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The metagroove of which way what, as in Snuck In, derives from a pattern of abrupt shifts from one state of motion to another:
  • A sort of STATIONARY motion is articulated with a 5/4 vamp.
  • Walking 4/4 takes the feel FORWARD.
  • 3/4 BRAKES, or moves backwards, or contrary to the other patterns.

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which way what happens in 9 episodes, or cells. As stated in the bass:

  • A. 3x 5/4 VAMP

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  • B. 5x 3/4

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  • C. 3x 5/4 VAMP

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  • D. 5x 4/4

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  • E. 3x 5/4 VAMP

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  • F. 3x 3/4

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  • G. 3x 4/4

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  • H. 4x 3/4

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  • I. 3x 3/4

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Most of the cells also anticipate/include/prolong features of neighboring episodes:

  • A . 3 x 5/4 Vamp (5 x 3/4)

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  • B . 5 x 3/4 (upper melody 3 x 5/4)
  • C . 3 x 5/4 Vamp (upper melody 5 x 3/4)
  • D . 5 x 4/4 (upper melody works in 5 or 4)
  • E . 3 x 5/4 Vamp (upper melody 5 x 3/4)
  • F . 3 x 3/4 (4/4 anticipated in upper melody)
  • G . 3 x 4/4 (upper melody 4 x 3/4)
  • H . 4 x 3/4 (upper melody 4 x 3/4)
  • I. 3 x 3/4 (conclusion to cycle)

This overlapping of patterns allows an improviser to choose from a web of options at any point. A drummer, for example could sustain a 5/4 idea across A/B/C/D/E, for example, and still arrive hooked up with the trajectory of the bass. This also opens possibilities for confusion, feints, tricks, mistakes, etc. while maintaining the dynamic tension of the metagroove.

essential monkey wrench:

One of the most sacred pleasures (and necessity could be argued...) in our music is surprise,

This cycle would occasionally feel monotonous to me as if it was just another sort of (relatively long) vamp.

To thicken the plot, I designated the bassist to steer the progression of the form with this option: the bassist may choose, whenever so moved, to sustain any one of the 9 cells as a vamp.

For example, the ensemble may arrive, by way the cycle, at F. and the bassist might continue to lay on F, until ready to continue on through G/H/I ... etc,

This helps to keep the music, the musicians and listeners on their toes!

. . . and

an orchestral note . . .

I also recommend that each musician, especially those playing plucked and struck instruments, independently use stop time at will. This helps add brilliance to the corners of the design and injects more textural variety.

The instrumental color becomes more fluid and the texture more porous and permeable, which can give the improvisers a more stimulating terrain from which to discover and invent,

about pitch ...

I wanted to arrange tone areas that would help distinguish one cell from another. I also wanted tonal gravities relatively open.

I went for the augmented/whole tone sound and the suspended 4th/pentatonic sound, (Interestingly, neither aggregate has half steps.)

In the bass melody, A/C/E/F are whole tone, B is pentatonic. At D, the walking root movement ascends through a series of sus4 chords, each a major third higher (augmented movement).

Then I cross-pollinated the two tone sets, building sus4 chords from the tones of an augmented triad:

D sus7/F# sus7/Bb sus7

and vice versa, augmented triads on the tones of a SUS4:

D + / G + / C +

both of which add up to this 9 tone scale:

D Eb E F# G Ab Bb B C

This scale has quite a few melodic personalities. Here are a few of them:

3-TONE SCALE FRAGMENTS:

D 1 E l F# - Gb Ab Bb - Bb C D

D 1/2 Eb 1/2 E - F# G Ab - Bb B C

Eb,/@ E F# G Ab Bb B C D

E " F# G G# A# B C D Eb

'DIATONIC'

D E F# G - F# G# A# B - Bb C D Eb

'PENTATONIC'

Eb Gb Ab Bb - G Bb C D - B D E F#

MAJOR TRIADS

Eb G Bb - G B D - B D# F#

E G# B - Ab C Eb - C E G

MINOR TRIADS

E G B - G# B D# - C Eb G

This scale and harmonic aggregate is applied in each episode, varying with the direction of the bass melody.

Lots of other events in this composition don't correspond with any particular system.

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