A Fresh Look at Reich's "Clapping Music"

AA FreshFresh LookLook atat Reich’sReich’s “Clapping“Clapping Music”Music” BY GLENN KOTCHE

n January 2001 I was asked to join the but the human body—in this case, two Chicago-based band Wilco, and imme- performers who hand-clap. Reich states Idiately began working on the band’s that the piece is “to have one performer fourth record, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, remain fixed, repeating the same basic which was released on the Nonesuch/ pattern throughout, while the second Warner label. Nonesuch has a rich his- moves abruptly, after a number of re- tory of diversity, specializing in the music peats, from unison to one beat ahead, of contemporary classical composers and and so on, until he is back in unison with performers, and is one of the original the first performer.” (See Example 1.) champions of world music with its Ex- The piece is intended for performance plorer series. As a member of Wilco, I was in an auditorium where the echoes and lucky enough to have access to their vast reverberations of the clapping create, as music catalog. After being exposed and Reich states, “a surrounding sensation of re-introduced to some of the amazing mu- a series of variations of two different pat- sic that Nonesuch has released over the terns with their downbeats coinciding.” years, a new phase in my Reich and Russell Hartenberger, a drumming and solo ex- founding member of Nexus, per- plorations began. I’d form the original recorded ver- like to focus on sion. When I started digging just one of those into my Steve Reich box set

catalysts, Steve from Nonesuch, one of the P

HOTO Reich, and in first pieces I heard was

BY particular one “Clapping Music,” and I D of his early was instantly captivated ANNY

C pieces, “Clap- GLENN KOTCHE by what I heard. (An ar- LINCH ping Music” The Monkey Chant for chival video clip from from 1972. Solo Drumset 1974 of Reich and Although I had Drumset Clinic/Performance Hartenberger performing for myself, playing one part with my been exposed to THURSDAY 1:00 P.M. the piece is available right hand and the other part with my Reich’s music while for viewing at left. studying under Jim www.stevereich.com.) When I began to learn the piece I was Campbell at the University of As the piece unfolds, the patterns in- intrigued by how much some of the hand Kentucky, I wasn’t as familiar with some teract to create a garden of rhythms un- combinations were reminiscent of the ad- of his early works. Reich is a New York- like anything I had previously heard. I vanced rudiments I was exposed to as a based composer who initially gained in- was blown away that something so con- performing member of the Cavaliers ternational acclaim with his taped speech ceptually simple could sound so compli- Drum and Bugle Corps (Rosemont, IL), pieces, compositions for his own mixed cated. I transcribed the piece after while others were completely fresh and ensemble, and later for his and Beryl reading about its compositional process. unlike anything I had seen or studied in Korot’s digital video operas. Reich began Seeing the piece notated for two parts any method book or rudimental solo. exploring the concept of phase shifting made me recall when former teachers Some examples of the familiar rudiments with his early tape pieces. would have me learn simple duets as include Flam Taps, Pataflaflas, consecu- “Clapping Music” is an outgrowth of split parts for the right and left hands. I tive Flams, and Swiss Army Triplets. those works and an attempt to write a now had a personal challenge to see if I However, there is one important excep- piece of music that would require nothing could learn “Clapping Music” as a duet tion: There isn’t supposed to be any “flamming,” as all the parts are to be Example 1 played simultaneously. This fact didn’t stop me from relating to some of the rudimental combinations and actually aided me in learning the piece because of my familiarity with these rudiments (Ex- amples 2 and 3).

PERCUSSIVE NOTES 26 OCTOBER 2005 Because a majority of the rudimental from those studies was the cyclical na- music I had been exposed to was in quar- ture of African rhythms and how many of ter-note-based time signatures (3/4, 4/4, the voices in an African drum ensemble 2/4), I initially transcribed the piece in can be felt in four or three. In other 3/4 time. I learned to play the piece from words, 12 pulses can be subdivided into my own transcribed “score” before seeing either four groups of three pulses or Reich’s score. When I finally did see his three groups of four pulses. score, the fundamental difference be- Reich studied African drumming in tween the two was obvious. Reich’s is no- Ghana in 1970, so I felt it would be no tated in 12/8, not 3/4. It’s important to disrespect to the composer to try “Clap- note, however, that no time signature ap- ping Music” with the addition of one or pears on the original score as a gesture to both of those metrical accents. Since the remind the performer to keep the piece hands were to be played flat I needed the void of any metrical accents. inflection of the pulse to come from some- Instead of being discouraged by this, I place else. Being a “drumset guy,” I natu- just decided to learn it as flat as I could, rally looked to the feet to provide the void of accents and obvious inflections pulse. Once again, I felt that by adding that would give away the pulse I was feet into this composition I would some- thinking of. Soon, I began to rethink this how have the composer’s blessing since decision after pondering the two different he also studied jazz drumming, and in pulsing possibilities and how they related particular was a fan of the polyrhythmic to the African drumming I was exposed style of the late, great, Elvin Jones. to in college. One of the biggest lessons After learning how to play the piece as

Example 2

Example 3

PERCUSSIVE NOTES 27 OCTOBER 2005 PERCUSSIVE NOTES 28 OCTOBER 2005 a duet between the hands—played on two shows, which require a lot of power, en- drums with “clapping sticks” that I pur- durance, and versatility. I even noticed chased in Korea—I learned it separately that some of the parts I was coming up with both a 12/8 and a 3/4 pulse in the with in the studio for new songs were feet. It is important to note, though, that parts that I wouldn’t have been able to Reich has stated if there were to be a play a year earlier. The “chops” I gained new version of “Clapping Music” he from this piece and my subsequent appli- would add 3/2 as the meter, since this is cation of what I learned to drumset the way he thinks of the piece while per- opened up new possibilities for me in forming it (Example 4). Wilco and with my solo performances. Around this time I was also finishing a Since Reich’s reaction to my version solo drumset version of another None- was so positive, I decided to explore the such gem, the Explorer Series recording work beyond the solo adaptation of it. of the Balinese Ketjak or “Monkey One aspect of the original recording I was Chant.” Bob Hurwitz, the longtime presi- particularly fond of was the naturally oc- dent of Nonesuch, was aware of this and curring nuances and dynamics of the of the fact that I did solo drumset perfor- various patterns and individual clapping mances and recordings and asked me to “techniques,” which created a sense of play on a program he was putting to- melody. That got me thinking about as- gether for his day as honorary principal signing pitches to the notes so the pat- at the LaGuardia High School for the tern turns into an actual melody. This Performing Arts in New York. I was to became one of several variations on the play an abbreviated version of the Ketjak original that I was to record. Some of the preceded by my version of “Clapping Mu- other variations deal with rhythmic con- sic”—and I was following Steve Reich struction and substitution, unison stand and Thad Wheeler playing the original posts, and the concept of what I call version of the same piece! I was a bit negative rhythm. My variations have worried about offending Reich with what been recorded and will appear on my up- could be interpreted as the hijacking of coming third solo percussion record. his work. My fears were calmed when I One of my former teachers, while I was got the thumbs-up from Reich after per- an undergrad, was a doctoral candidate, forming that day. He was happy that a Michael Gould, who went on to become younger rock drummer would be inter- assistant professor of percussion at the ested in his earlier work and he enjoyed University of Michigan. He told our the addition of the feet! I was shocked to former professor, Jim Campbell, that he learn that he was unaware of anyone else was going to perform a new solo version doing a complete solo version of this well- of “Clapping Music.” Jim informed him known, often-performed, 30-year-old that I also had a solo version, which I piece. I set my sights on recording my had performed at the Kentucky Day of version and sharing what I had learned Percussion the previous year. We both with my students and drummer friends. thought it was great that we had coinci- After playing the piece so many times, dentally rediscovered this piece and had I really noticed my hand control and en- been drawn into intriguing possibilities durance improving. While playing, it ac- for interpretation that it offered. tually relaxed my arms and almost forced Mike’s version is completely different me to flow in order to pull it off correctly. from mine. His initial inspiration was to I had stumbled upon the best warm-up I have a compact piece that required little had ever known. “Clapping Music” be- equipment for his frequent solo recitals. came a staple warm-up before Wilco His dealt with the two parts not as a duet

Example 4

PERCUSSIVE NOTES 29 OCTOBER 2005 between the hands with feet accompani- Example 5 ment, but as a duet between hands (part Top line: hands 1) and feet (part 2). He uses LP Jam Bottom line: feet Blocks in place of clapping and uses sticking variations to help create the melodic aspect to which I referred earlier (see Example 5). This is fitting, since Reich, while studying with Roland Kohloff in the 1950s, was particularly fond of working in the “drumming bible” of sticking patterns, George Lawrence Stone’s Stick Control book. sampler at some points to play the static world of music outside of what we might I took it upon myself to share “Clap- part. think pertains to us as drumset players ping Music” with my students and drum- I couldn’t be happier that this work is that can help us to grow as drummers mer friends. One student in particular getting a fresh look by a new generation and musicians as it expands the possibili- saw a whole new way to look at the piece. who are inspired by it, both musically ties of our chosen instrument. Jesse Nolan decided to make a large and compositionally. It also speaks well multi-setup arrangement of it, which he of the timelessness of Reich’s music. Be- “Clapping Music” by Steve Reich would perform on his senior recital at In- sides stumbling upon new concepts of Copyright © 1979 by Universal Edition diana University. Jesse came up with how I view rhythm, finding a great (London) Ltd., London. many voicing and melodic possibilities as warm-up, gaining chops, and a staple for Reproduced by Permission All Rights Reserved well as expanding upon the changing my live shows and clinics, one of the most pulse idea. In his version he plays the important lessons I learned from this in- Glenn Kotche is the drummer/percussion- original parts in every possible limb com- vestigation was to look for inspiration of ist in the Grammy-winning band Wilco. bination at some point during the how to expand our instrument outside He holds a BM in percussion perfor- 12-minute performance. While I concen- the canon of music that typically incorpo- mance from the University of Kentucky. trated on the conceptual possibilities and rates drumset. This is one point I try to In early 2006, Kotche’s third solo percus- Gould on the physical possibilities, Jesse drive home to students. Whether it be sion record, Mobile, is scheduled for re- made his version into a solo “tour de world music, contemporary composition, lease on Nonesuch Records. PN force,” even incorporating the use of a electronic music, or whatever, there is a

PERCUSSIVE NOTES 30 OCTOBER 2005 PASIC 2005 LAB SESSIONS PERCUSSIVE ARTS SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION NOVEMBER 2–5, 2005 COLUMBUS, OHIO WWW.PASIC.ORG First introduced at PASIC 2001, “Labs” are designed to be mini hands-on clinic/master class sessions. The presenter demonstrates and performs for a portion of the 50 minute session during which, five or six student players take their turn performing and receive a helpful critique. If a student performer is interested in participating, he or she may sign up via e-mail, phone, or by fax before October 14, 2005. Each person may sign up for more than one lab, but ultimately acceptance will be based on a first come- first serve basis. For more information, contact Nicholas Wulfkuhle, E-mail: [email protected]; Tel: 580-353-1455; Fax: 580-353-1456.

BASS DRUM CYMBALS ANDREW REAMER SAULIUS ASTRAUSKAS 1. Rimsky-Korsakov – Capricioso Espagnol, 1. P. Tchaikovsky – Romeo and Juliet 1st M. 2. P. Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 4, 2. Debussy – La Me, 3rd M. 43–46 4th movement, Finale 3. Stravinsky – Rite of Spring, end of part 1 3. P. Tchaikovsky – Overture 1812 @ 72 4. Rimsky-Korsakov – Scheherazade. 4. Moussorgsky – Pictures at an Exhibition, 4th movement, Finale 120–end 5. Mahler – 3rd, opening TIMPANI 6. Tchaikovsky – 4th, end DAVID HERBERT 1. Beethoven 1 SNARE DRUM 2. Beethoven 5 MICHAEL ROSEN 3. Beethoven 7 1. Prokofieff – Lt. Kije 4. Beethoven 9, 1st movement 2. Rimsky- Korsakow – Scheherazade 5. Beethoven 9, 2nd movement and 3 William Schuman – Symphony No. 3 4th movement 4. Shostakovich – Symphony No. 10 5. Rimsky-Korsakow – Capricco Espagnol WILLIAM PLATT BASS DRUM WITH ATTACHED CYMBAL Repertoire To Be Determined, contact PAS.

Notate which lab(s) in which you would like to participate. If multiple labs are selected, number in order of preference.

___ BASS DRUM ___ SNARE DRUM ___ CYMBALS ___ TIMPANI ___ BASS DRUM WITH ATTACHED CYMBAL

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SEND TO: PERCUSSIVE ARTS SOCIETY 701 NW FERRIS AVENUE, LAWTON, OK 73507

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