Broken Drum - Matthew Burtner

Broken Drum
by Matthew Burtner
Performed by Morris Palter
at the University of Kentucky
Singletary Center for the Arts
April 11, 2007

This piece was composed in 2004 for brake drum and computer.

(Notes from the composer)

I found a car "brake drum" on the side of the road and decided to make this bit of car wreckage into a musical instrument. The metamorphosis from garbage into sonic art object attracted me. Musically the piece focuses on two ideas: 1) the acoustic sonorities of the brake drum, and 2) the "broken drum" metaphor represented by rhythmic systems that in various ways are imperfectly constructed or disintegrated through cross-polymetric relationships. The piece was written for Morris Palter.

Morris is the Artistic Director of Ensemble 64.8 (UAF percussion ensemble), the Artistic Director for the University of Alaska Fairbanks New Music Festival, the World Music Artistic Coordinator for the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, and the Co-Artistic Director for the SoundON Modern Music Festival held each year in San Diego.

More info about Morris Palter at:
http://morrispalter.com/

Please check out more videos in my channel!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Morris
• Palter
• UAF
• Alaska
• Kentucky
• electronics
• computer
• tape
• audio
• brake
• drum
• broken
• Matthew
• Burtner
• percussion
• solo

[Guitarwithwertyloops]

..................cool story

[sshhrriinnee]

@Guitarwithwertyloops it could be that the change in harmonics (what i thought was his doing) was due to my hearing which i've realized is kinda damaged. there's dynamics here though, you shouldn't hate it too much... it's not as interesting or articulate and it doesn't have the advantage of being on CPs detuning piano which is as much his style as it is the construction of the thing.

[Guitarwithwertyloops]

@sshhrriinnee Actually this kinda blows... He literally rubs a break drum for six minuets, and places his hand on and off the drum. Over...and over....and over... at different times during the recording... and also it has no melodic qualities to compare to "Charlemagne Palestine - Strumming Music."

[sshhrriinnee]

@Guitarwithwertyloops Then you really wouldn't like "Charlemagne Palestine - Strumming Music" about 50 minutes of a piano played hard and fast without much variation in structure, maybe 20 chord changes. There's precedent for this kind of thing and it's pretty damn intense and awesome imo

[Playachtiyalawn]

I guarantee that this piece is different when experienced live.

[FredMaus]

wow, this was really great!

[shanebieda]

There is a slim line between profound and stupid.

[Guitarwithwertyloops]

Umm this is great and all but listening to a break drum for 6:04 is kinda boring Sry

[CClarino]

Hi Mr. Palter - I really enjoyed your performance! Thanks for posting your video.

What are you using for the metal beaters?