"Clapping Music" by Steve Reich

Something I'm seriously interested in right now is "Clapping Music", written in 1972 by Steve Reich. For those who don't know, it is a minimalist piece of music performed entirely by two people clapping. The first musician claps this bar 156 times (the entire length of the piece):

*clap* *clap* *clap* *miss* *clap* *clap* *miss* *clap* *miss* *clap* *clap* *miss*

But the second musician has a trickier task. They clap the above bar over and over, and at first they are synchronized with the other musician. But every 12 bars, they shift one beat to the left. So the above bar becomes:

*clap* *clap* *miss* *clap* *clap* *miss* *clap* *miss* *clap* *clap* *miss* *clap*

And then...

*clap* *miss* *clap* *clap* *miss* *clap* *miss* *clap* *clap* *miss* *clap* *clap*

Notice that each time, the clap at the start is being removed and placed at the end. This continues throughout the piece, and after 144 bars, when the second musician has shifted twelve times, the two musicians are in unison again, and the piece ends.

Despite being based on such a simple rhythm, Clapping Music evolves into something beautiful that flows with complex rhythms and patterns. Here is a pretty awesome video of the piece being performed by jugglers banging balls onto the floor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXhBti625_s

One can only begin to imagine the amount of skill required to get that right. As for me, I hope to be able to clap to this one day. Sure, it's a lot of fun being the first musician clapping the same bar over and over, but try tapping to the beat of the second. It's tricky.

Let us discuss this gem from the days of minimalism. Perhaps we could start a live WATMM cover version?

<3

drumming is also worth a mention

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USRGNr17Jm4

fuckin IDM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQcDlE51qJk&feature=related

thread needs more theory

  On 7/10/2010 at 2:38 AM, Benedict Cumberbatch said:

thread needs more theory

Fuckin' phasing. How does it work?

come out to show them come out to show them come out to show them come out to show them come out to show them come out to show them come out to show them come out to show them come out to show them come out to show them come out to show them come out to show them come out to show them come out to show them come out to show them

I've played clapping music and it's really fun and awesome. I want to try drumming sometime but I just don't think I'm that good.

four organs is better imo.

  On 7/10/2010 at 2:38 PM, dr lopez said:

I've played clapping music and it's really fun and awesome. I want to try drumming sometime but I just don't think I'm that good.

 

four organs is better imo.

Which clapper were you? The one that repeats the same bar, or the one that shifts every 12 bars?

i've long harbored a desire to get together enough people to do music for 18 musicians. like a lot of reich (and terry riley too), it's scored so any 18 instruments can play it. you'd need absolutely perfect timing though. or click tracks on headphones, maybe. you could use the same group to do riley's in C as well

  On 7/10/2010 at 2:38 PM, dr lopez said:

four organs is better imo.

there used to be a kickass version of four organs being done by just two guys on youtube

Damn that drumline playing "drumming" is fucking tight. Makes sense though, those drumline guys are fucking on point. I went to school with one, and while he wasn't the most creative drummer in the class that year, his technique and timing were tighter than a 12 year old catholic school girl's vagina.

Wish more drumlines would do crazy shit like that.

the video posted for clapping is madness, that must have taken just a wee bit of practice...

i think some of the vocal stuff like come out to sjow them or its gonna rain is some of the trippiest shit. it does my head in everytime and i can barely make it through them.

i didnt know that about scoring 18 musicians for any instrument. it would be super interesting to hear different versions of that. id like to hear an autechre version of thst where they use their sounds in the 18 musicians formula. actually that would make a good series. all different bands releasing their take on it.

This was posted on WATMM in the favorite youtube videos thread I think, but still relevant to the topic (and still totally awesome):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKXy1FPTdvg&feature=related

  On 7/10/2010 at 1:49 AM, kaini said:

<3

drumming is also worth a mention

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USRGNr17Jm4

this group is from UAF in fairbanks alaska. I KNOW THEM.

I just played a fucking gig with the guy on the far right last night. Christ.

I was in the FOOKin audience. I made a bootleg recording.

"Fapping Music", "Music for 18 masturbators", "It's Gonna Cum", "Music for a large penis", "Cumming"

Imagine two guys fapping, one just slightly faster than the other. Penis phase!

i've seen it live.

four organs is my fav.

i ejaculate regularly to Steve Reich. I was pleased that i played different trains for my sister on a road trip and she's been listening to Reich ever since.