Free download
Jazz/Fusion Guitarist
Song Info
Genre
Charts
Peak #108
Peak in subgenre #31
Author
Bob Meredith
Rights
Bob Meredith
Uploaded
February 05, 2008
Track Files
MP3
MP3 6.9 MB • 128 kbps • 7:35
Story behind the song
While I was at uni we had to write a piece in a minimalist style. I’m not a fan of the genre; I find it boring, for the most part talent less, repetitive, and pretentious. Just to prove I can be as boring, repetitive, talent less, and pretentious as the rest of them here’s, “More arse than Glass”
In true minimalist style I’ve focused on the process rather than the end musical result and sat around congratulating myself on my cleverness.
(You can tell I don’t like Minimalism can’t you)
The piece is based on a few simple concepts:
The use of pedal notes to create different tonal centres underneath an ostinato figure. I tried randomising the durations and progression of these pedal notes to avoid having the feeling of a “chord progression”; I did this by ear, there’s enough thinking in this piece already.
The opening chords start off and gradually collapse in time. i.e. they become quicker and closer together.
The main ostinato figure is a 13/4 figure played in 8th notes. It eventually resolves to a Bm tonal centre.
E |: G B D F#, E B F#, D A E, G F# D E, F# C# G, G B F#, F# B E, C# A :|
This melody/riff/ostinato figure is built up in an additive way on Marimba i.e.
E, E G, E G B, E G B D, E G B D F#
1, 1 2, 1 2 3, 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4 5 ETC
It takes about 3 minutes to have the full melody played all the way (bells) through without doubling back on itself.
Good thing I’m not Phillip Glass; he would have strung it out for 3 hours. Glass is the only composer to be sent up on both the Simpsons and South Park. What a tosser!
The melody has a countermelody (flute) which comes in at frequent intervals to help avoid total boredom. (Which means it fails as a piece of minimalism.)
Towards the end the main melody is tripled and the other instruments are offset by an 8th note or 2, which seems to give it a slightly Gamelan type quality.
This piece is not my favourite child, but like all children you can’t help but be secretly proud of it. I don’t know if it qualifies as minimalism, but it does have minimalist elements.
Probably best listened to in the background.
