Plighting my TROTH
Another serious session of work on The Rhythm Of The Heat. We did some great warm ups, very rapid and excited and included some vocal call and answer and ‘shout throwing’.
We walked through the overview text that calls out instrument changes over the lyrics. Then we listened to the piece. Then we listened and sang along. After that we tried playing the complex instrumental part at the end where the beat changes from four to a bar to three to a bar (if as a non-musician I am understanding what a bar is :).
We came to realize how difficult it is to explain six-nine beat patterns instead of four-eight. What I thought was straightforward (having thought about it so much lately) turned out to be harder to actually DO even though we have practiced them a bit . But that made me come up with the following chart of kuchi-shoka arranged over a strict time grid. Conventions: capitalization indicates volume no-caps = soft, Init-caps = Medium, ALL-CAPS = LOUD. Bold text is also used to indicate emphasis on the three main beats of the measure (also highlighted with background colouring).
The Okedo/Shime is only an approximation. Essentially it is improvised but that is how the beginning sounds to me.
Taking the above patterns and the sequence I wrote up in the overview gives the following two charts as the Chu and Okedo/Shime parts. I hope the odaiko, gong and shaker parts are clear – they are a relentless driving ji-uchi.
Okedo
I really need Patrick and Robert to help out with some interesting variations for the okedo.
The Rhythm of the Heat – Overview
Intro: Ji on Moku-gyo, shime cricket triplets, Kiai, ALL-beat/Gong, Gong-gong
Verse, Looking out the window, I see the red dust clear
Okedo starts 2& 4&
O/Gong: High up on the red rock, stands the shadow with the spear
Rising voice tones and counter, no O or gong until end Gong and echo
Odaiko starts regular ko-Don
Verse: The land here is strong, strong beneath my feet,
go-Gong, go-Gong
it feeds on the blood, it feeds on the heat
Gong starts regular Gong, go-Gong
Verse rising intensity:The rhythm is below me
The rhythm of the heat
The rhythm is around me
The rhythm has control
The rhythm is inside me
The rhythm has my soul
CHU starts: cha ko-Don
Voice or chu rhythm “The rhythm of the heat” repeats until “open to the sun”
Fue/Voice A-ha A-ha, a-ha-ha-ha
Drawn across the plain land
To the place that is higher
Drawn into the circle
That dances ’round the fire
We spit into our hands
And breath across the palms
Raising them up high
Held open to the sun
(Repeat)
Okedo 2& 4& stops
Ji-uchi decrescendos out
Odaiko becomes padded heartbeat
Self-concious, uncertain
I’m showered with the dust
The spirit enters into me
And I
Submit
To trust
Smash the radio
No outside voices here
Smash the watch
Cannot tear the day to shreds
Smash the camera
Cannot steal away the spirits
The rhythm is around me
The rhythm has control
The rhythm is inside me
The rhythm has my soul (drawn out)
Switch tempo, Gong and Odaiko steady and loud, shakerei crescendoes in
2x Plain 2-beat
2x Plain 2-beat
2x Fuchi syncopated triplets
2x Shime/okedo improv
2x Shime/okedo improv
2x Chu driving triplets
2x Fuchi syncopated triplets
2x Plain 2-beat
2x Shime/okedo improv
2x Shime/okedo improv
2x Chu driving triplets
2x Fuchi syncopated triplets
2x Shime/okedo improv
2x Shime/okedo improv
2x Plain 2-beat
2x EVERYTHING
2x Chu driving triplets
END