Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich - Beginning

Skins

jjoyner000: that's one of the inspirations behind this piece I think. The Vibraphone functions as a kinda playing conductor that plays small motifs to cue new parts to the rest of the ensemble. Steve Reich took this from african drumming I believe.

Went to see it yesterday at the royal festival hall - mesmerising.

So did I. I loved watching the musicians move around and take turns.

haha yeah its interesting.

This piece brings up so much whenever I listen to it for the full hour. "Pulses" makes me feel like a little kid in a candy shop, I can really relax in "Section IIIA", at times I get really frustrated and annoyed with the repetition and feel like I'm being tortured forcing myself to listen to it, and at other times I feel completely "in touch" with the piece. I can get tired, but I can also get completely aware.

Maybe that's just because I'm a musician, but this piece to me has everything.

And to all those who get annoyed by this piece, like I said I get annoyed by it sometimes, but it is more interesting to explore why you don't like something than to condemn it.

I never want to say I don't like something, I'd rather say I don't understand it. You can still respect people who like it even if you dislike it. You all come in claiming the higher intellectual ground, well to me the most ignorant thing of all is to not even bother to try to understand a piece of music.

umm...this video is like, 5 seconds behind the audio track.

notice the lack of conductor. now THATS impressive.

Shouldn't be too hard, with the constant eighth-notes going.