Music That Accelerates From 0-60 p.5

One thing that can be done with additive and subtractive techniques are to create transitions between sections by shortening the last repeat of a section by one beat or whatever because polyrhythmic music has traditionally used rhythm as a structural element rather than harmonic considerations which is another aspect whose stranglehold post-postmoderns are trying to escape. This also helps break up the authority of form which people in the postmodern era have been trying to do but all too often wound up facing 180 degrees and embracing formlessness. 180 degrees of sick is still sick.

180 degrees of burning up is freezing cold. The resulting chaos is something else I do not wish to recreate. Having transitions between sections helps get away from the 3 1/2 minute radio format and 15 second attention span of the verse, verse, chorus, verse, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus of the pop song and the AABA jazz form (when lengthened much becomes quite boring) without succumbing to the formless hour long pieces sometimes found in minimalism.

The historical precedent in the western world for a longer music with transitions, known as the long form, is found in big band arrangements and musical theater although, there, the music isn't rhythmically shortened to make transitions which is more akin to African music.

In Thailand, sometimes the gongs are played in a manner where the parts of the rhythm on beats 2 and 4 would be played the first time through, then the complete rhythm would be played on the next repeat, now including the rhythmic events on beats 1 and 3 also. This is an additive technique. I like this because it is a way to achieve more with less which is similar to minimalism.

Minimalim was mostly just a reaction to modernism. It was primarily based on deconstruction, on negating what went before. Unlike most minimalists, we should know why we're doing additive/subtractive procedures.

I want to avoid elitist music and, more importantly, move toward having several easy parts that don't require very much memorization to learn. I would like music to bring people together in performance not just professional musicians. Good teachers and manuals only introduce 1 new element at a time.

They only add on what is absolutely necessary to what a person already knows one step at a time. Additive procedures are one way to accomplish this educational goal of connecting to a person's prior knowledge. It can be intuitive and user friendly as opposed to counter intuitive and difficult.

I'd like to avoid some of the separation of the audience and performers. I think additive/subtractive procedures help facilitate that.

Another competing force is that the music needs to be likeable. Music does not have to pander to the adolescent 15 second attention span and 3 minute radio format like Britney Spears, yet not stretch the attention so far that it breaks as did early minimalism. Music does not need to sound so different that it alienates the audience.