Warp Speed for microtonal piano by Kyle Gann

Check this one out: http://www.artsjournal.com/postclassic/2011/09/warp-speed.html

Delightful! Speedy!

Prent Rodgers

Nice! Thanks!
Milan

On 09/29/2011 09:24 PM, prentrodgers wrote:
> Check this one out: http://www.artsjournal.com/postclassic/2011/09/warp-speed.html
>
> Delightful! Speedy!
>
> Prent Rodgers

Interesting, but I wonder why he calls it ragtime, it's rather derived from boogie-woogie style. And I would be careful to call such piece "composition", I didn't see any compositional work. It's just a boring compositional study, probably based on improvisation. I miss form, work with motifs, work with information density, maybe some contrast or surprise... He shot all trumps in the first bars and then nothing new came. There's unbalance between music material and total length. It would need more sculpting.

Daniel Forro

On Sep 30, 2011, at 4:24 AM, prentrodgers wrote:

> Check this one out: http://www.artsjournal.com/postclassic/2011/09/> warp-speed.html
>
> Delightful! Speedy!
>
> Prent Rodgers

I felt similarly, but it did sound good, and had a lot of
nice touches. That is more than I can say for a lot of microtonal
music I hear.

-Carl

At 05:17 PM 9/29/2011, you wrote:
>Interesting, but I wonder why he calls it ragtime, it's rather
>derived from boogie-woogie style. And I would be careful to call such
>piece "composition", I didn't see any compositional work. It's just a
>boring compositional study, probably based on improvisation. I miss
>form, work with motifs, work with information density, maybe some
>contrast or surprise... He shot all trumps in the first bars and then
>nothing new came. There's unbalance between music material and total
>length. It would need more sculpting.
>
>Daniel Forro
>
>On Sep 30, 2011, at 4:24 AM, prentrodgers wrote:
>
>> Check this one out: http://www.artsjournal.com/postclassic/2011/09/
>> warp-speed.html
>>
>> Delightful! Speedy!
>>
>> Prent Rodgers
>

> Interesting, but I wonder why he calls it ragtime, it's rather
> derived from boogie-woogie style.
I hear elements of both.
>And I would be careful to call such
> piece "composition", I didn't see any compositional work. It's just a
> boring compositional study,
I wasn't bored. The cascade of unusual notes that keeps coming in ever-new figurations makes me want to listen attentively.
> probably based on improvisation. I miss
> form, work with motifs, work with information density, maybe some
> contrast or surprise... He shot all trumps in the first bars and then
> nothing new came.
I don't agree. I hear the piece as a variation-rondo form of sorts. The initial melodic phrases and the following section do come back but always somewhat varied and developed. The fact that the piece is ostinato based, and based on a vernacular improvised style, does not, in my opinion, make it less "compositional"; the same thing could be said of various forms of instrumental music in baroque music.
And let's not forget that Kyle's piece is part of a larger whole: it's the second, shorter movement of a two-movement piano piece (sonata?).

Juhani

There's unbalance between music material and total
> length. It would need more sculpting.
>
> Daniel Forro
>
> On Sep 30, 2011, at 4:24 AM, prentrodgers wrote:
>
> > Check this one out: http://www.artsjournal.com/postclassic/2011/09/
> > warp-speed.html
> >
> > Delightful! Speedy!
> >
> > Prent Rodgers
>

On Sep 30, 2011, at 6:19 PM, Juhani wrote:
>>
> I hear elements of both.

Ragtime is based on straight simple rhythm in left hand, against it
there should be syncopated patterns in right hand, such contrast
creates interesting crossrhythms and polyrhythms. Which I missed here.
>>
> I wasn't bored. The cascade of unusual notes that keeps coming in
> ever-new figurations makes me want to listen attentively.

For me just notes are not enough, especially in such style.
>>
> I don't agree. I hear the piece as a variation-rondo form of sorts.
> The initial melodic phrases and the following section do come back
> but always somewhat varied and developed.

I will listen more times and more carefully... and try to switch
myself to listening mode "minimalism".

> The fact that the piece is ostinato based, and based on a
> vernacular improvised style, does not, in my opinion, make it less
> "compositional"; the same thing could be said of various forms of
> instrumental music in baroque music.

It could be said, and of course even Baroque music can be sometimes
pretty boring. Even masters had their bad days :-) Fortunately not so
often.

> And let's not forget that Kyle's piece is part of a larger whole:
> it's the second, shorter movement of a two-movement piano piece
> (sonata?).
>
> Juhani

That's true, and that will probably make necessary contrast. Even so
maybe it would help to shorten this movement, but I don't know
composer's intention.

Daniel Forro

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