notes played by the hands.
The idea here is to introduce a 3rd & 4th rhythmic layer where both follow a strict pattern, yet because of the rhythmic structure, they appear more random and create more friction between the different rhythmic layers.

So this is one way I think, working with patterns and finding interesting ways to weave different patterns together.

~ MB

Musical examples from Drum Set Duet #13, © 2012 and reprinted with kind permission of Intuitive Arts Media.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tam Tam vs Gong

Image
I can't tell you how many times this argument of "A tam tam is not a Gong" comes up. It came my way no less than 3 different times this week. Actually, 'tam tam' (also tam-tam) was 1st used in symphonic music back in the 1800s to differentiate a flat faced Gong from a Gong with a raised center 'boss.' (There is no definitive answer as to where the term tam tam originated - some say it's Chinese, some say it's Hindi, still others say it's something else…) To add to the confusion, 'tam-tam' is a term often used for either an   African  djembe or talking drum. When a score calls for a 'tam tam' (like Messiaen’s 'Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum' or various works of Richard Wagner), then a flat faced Gong, like a Chinese Chau, is used. Flat Faced Chinese Chau Gong/Tam Tam When a score calls for a 'Gong' (like Puccini’s 'Madame Butterfly', or 'Turandot'), then a bossed Gon...
Read more

What to Look for When Buying a Gong

Image
Today's blog is a revised & updated blog I posted 3 years ago on my old website. I'm always having people ask me about buying a Gong. Well, here's some tips: •••••••• So you’ve decided to get a Gong. The first thing to ask is, what will I use a Gong for? What type of music do you play? Do you want to use it in a rock band, a jazz band, solo? Are you looking for a meditation device? These are important questions and will help determine what type and size of Gong to get.  One important thing to look at is how big a Gong do you want? Gongs are heavy. Gongs are not easy to transport. If this Gong will stay in your house/studio, then that makes it easy to have a larger size. But if you plan to travel in a band with it,  you need to look at the impact a different size Gong will have on transporting it.  A lot of drummers want a Gong because they look cool and sound cool. They also want that type of sound in their percussive arsenal.  A good place ...
Read more

Music Notation for Gongs

Image
Recently, I was asked a question about how Gongs are notated in a musical score. Here are various examples of different ways they have been notated, from traditional classical, to modern musical forms. The first thing is to differentiate the 2 main types of Gongs: the flat faced, usually termed Tam Tam in a classical score, and the Bossed Gong, with a raised center boss (AKA cup, nipple). A good example of a traditional symphonic Tam Tam part would be from Gustav Holst’s, The Planets . This example is from Mars, the Bringer of War : We can see the Gong/Tam Tam notated traditionally on a single staff line.  The next example is from Puccini’s opera, Turandot . This is the Tam Tam part, notated on the bottom line. Example #3 is also from Turandot. The score also calls for Tuned Bossed Gongs. Unfortunately I was unable to find a score example of them. John Cage used various Gongs in his percussion music. This is an example of how he notated ...
Read more