Spacing:
play only when no one else is playing.
Spacing 1 (5 Spots and Dynamics)
Play one of 2 things (any duration):
5 notes/sounds (same notes repeated can be 1 sound) OR
crescendo/decrescendo.
Leave spaces in between.
Spacing 2 (Increasing Points)
Only play when no one else is playing.
Each player in the beginning can only play 1 note/sound (any duration) at a time.
He/she cannot play again until someone else has played.
After a time, increase to 2 notes/sounds at a time. Slowly continue increasing the
number of notes until someone plays 6 notes, signalling the end.
If two players begin at the same time(accidentally),
they must both end at the same time.
(2 groups can play this independently piece at the same time - Spacing 2 x 2)
Spacing 3 (Partners) Quartet #356 (Static Form)
Any player chooses a person, persons or no one, and plays,
but that grouping stops when someone else plays (person or group).
Groups use signalling to start together.
Do not stop until someone else plays.
Spacing 4 (Center Rotation):Quartet #332 (Moment Form)
As one player plays solo, any other player makes a loud, short interruption (stab)
and signals another person to play (besides him/herself).
Chosen players play until interrupted.
Other players may interrupt and signal at anytime.
Spacing 5 (Bolshong):trio#335
In rotation play a single note (round robin single notes
in rhythm).
On every third note "entry" (regardless of which players
turn), player plays choice of:
| "pass" | gliss/bend up/down |
| "jump" | <P> (repeating pattern/ostinato) |
| "back" | <=> (fast staccatto repeated notes) |
Jump means skip next player in line.
Back means reverse (<RR>) direction.
Pass means nothing (continue rotation as before).
Also: pass/back/jump on every number with "3" in 1's place
(3,13,23,33,43,etc).
On every
multiple of 10, play !!! (loud) and {Am} (in the key
of Aminor)
and sustain as long as possible, then resume
rotation. Every additional multiple of 10, go up to the
next chord (Bflatmi, Bmi, Cmi,...).
Rotation should be pretty brisk.
If there is a screw-up, other players signal by playing
the previously sounded chord, then restart from 1 from the player in error.
Spacing 6 (Consensus):duo-qrtt#218
Choose/compose a "melody"(pitch sequence, but no fixed durations) with 12 notes, with no repeating adjacent notes.
Ensemble plays melody with <S> (basic "spacing" - only 1 person playing at a time) with each one of the 12 notes repeated in the following sequence:
5-2-3-1-4-6-3-1-5-2-7-1
Add notes from all players (in other words, if the first note is #F, Any player can play #F until that note has been sounded 5 times. Then the second note of the "melody" is sounded 2 times). Players can only make a note entry after someone else has.
Each note entry can be of any duration. Accidental simultaneous notes count as 2.
If a player hears a screw-up, play short high drone and glissando down to a low drone.
Restart the melody.
Repeat.
Spacing 7 (Sequence):Quartet ->#339 (Static Form)
| Cycle 1 | Cycle 2 | |
| 1 | low | fast |
| 2 | high | rhythmic |
| 3 | trills | large interval leaps |
| 4 | gliss down | gliss up |
| 5 | staccatto | microtonal or sm. interval leaps |
| 6 | percussive | droney |
| 7 | pick partner for duo phrase | pick partner for duo phase |
Anyone can play anytime, but only when no one else is
playing (except duos).
Each "entry" should be the next "moment" in the sequence
of Cycle 1 (about 20 secs).
Continue repeating sequence 1-7. After awhile...
During #7 the duo continues for a longer, free duet,
designated beforehand by players.
Then, each player assumes an role number 1-6 (determined
before play) and can only play a choice from Cycle 2. At this point
there is no sequence, but players can only play when no one else is playing.
Players can also switch roles by hand signals (pass roles
by holding up fingers = #'s).
If Quartet, any player can also pass role #'s 5, 6, or
7.
Variation
For #3, replace trill with a phrase in Ami.
For #5, replace drone with a phrase in Gmi.
Players pick roles and play round-robin.
Players can choose either moment (either cycle) for that role #.
At any point, a player can change role assignments by playing imitate of
previous player (one number lower). Each role is moved down one, for each player.
Spacing 8 (Beats) : trio or more #346
All players begin in unison VVVV rhythm on 1 note/sound (different for each player).
Each player can change tempo at anytime ("tempo solo"), unless someone else is playing an altered tempo (from 'base' tempo).
Return to base tempo after each altered tempo.
After awhile, each player can add a note to the 1st one in the rhythm (2 notes to choose from in VVVV).
Continue adding notes until 7 notes, end.
Var
instead of tempo change entries, change rhythm phrase from VVVV (but same tempo)
Var
instead of tempo change entries, keep tempo but play additional notes in VVVV
Var
when a new note is added, the ensemble base rhythm also changes (need to score 7 rhythms)
Spacing 9 (Synthesis)qrtt#347
Each player starts with 1 of the below "roles":
| A | Play 1 to 5 notes with the below attribute when no one else is playing. |
| B | At silence play G\\ (slide down) until interrupted or lowest notepossible |
| C | Interrupt B's G\\ with a partner and play an attr.(any # of notes) until... |
| D | Interrupt C with G// (slide up) until highest note hit. |
Attributes:
| 1 | high pitches |
| 2 | pitch bend down |
| 3 | percussive |
| 4 | Loud |
| 5 | metered |
| 6 | slow |
Role A signals attribute changes. Rotate roles for each attribute.
Spacing #10 (Map)¸
duo-qrtt#230
(See "MAP")
Spacing #11 (Thumper)Qrtt#357
Prior to beginning of piece, each player chooses 3 different "signature" attributes (from
Picture Show list), 1st, 2nd and 3rd. These attributes should be recognizable by all players
and repeatable(imitatable) by all players. Every player's signatures must be different from
everybody else's.
Begin piece
with each player playing a drone texture.
One person plays someone else's
1st signature
That other person immediately recognizes his
own signature, plays it, and plays someone else's 1st signature. That other player continues
(own signature, then someone else's). All players play drone textures when not playing a sign.
After a player plays a signature sequence, that player should play a different drone texture than
before. When a person passes to another person, try to use eye contact to prevent signature
mix-ups.
After a while, someone plays someone else's
2nd signature
At that point both the 1st and
2nd signature of each player is fair game. In other words, each player must recognize if it is
one of his 2 signatures when played by someone else.
After a while add the
3rd signature to play. At this point each player has 3 signatures, and
if the ensemble is a quartet, 12 different signs are shooting back and forth between players.
The sign transfers should be as fast as possible.
The piece ends when someone does not pass a sign. The ensemble drones briefly and fades.
Spacing 12 (Phrasing):trio-qrtt #364
Each player plays a tonal, metric phrase (idiomatic), but only when no one else is playing.
Phrases are 1 - 7 secs long.
Each consecutive entry must be different from the previous one regarding key, tempo, idiom.
For trio - every 4th entry is followed by a free duo moment played by the prior non-players.
For qrtt - every 5th entry two people signal a duo moment.
Spacing 13 (Against):qrtt #356b
Play only when no one else is playing,
but play the opposite
(in tempo, register, density, pitch direction, dynamic, etc...)
of the last sound heard.
Spacing 14 (Conversation):duo -> qrtt #371
Play when there is silence
or not.
Stop playing at silence
or when someone else plays.
Imitate the last player's sound, but oppose the player before that.
When responding to a player, look at them as if speaking to them.