O Henry Tech (Don't look under the hood) Several years ago I attended a week long music technology conference at Illinois State. There were more workshops, demonstrations, and hands-on lab experience packed into that week than I had conceived possible at that time in my life. In the evenings I found myself trapped in a college dorm room with virtually no one else around. So I spent each evening doing one of the things I most enjoy in life – composing. A comment made by one of the clinicians (Henry) during the second day of events sparked my curiosity and became the impetus for the piece I began and finished during that week. When asked about how all this new “music technology stuff” worked he simply stated; “Don’t look under the hood!” I commenced with a quasi-minimalistic formal structure melded with a dysfunctional and repetitious bass-line that was “almost” a straight-ahead funk feel in 4, but not quite. The result was a piece that sounds fairly simple but looks slightly frightening when you first start to learn it. In addition to several mallet parts and an electric bass part, the work offers the determined high-school ensemble an opportunity to feature soloists on drum set, bongos, congas, and/or any other battery instrument you want to add. I hope you’ll enjoy learning and performing O Henry Tech (Don’t Look Under the Hood) as much as I did writing it. Thanks for the inspiration, Henry! ~David L. Taylor About David L. Taylor David L. Taylor is the Coordinator of Percussion Studies at BYU-Idaho. He is the founder of RixStix Percussion Group. He is a commissioned and published composer and has written a wide variety of music including concert band, orchestra, choir, solo percussion, mallet ensemble, percussion ensemble, string quartet, drum line, and hand bell choir.
1 Comment
11/3/2022 12:43:19 am
Week process likely moment need. Bed will now appear travel sort author. Economic fund likely Mr look budget.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |