Rhythmic construction and reduction -
the process of gradually substituting
rests for beats (or beats for rests) with
a constantly repeating rhythmic cycle
Interested in music
from other parts of the
world
Complex rhythmic
structures built up of
polyrhythms: 'Music for
Mallet Instruments' (1970-1)
African music: 'Drumming' (1970-1)
Music of the Balinese
gamelan: 'Voices and
Organ' (1973)
Tape loops
Phasing
patterns in
early
compositions
Phase shifting - two or more identical
loops playing at slightly different
speeds. Repetitions move apart and
eventually arrive again at
synchronization
Pre-recorded fragments of speech
in 'It's Gonna Rain' (1965 - a
preacher's voice) and 'Come Out'
(1966)
Use of recording loops of a toy
melodica in 'Melodica' (1966) -
pitches determined by composer
Augmentation
Explores different approaches
to phase shifting through
gradual lengthening of
individual notes
'Violin Phase' (1967)
'Phase Patterns' (1970)
'Clapping Music' (1972)
Gradual augmentation
of a single chord
'Four Organs' (1970), scored for
4 electric organs and a pair of
maracas
Chordal augmentation in
'Music for 18 Musicians'
Voices and winds use the
length of their breath as a
guide for duration
Sing / Play pulses on assigned
pitches to creates rising and
falling patterns
Use of sampling
Taped sampled
speech fragments
and train sounds in
'Different Trains'
(1988)
Sampled sounds
of car horns, car
alarms, air brakes
and pile drivers in
New York City in
'City Life' (1995)
Introduction of themes from his
Jewish heritage as is began to
examine his own ethnic
background