Superhighway

for percussion quartet and electronics
commissioned by the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet

Superhighway (2018) reimagines the 61 keys of the marimba as not only indicators of pitch, but also speed. Using middle C as the quarter note pulse, all other pitches run proportionally to this base rate; higher pitches move more quickly and lower pitches more slowly. This creates some very unusual rhythmic ratios, such as the half-step above Middle C (D-flat), where 16 pulses are equally crammed within the space of 15.

The musical parameter that unites all of this chaotic rhythmic activity is a 32 step sequence of gradually increasing and decreasing dynamics (loudness). Although each note is arriving at a particular dynamic step at a different time, all are traveling across the same proverbial “road.” As the composition progresses, the off-kilter rhythmic values are snapped to the nearest beat, which secures the groove and allows for intricate syncopations to emerge. The electronic audio component acts as a digital resonator for the marimba and reinforces the contrapuntal mesh of asymmetrical pulses.