Electric Counterpoint Flashcards
What is the style of he piece?
Minimalism
Name 4 minimalist techniques used in this piece
- Note addition
- Repetition
- Layering
- Rhythmic displacement
What is the name of the constantly repeating patterns?
Ostinati
Which instruments feature in Electric Counterpoint?
- 1 live guitar (amplified)
- 7 pre-recorded electric guitars
- 2 pre-recorded bass guitars
- 10 guitars in total
Who composed the piece?
Steve Reich
Who was Electric Counterpoint written for?
Pat Metheny
When was Electric Counterpoint first performed?
1987
Texture in Electric Counterpoint
- complex and contrapuntal
- layering
At the beginning
- starts with guitar one (monophonic) - then live guitar - then adds guitars 2-4 - then adds bad guitars - then guitars 5-7
At the end
- guitars 5-7 drop out - bass guitars drop out
Melody in Electric Counterpoint
- one bar motif is repeated continuously to form an ostinato
- melody is built up through note addition
- motif is introduced by live guitar and then guitars 1-4 play the same motif starting at different places in the bar (phase shifting)
- live guitar plays resultant melody
Metre in Electric Counterpoint
- mainly in 3/2
- in B section, some parts go into 12/8 while others continue in 3/2, leading to cross-rhythms being created
Tempo of Electric Counterpoint
- very fast
- 192 crotchet beats per minute
Rhythm in Electric Counterpoint
- rhythmically complex with much repetition, rhythmic development and rhythmic counterpoint
- syncopation
- cross rhythms
- phase shifting (when guitars play the same motif but in different parts of the bar
Tonality of Electric Counterpoint
- best described as being modal, but remains ambiguous
- strummed chords define key of E minor
- lots of shifts between E minor and C minor
- ends with a an E5 chord
Dynamics in Electric Counterpoint
- fairly constant throughout
- parts gradually fade out in a number of places
How many movements are there in Electric Counterpoint?
3
