Weapon Wheel (2018, rev. 2019)

for 3 concert or marching bass drums 

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Composed November 2018

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7 Minutes

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Premiered May 4, 2019 by Austin Allen, Jacob Hord and Quinn Mason

 

A soloistic and energetic piece for the unusual combination of three bass drums. Composed 2018. Revised 2019. Written for and dedicated to Austin Allen and Jacob Hord.

As a percussionist, I've played a lot of unusual repertoire and thought I would add to it by composing this piece for 3 bass drums. It was a true exercise in keeping the music interesting with unpitched instruments by creating rhythms that reinvent themselves in different ways throughout the composition, and utilizing melodic style tradeoffs between the three performers. A theatrical element was added in the cadenza in which the music pushes itself over the edge inviting the percussionists to take free rein of what happens next.