performance notes
-
On Being Fluid And Deliberate
A fair many years ago at one of my music lessons my teacher, Russell, suggested that I make my body movements more fluid, more deliberate. I was playing a multi-percussion piece for marimba and some tom-toms, moving from one instrument group to another, probably rather abruptly. Russell suggested making the tempo of my gestures match the Continue reading
-
Timing Techniques: Listening Over People, Rhythmically Resisting, And Super Rhythm
There’s a spot in the show where I have a solo—a moment to set the time for everyone else. The conductor thinks he’s in charge, but no, he’s actually following me in my moment of laying it down, which is simultaneously my moment to test a hypotheses. The hypothesis is this: at some point in Continue reading
-
Listening Over And From Afar
“Hearing is like being touched and moved from a distance.” – David Burrows, Time and the Warm Body, p. 89. I’ve been trying out new ways of listening while performing, trying to get beyond the sounds of my percussion instruments and get closer to the other sounds around and beyond me. When I do this, Continue reading
-
Traces
trace – a mark, object, or other indication of the existence or passing of something Music is a space-generator, and one of the unexpected gifts of being a musician is that making music generates a space in which to think about it. When I play I’m usually thinking about several things at once, including moment-to-moment Continue reading
-
Performance Notes: Imagining A Perfect Musical System
I imagine a perfect musical system would begin by asking me questions. What are you feeling today? What is on your mind? Where do you want to go? How do you want to be? Then the system would generate a series of sound sets based on my mood and my imagination. These sound sets would Continue reading
brettworks 
You must be logged in to post a comment.