Tag: tape

Solara

Posted on Posted in Compositions, Projects, RecordingsTagged , , , , , , ,

Duration: 5.5 minutes

Difficulty: ★★★★☆

Premiere: 2021.02.28

Players: (1) crash/china cymbal, crash/ride cymbal, hi-hat, 3 drums, 2 congas, snare, kick, shaker + electronic playback

Pre-Order PDF Sheet Music*

(commissioned by Daniel Vila)

About “Solara”

“SOLARA” is a drum kit + electronics solo commissioned by Daniel Vila.

“SOLARA” is great for students familiar with drum kit that are looking to explore multi-percussion music, students familiar with multi-percussion looking to explore drum kit music, and students looking to explore electro-acoustic music.

The percussion setup for “SOLARA” can be modified and exploration with different sounds and instruments is HIGHLY encouraged.

The key elements of the setup are:

  • (5+) drums [tuned to different pitches] (in score as 3 toms + 2 congas + 1 snare)
  • (2+) cymbals (in score as china/crash + crash/ride)
  • (1) hi-hat
  • (1) kick drum
  • (1) shaker

“SOLARA” is intended to be performed without a click track.

– electronic playback [.wav] is included with purchase of the score.

“SOLARA” was premiered by Daniel Vila on February 28th, 2021 in Ann Arbor, MI.

*Sheet music will be released in early/mid 2021.

Run

Posted on Posted in Compositions, Projects, RecordingsTagged , , , , , , ,

Duration: 4 minutes

Difficulty: ★★★☆☆

Released: 2020.05.27

Players: (1) 3-5 cymbals, hi-hat, 3 drums, kick drum + electronic playback

Purchase PDF Sheet Music

“RUN” was originally written for Duo Cortona as a duo for voice + violin and won the Duo Cortona Composition Competition at the 2018 Cortona Sessions for New Music. In early 2019, “RUN” was re-imagined as an electronic/pop song. Later that year, this electronic version became the backing track for the most recent version of “RUN”: drum kit + electronic playback.

“RUN” is great for students familiar with drum kit that are looking to explore multi-percussion music, students familiar with multi-percussion looking to explore drum kit music, and students looking to explore electro-acoustic music.

The percussion setup for “RUN” can be modified and exploration with different sounds and instruments is HIGHLY encouraged.

The key elements of the setup are:

  • (3) drums [tuned to different pitches]
  • (3) cymbals/resonant metals [tuned to different pitches]
  • (1) hi-hat
  • (1) kick drum

“RUN” is intended to be performed without a
click track.

– electronic playback [.wav] is included with
purchase of the score.

Below are the lyrics to the original voice + violin version of “Run”

running back // through the field, you don’t know it

in the town // where I was born

in the skies // of your memories

can you see it? // is it burning hot?

in the city? // dying, burning, rot?

running // fire // flashing // burning // in the city

flashing // fire // throwing smoke into the air

smoke fills the sky // running out of time

burning brighter // for fear // fighter

running out // sky of cloud

running faster // burning brighter // fear or fighter

unknowing // running // it hits // the flame // deep inside

flame and ash // where it sticks // no sleeping here // tonight

darker than it // you would know

running out of your time // running out of your time

running out of your time // running out of your mind

running

your time running // your time running

and goes up in smoke

“RUN” was premiered by Clark Hubbard on January 30th, 2020 in Ann Arbor, MI.

“RUN” (original version) was premiered by Duo Cortona on June 1st, 2018 in Cortona, Italy.

Boulder Canyon, Hoover Dam

Posted on Posted in Compositions, ProjectsTagged , , , , , ,

Duration: 5.75 minutes

Difficulty: ★★★☆☆

Released: 2019.07.05

Players: (1) Vibraphone + Electronics

Purchase PDF Sheet Music

(Commissioned by Danielle Gonzalez)

video by Danielle Gonzalez

About “Boulder Canyon, Hoover Dam”

“BOULDER CANYON, HOOVER DAM” was commissioned by Danielle Gonzalez after hearing an early version of my marimba solo “산 • San • Mountain.”
“BOULDER CANYON, HOOVER DAM” was originally written as a component of Danielle’s “Natural Beauty” show – a multimedia concert program featuring percussion music and promoting environmental protection and sustainability. While visiting Hoover Dam in the summer of 2019, I decided that it was the perfect combination of clean energy, humankind’s relationship with nature, industry, and American history to serve as the theme for this composition.

Structurally, “BOULDER CANYON, HOOVER DAM” is based on the 1955 Bureau of Reclamation documentary “The Story of Hoover Dam” which is shown to tourists visiting Hoover Dam. I condensed the 28 minute documentary into a 6 minute narrative to serve as the backbone of “BOULDER CANYON, HOOVER DAM.”

I intended “BOULDER CANYON, HOOVER DAM” to be performed without a click track, so the track features a “metronome” comprised of water and industrial sounds to guide the performer. Much of the melodic material used in both the backing track and the vibraphone solo part are inspired by the music of Steve Reich as well as dance and pop music. In other instances, the melodic material is a melodicization of the narration from the documentary.

While Hoover Dam is geographically located in Black Canyon, the legislation that resulted in the construction of Hoover Dam was “The Boulder Canyon Project Act of 1928,” hence the name of the piece: “BOULDER CANYON, HOOVER DAM.”

“BOULDER CANYON, HOOVER DAM” is great for students interested in electro-acoustic music, multimedia performance pieces, and contemporary percussion music with a pop music influence. This solo features two-mallet playing, four-mallet playing, and playing with one hand while bowing the vibraphone with the other.

When I delivered “BOULDER CANYON, HOOVER DAM” to Danielle, I also sent her a link to the complete documentary, “The Story of Hoover Dam,” around which I created this piece. Danielle then created a condensed edit of the video component of the documentary to play in sync with the backing track during performances. “BOULDER CANYON, HOOVER DAM” may be performed with or without video projection.

– electronic playback [.wav] + video projection [.mov] are included with purchase of the score.