Duckrabbit
Piano Solo
This work is kind of a pet project for me. The eventual plan is a book of 16 small piano pieces, all based on exploring various types and uses of cycles in music. The inspiration here was a class I took at UBC focusing on various types of cycles and periodicities in world music, and I wanted an outlet specifically for trying out some of these ideas. The name comes from the illusion, made famous by Ludwig Wittgenstein, which depicts both a rabbit and a duck, depending on perspective. The movements of Duckrabbit are a kind of ‘auditory illusion’, which play with the idea of polysemantic elements: rhythms or melodies that can be understood in various different contexts. The pieces act like a ‘virtual tour’ of these illusions, guiding the listener to hearing the various ways that the idea can be perceived.
The only piece I've completed so far is 'Kilitan', which is based on an 8-note pattern borrowed from Balinese music (I was writing the piece at UBC the same semester I was in the Balinese Gamelan there). It's post-minimalist (I guess), in that it takes a very small idea and develops it over the course of the piece. The piece is built out of repeating patterns derived from that root motive, but with notes missing; the complete idea isn't heard in full until the very end of the piece.
PDF Preview of Kilitan
Piano Solo
This work is kind of a pet project for me. The eventual plan is a book of 16 small piano pieces, all based on exploring various types and uses of cycles in music. The inspiration here was a class I took at UBC focusing on various types of cycles and periodicities in world music, and I wanted an outlet specifically for trying out some of these ideas. The name comes from the illusion, made famous by Ludwig Wittgenstein, which depicts both a rabbit and a duck, depending on perspective. The movements of Duckrabbit are a kind of ‘auditory illusion’, which play with the idea of polysemantic elements: rhythms or melodies that can be understood in various different contexts. The pieces act like a ‘virtual tour’ of these illusions, guiding the listener to hearing the various ways that the idea can be perceived.
The only piece I've completed so far is 'Kilitan', which is based on an 8-note pattern borrowed from Balinese music (I was writing the piece at UBC the same semester I was in the Balinese Gamelan there). It's post-minimalist (I guess), in that it takes a very small idea and develops it over the course of the piece. The piece is built out of repeating patterns derived from that root motive, but with notes missing; the complete idea isn't heard in full until the very end of the piece.
PDF Preview of Kilitan