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BARBED WIRE

37 graphic scores for trio

BW 18.jpg

in december 2016 i composed 37 graphic scores for trio entitled BARBEDWIRE

andrei tarkovsky said that to make a film was to sculpt in time.

samuel beckett said that music doesn't exist in space, but in time only.

i like this idea of sculpting with sounds that we measure in time while performing in physical space. i think the BARBEDWIRE scores have allowed me to explore not only a particular realm of ideas but the experience of sculpting with sounds in physical spaces. it's been great to work through these compositions with so many amazing sound artists.

how to perform BW

each player chooses a score and a time duration for the performance. players use a stopwatch to track the time of the performance.
 

each player is assigned a line (1, 2, or 3) based on alpha first name
i.e., beth line one - kasey line two - phillip line three

each player improvises while following their line throughout the duration of the performance. if the line changes direction a little bit, the musical behavior changes a little bit; if the direction of the line changes a lot, the musical behavior reflects that. most of the scores have squiggly "barbs" ... these are meant to represent a musical accident - a blip in your signal - an interruption of your course in varying degrees, depending on size and fluctuation of the barb.

on silence

 

a broken line may suggest silence
you are invited to choose silence as a course of action in your improvisation
if the line changes radically, perhaps silence would reflect a strong shift in the direction of the music.

that's basically it. you're improvising and the score is telling you when and how much to change what you're doing.

RECORDINGS: BARBEDWIRE VOLUME 1

BARBEDWIRE volume 1 - pg (reeds) with four trios (recorded 2017 - 2018)

trio 1 - john bischoff and tim perkis (electronics)

trio 2 - kyle bruckmann (oboe, english horn) and jane rigler (piccolo, flute, alto flute)

trio 3 - mark clifford and tim decillis (vibraphones)

trio 4 - eveyln davis (prepared piano) and gabby fluke-mogul (violin)


 

bandcamp-01-1.jpg

UPCOMING: BARBEDWIRE VOLUME 2

phillip greenlief (reeds) and vicki ray (piano, etc.) with

trio 1: maggie parkins, cello

trio 2: tim feeny, percussion

UPCOMING: BARBEDWIRE VOLUME 3

pg (reeds) with zeena parkins (harp) and william wynant (percussion)

BARBEDWIRE TOO #18 for duo
BW too #18.JPG
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