“Reich Steve calls some of this “enacting the percussionist’s revenge.” (he did so by
1. using TWO stringed instruments in music for 18, with SIX percs and FOUR pianos (a perc instrument also, alas.)
2. putting the marimbas and xylos in the FRONT of the orch, and the strings in the BACK, in “the desert music.” and elsewhere. oh
3. having WHOLE NOTES ties to OTHER WHOLE notes in the string parts, while all the ACTION is in the MARIMBAS…. in OTHER PIECES (eight lines, city life, music for a large ensemble, music for 18, you fucking name it.
oh, he was a jazz drummer:)”
this was about my desire as a percussionist NOT to just play whatever is “conventionally appropriate to what the guitar player and singer and bass player are doing, with “my own little aded splash”
but to basically obliterate the relationship (this one anyway) of rhythm to the rest (stravinsky did such a thing with harmony and rhythm in The Rite of Spring did he not?)
and to set it up such that instead of having the drums “accompany” in a more or less subservient role, “actual REAL music (blegh)
have them
be INTEGRAL to the structure of the music itself, have them BE the music.
I mean come ON, I’M A PERCUSSIONIST AND A DRUMMER! I don’t want to always “work for” others, we’ve done that for eons.
we should now try either working together, or have THEM WORK FOR US.
hey, I’m entitled this.
people’ve done it.
various bands and groups and musics from all over in various time periods in various capacities including but not limited to
African Drumming (it usually serves “the dance” (but said dance VERY often mimic EXACTLY the rhythm of the drums:)
Gamelan Music from Indonesia
INdian Music (from INDIA of course.) sometimes a “framework for improvisation”…. whatever…. point being” Tabla Solo music is awesome and I like it in this way.
Steve Reich and some of Philip Glass’s American MINIMALISM particularly their early works.
and of course
BoorBaar – a Percussion Ensemble, my group.
www.boorbaar.com
