Thursday, 02 July 2009

• Polymetered Music

  I recorded a bit of polymetered music earlier.
  
  http://www.mediafire.com/?i1d4htmf1ju
  
  Multiple parts are written in 4/4, 3/4, 5/4, 7/8, and "none".
  
  It's all just loops on repeat, but the 4/4 and 3/4 form a single part that repeats only once every 12 beats, while simultaneously the 3 and 5 together only repeat once every 15, and 20 for the 4 and 5. All three looped at once will only repeat once every 60 beats. I didn't make the song long enough for any combination with the 7 to ever repeat. (The 7/8 comes in immediately after the 4, 3, and 5 synchronize for the first time since the 5 enters.)
  
  This is what I mean:
  
  X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---
  X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--
  X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----
  A           B  C    D   B     C         D    C  B           A
  
  At "A", all three voices "intersect", at B, C, and D, only two do.  By chosing relatively prime numerators in the meters, both the duration and chaos within the duration between synchronizations is maximized.  If it was 8/4, 4/4 and 2/4, for example, it would be more like this...
  
  X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
  X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---
  X-------X-------X-------X-------
  A   B   A   B   A   B   A   B
  
  which is an entirely different effect.
  
  In my song, I delayed the entry of each part so it wouldn't be boring, so it's more like this:
  
  X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---
      X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--
                  X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----
      B           A           B  C    D   B     C     B   D    C  B           A
  
  At which point the 7/8 voice enters.  To show you, I'm having to space everything else apart.
  
  X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X etc
  X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X etc
  X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X etc
  X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------ etc
  *                       B     C         D *     B       *   C         * B       D   *     C     B               *       A
  
  So yeah, the degree of synchronization pretty well establishes chaos inherent in the distribution of common multiples of prime numbers... and stuff...
  
  Harmonically, each riff establishes G harmonic minor in a different way, but all together they just come across as a chaotic mess of G-harmonic-minor-ness.  I could add more sections which are similar, except they establish, for example, F-major-ness, or C#-locrian-ness, or even hexatonic-ness.  Ok anyway.
  
  
  

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