i made two short percussion movements for my definition of music.

they are called "two shorts seasons for percussion" and i did "brown" and "grey," or fall and summer.

when i recorded the pieces i really searched hard for unusual percussion instruments that most musicians might not be familiar with. i tried to find instruments that really captured the mood of both seasons. for summer, i used suspended metal pipes to re-create the rustling wind-chimes during a summer storm. the storm itself was created by a metal sheet representing the thunder. i also used chinese opera gongs to give some hint of darkness and obscurity.

"brown" was much shorter and faster. i used different cymbals in different speakers to give the effect of wind coming from everywhere. the crotales and wood blocks depict the bright color and feeling of fall. the snare and bass drum cadence refers to the beginning of school, giving the piece a little more organization. it ends with an abrupt gong crash, alluding to falls quick tranformation in to winter.

i hope some of you get a chance to hear these pieces. some of you have, so please comment so my blog doesen't look crappy.


-dennis