Tag: duo

Love

Posted on Posted in CompositionsTagged , , , , ,

Duration: approx. 1:00

Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆

Released: 2018

Players: (2) 3 flower pots + voice

Purchase PDF Sheet Music

(written for Sebastian Buhts + Alexandra Porter)

About “Love”

WRITTEN FOR 2018 CORTONA SESSIONS FOR NEW MUSIC
WINNER OF 2018 CORTONA SESSIONS IRON COMPOSER COMPETITION

“LOVE” is a short, semi-theatrical piece that comically tells the story of a failing relationship in which one party is completely oblivious to its collapse.

The percussion part for “LOVE” calls for the percussionist to perform a simple melody on 3 flower pots while verbally responding to the vocalist with growing anger and frustration. The vocalist sings their text in any major mode and in a romantic style with inflections of infatuation.

“LOVE” comes to an explosive finale as the percussionist yells “Dammit Linda!” while smashing a flower pot on the floor. It is recommended that the percussionist have an additional fourth flower pot on stage to avoid destroying one of their usable tuned flower pots. The name “Linda” may be changed for dramatic/comedic effect.

“LOVE” is great for students looking to collaborate with vocalists and experiment with narrative/theatrical percussion music. “LOVE” is also a great piece to include on recitals as a comedic interlude.

Skywire

Posted on Posted in CompositionsTagged , , , , , , ,

Duration: 6:44

Difficulty: ★★★★☆

Released: 2018

Players: (2) vibraphone, kick drum, snare drum, 3 tom toms, ride cymbal, hi-hat

Purchase PDF Sheet Music

(dedicated to Rashaad Greene, written for GreeneShark Duo)

About “Skywire”

While “SKYWIRE” is a percussion duo scored for drum kit + vibraphone, it can also be interpreted as a multi-percussion duo where one setup consists of instruments found in a drum kit and the other setup consists of keys on a vibraphone. Although the vibraphone is treated as a multi-percussion instrument, there is still a clear melodic shape throughout the piece.

The drum kit + vibraphone exchange melodic and rhythmic while each percussionist has the opportunity to function as the lead voice and accompaniment.

The drum kit part calls for the percussionist to perform grooves that utilize the entire drum kit as well as improvise. The vibraphone part calls for the percussionist to play with four-mallets and switch between playing on the center/edges of keys and the nodes to produce various colors and timbres.

“SKYWIRE” is great for students looking for a percussion duo that are interested in drum kit, vibraphone, or multi-percussion music with a jazz/pop influence. “SKYWIRE” features melodic playing, intricate polyrhythms, colorful textures, and a balance between loose/improvisatory moments and fast-paced passages.

The image on the cover of this piece is of a sculpture hanging above the streets outside of the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art in Oslo, Norway.

Pedestrian

Posted on Posted in CompositionsTagged , , , ,

Duration: 5:18

Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆

Released: 2017

Players: (1-2) [2] Piano, Voice / [1] Piano + Voice

Purchase PDF Sheet Music

About “Pedestrian”

The lyrics for “Pedestrian” come from the poem “Echoes” by Clark Hubbard.

Burn the flowers

go away

in the echoes of the day

become science

being there for

the dawn of effort

looking far away

bleeding airborne

flow astray

touching into tired gaze

you’re falling out for finding you parade

the coldest daylight

crossing your mainstage

traffic on highways

you’re born from daylight

from the end,

borrowed conscience

looking back on then

finding outside, that waterfalls don’t end

their firing squad

a meaning has an end

a box of letters

of dreams i haven’t sent

being outside of your name,

confidence back,

can i try again?