gbop orchestra!

book 4!
!
!

[2 double bassists + 2 drummers]

contents:
introduction to these scores!

!
generic notes on notation !
!
scores and piece specific performance notes!
!
!

1. flam tap
2. spaces between
3. feel free, be brutal
4. arnship

informative video scores!

movements on double bass
stillness
straight pathways
meandering
jumping
grainz

!
!

movement 1 - ascent
movement 2 - punch
movement 3 - clap
spatial rhythm no.1

informative pamphlets!
making grainz shakers
movements on a double bass

!
!

introduction:
!

about this collection:!

the gbop orchestra is a flexible ensemble, with a
constantly shifting line-up that draws different people and
spaces encountered. to date, the ensemble has featured
over 20 players and had performances in UK, Sweden
and Germany.

this set of pieces were first performed by a formation of

the gbop orchestra featuring two double bassists and
two drummers, that was brought together for a
performance at brtz in gothenburg, 10/12/14.

the gbop orchestra intends to create a welcoming

environment that invites the active involvement of both
the musicians performing and the audiences listening.
the compositions act as a framework to stimulate this
active involvement and hope to bring people into the
now.

these scores in this collection present just one possible

vision of some ideas. they are in no way intended to be
seen as definitive versions. when using these scores you
are firmly encouraged to take, adjust, and leave material
as you wish; making them work best for you.

key concepts:!
these compositions explore my interest in bringing together
multiple types of space/s under a single framework i
describe as a space based aesthetic. this stems from my
interest in the japanese aesthetic concept of space-time,
ma. ma considers the placement of objects in space as a
means to open up rather than close room perspective and
active involvement. a space-based aesthetic considers
incorporating ideas of ma together with other spatial
elements. in these compositions i have begun to explore
what these ideas can mean when applied to musical
composition and performance.

key characteristics:!
spatial rhythm - rhythm as punctuations in the continuum
of space rather than lying only in the usual divisions of a
beat.
movement = music - using physical movement and
actions on your instruments as musical material.
improvisation - incorporating elements of space in
compositions to ensure that performers are always drawing
on a certain level of improvisation in their playing.!

in order to communicate the ideas of a space-based

aesthetic, it has been essential to find ways of notating
these spatial elements; which cannot be effectively
communicated using traditional notation methods. for this
collection i have developed a number of new symbols and
notation methods in order to do this.
welcome/!
Greta

performance set up:

instrumentation:!
this set of compositions are written for
2 double bassists!
2 drummers:!
drums 1 - min. 3 drums, woodblock,
piece of metal
drums 2 - min. 3 drums, 2 grainz
shakers, piece of metal
spatial set up:!
musicians should be placed in the middle of the room,
with audience spread around them.

drums 1

double bass 2

double bass 1

drums 2

arrow indicates the direction that musician should face

generic notes on notation:

time signatures:!
4 - think in crotchets
8 - think in quavers
16 - think in semiquavers
A - no pulse
repeating a motif:!
this symbol is used to mean that a specific part should
continue with the groove/motif that has been set up in
that part [indicated with a bracket underneath],

dynamic/pressure:!
thicker marking denotes harder/stronger pressure/hit in
playing
low pressure/ force of hit
high pressure/ force of hit

audience/audio focus:!

!
!

the eye denotes a point where focus should be centred

on a certain player/part.

variation within reason/as seen fit absolutely welcome!

continue in this style:!

until ready to move on [wavy bar-line]

movement through structure /cues:

because many of these works integrate elements of
improvisation into a composed sequence of ideas, it
must be established how and when movement through
to the next section occurs.!
an arrow in a players part, denotes that it is that player
who should be first to move on to the next section.
irregular number of beats in bar:!
the bar lines do not denote a certain number of beats
per bar. you are instead instructed to think in
crotchets/quavers etc. with no regard for how many
beats in a bar as these may change from bar to bar.

if placed on bar line between two parts- this means

focus is on those two parts.

text in a box denotes an instruction that applies

to all players

drum:!
skin - shorthand for skin/head of drum
rim - shorthand for the rim of the drum
structure:!
none of these scores are written out in full. they simply
show sequence of ideas and the order in which they
should appear. some give more/less direction about
length/amount of freedom of parts and with repeats.
miscellaneous:
pitch always secondary to rhythm
everything always secondary to vibe and presence.
dont use sheet music in performance - simply use as a
guide to begin and take from it what sticks.

flam tap

flam tap
instrumentation:!
double bass 1
double bass 2
drums 1: dry/dampened low drum with one timpani mallet
and one drum stick on rim
percussion: 2 grainz shakers

grainz movement 1: ascent !

see video score for example
creating a constant sound, gradually raising arms up and
increasing to maximum volume.

piece structure with key feelings: !

INTRO - building up punchy tight groove!
A tight sparse groove together
B roaring and rough as possible
A tight, sharp and short groove together
OUTRO sparser and sparser till theres nothing left
tempo:!
tight groove

= 85
maintain throughout
duration: [4-6 minutes]!
keep it short concise, and energetic!

grainz movement 3: clap!

see video score for example
clapping with shakers in your hands so that the plastic/shell
hits each other. quavers indicate rhythm of sounding hits

spaces - between

spaces - between
instrumentation:!
double bass 1: with preparation on A string
double bass 2: with preparation on D string
drums 1: 3 pitched drums with a pair of normal wooden
drum sticks
drums 2: any number of drums with a pair of normal
wooden drum sticks
prepared bass:!
add a clump of adjoined big paper clips to the bottom
of one of your strings to create a loud rattle when you
play that string.
piece structure with key feelings: !
RESONANT - 4 part counterpoint - percussive,
strong but never forceful
DEAD - bassline with rattle - highly sensitised
atmosphere !
DEAD - melody building to resonant climax!
RESONANT - 2 part drum counterpoint - strong+
melodic
tempo:!

= 45!
remain steady throughout
drums 1 should set the tempo using the movement of
their arms to cue the other players. tempo should be as
slow as you can without having to subdivide the beat
into two. ie. should feel comfortable counting in 1s/
crotchets.
duration: [6-10 mins]!
length should depend on how long it takes for
musicians to move from resonant to dead to resonant.
parts should never hover at same level resonance for an
extended period.

un-tuned counterpoint patterns:!

in the opening section all players set up their own
patterns using the same rhythmic motif on different
sounding parts of their instrument. it is indicated how
long these should be. patterns should be maintained as
you become more dead/resonant in sound. emphasis is
on hearing a melody in these unhitched patterns.

!
!
!

2 beats

in this first section, double basses are instructed to use

only the wood/body of bass with hand or bow and find
different tones/sounds within this.
from resonant-dead-dead-resonant!
this piece is built on the manipulation of the resonance
of your sound produced. familiarise yourself with the
capabilities of you and your instrument in producing
extremes of resonant and dead sound before playing
the piece so you can pace these subtle shiftings most
effectively.
resonant
dead
spatial rhythm no.1!
see video score for example
this motif is based on the rhythm given by a ping pong
ball when it is dropped from a height.
each persons version will be slightly different as it relies
on the material hit/how it is hit.
players should be aim to crete a unison between them
for the first 3 hits and then allow subsequent hits to be
be left to bounce to a stop.

!
!
!

FEEL FREE,!
BE BRUTAL

FEEL FREE,!
BE BRUTAL
instrumentation:!
two double basses

drums 1:
high drum with resonant tone
piece of metal
2 hard marimba mallets for metal and skin

drums 2:
low drum with resonant tone
piece of metal
2 hard marimba mallets for metal and skin
piece structure with key feelings: !
A harsh/brutal/determined
B explorative, physical
C firm but relaxed/confident
D explorative
tempo and time signature: !
firm tempo
= 100!
A - two percussionists should play with a unified pulse,
thinking in semiquavers with no sense of grouping into
phrases - apart from those dictated by your own
fluctuations in dynamic.
at B this pulse should occur simultaneously with the
double bassists who play with no sense of pulse.
at C all players operate under a unified pulse
= 70
set up by the drums

duration: [10 mins]!

try to keep all sections structured and tight. moving
between them as written.
allow section C to be the an opportunity to lengthen the
piece, taking as long as you want in venturing to and from
surrounding material.

shift in audience focus:!

during the opening metal rhythmic motif - the focus
should continually shift between drums 1 + drums 2
as players create alternating waves in their volume and
intensity.
movements on the double bass:!
please see dvd examples
notation given is just an indication of the order that the
movements should appear in. players are invited to
improvising with them and moving on to the next when you
wish.
stillness - no movement !
straight pathways!
move in straight lines / with direction / rapid!
meandering!
continuous / without direction / hovering in certain areas!
jumping!
broken up / short moments of contact

!
!

unison by copying movement - endeavour to create

some passages in unison by copying the movements of
the other bassist!
aim to create extreme contrast physically and audibly !
between the different movements.

confidently insecure pitch:!

never quite resting on the actual pitch shown but firmly
playing tones that wavers around it

spatialised melody:!
the arrival melody at C is split between two players but
should be performed/heard as a whole.

arnship

arnship
instrumentation:!
two double basses

drums 1:
low drum with resonant, singing tone
brush stick on rim and hard marimba mallet on skin
woodblock

drums 2:
low drum with resonant, singing tone
brush stick on rim and hard marimba mallet on skin
2 x grainz shakers

repeat and swap parts:!

in this piece the A and B melodies are repeated with
bassists swapping parts. enjoy and emphasise the shift of
focus when this occurs.

grainz movement 2: punch!

see video score for example
in C section, drums 2 encouraged to use grainz
movement 2 to enhance the loss of a unified sense of
time. using a semiquaver rhythm movement - the
rhythm shown underneath is an indication of the
sounding result.

piece structure with key feelings:!

DRUM INTRO - going somewhere, groove !
A strong but relaxed
LINK getting stuck & increasingly frustrated
B big feeling of release into sharper feel
C lost, venture far from home
A found
DRUM OUTRO - going somewhere!
tempo:!

= 110
steady tempo throughout
at C - lose any sense of unified time
bass 1 to re-establish previous tempo in preparation for
return to A
duration: [10 mins]!
try to keep all sections structured and tight. moving
between them as written.
allow section C to be the an opportunity to lengthen the
piece, taking as long as you want in venturing to and from
surrounding material.

close to chest

far from chest

video scores!
movements on double bass
stillness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTsaMkwGsRM&index=6&list=PLxO9HOAf5JxeUTeW1i8PoDHlPGa8b1uO8

!
!
!

straight pathways
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-rXxYBHvSI&index=4&list=PLxO9HOAf5JxeUTeW1i8PoDHlPGa8b1uO8
meandering
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ERcxQD1vLk&index=5&list=PLxO9HOAf5JxeUTeW1i8PoDHlPGa8b1uO8
jumping
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgyv2iWaixg

grainz

!
!
!

movement 1 - ascent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f5p31FEQ2A&list=UU22C946LMMncUjiVC1smJ5w&index=4
movement 2 - punch
www.youtube.com/watch?v=drTGvbPmBXk&list=UU22C946LMMncUjiVC1smJ5w
movement 3 - clap
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZrLySsE5xU&list=UU22C946LMMncUjiVC1smJ5w&index=2

spatial rhythm
no.1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd4dgFVSz7M

informative pamphlet no. 1 !

making grainz shakers

1. get tupperware/container

2. fill 1/4 - 2/3 with grain of choice

3. secure

grainz

informative pamphlet no. 2 !

movements on a double bass

movement directions as musical notation:!

1. view your instrument as a physical space [like a floor] be sure to all of the areas on your instrument - not just
those usually in use.

2. imagine exploring this space using the following

movements:
stillness - no movement !

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straight pathways - straight/direct lines
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meandering - continuous / without direction /

hovering in certain areas

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jumping - broken up / short moments of contact

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3. try these out on your instrument, using hands or

bow. [examples of contact with instrument given in
black markings on images]

4. be conscious of your physical actions - are they

explicitly doing only these movements?

5. aim to be 100% clear through your actions to

yourself and others about what movement you are
using

NOTE: be physical and literal in your actions