38 bpm

For 6 percussionists

Instrumentation

Each percussionist plays on a similar set of 8 different instruments. The instruments vary in the duration of their resonance and the quality of their timbre. If possible, the duration of resonance should increase cumulatively. None of the instruments is intentionally muted after being hit.

The composition is played in a monorhythmic pulse of 38 beats a minute and in unison.

There will be no polyrhythmic patterns or movements, no change of pulse, no out-of-sync playing. To keep the beat steady and in unison, all players are connected with a digital in-ear metronome system.The duration of the composition is 38 minutes. At the end, all percussionists have produced 1444 hits.

The score

The order of instruments to be played is indeterminate but structured in the graphical score. The score consists of 1444 dots organized in a geometrical pattern of 38 rows with 38 dots in each row. The dots are placed, measured from their center points, equidistant from each other. The dots have 8 different sizes, each of which is assigned to one of the 8 different instruments. The smallest dot, with a 3mm diameter, represents the instrument with the shortest resonance; the biggest dot, at 10mm, represents the instrument with the longest.

Each musician navigates freely through the score, and composes an individual order in which the instruments will be hit. They can choose any point in the score to start their navigation. Moving to the north or south, to the west or east, back and forth, is possible. It is not allowed to jump over dots or to make diagonal moves.

How to draw your individual score

Take sheet no. 1 from the score and place a transparent paper on top. Trace the route you navigate. When you are finished, place the transparent paper on top of sheet no. 2. Sheet no. 2 contains numbers. These numbers represent the instruments of your set. Take the A3 sheet with the time lines. Each line on the sheet represents one minute. Now follow the tracing from the starting point and fill in on the A3 sheets the order of numbers you pass on your navigated route. Fill out both A3 sheets completely. These sheets are the score you read from when you play.