This piece was written in 2020 to Emily Lazernik, and is a three movement work. The score is linked in the description to the YouTube recording below.
The first movement uses two delays that need to be interchanged very quickly. Perhaps a multieffects unit with two presets would be better than a single delay stompbox. Two stompboxes may be possible. The first delay is a "hocket" delay, which should be set the equivalent of a dotted eighth note of the performance tempo, somewhere around 408ms. The second delay should last a quarter note (or 545ms) and use enough feedback to last the duration of a measure.
The second movement uses a sample and hold pedal to create a drone of a perfect fifth. Sometimes this effect is called delay hold, or reverb hold. Regardless of the name, the pedal loops a short section—in this case single notes—indefinitely. This effect should feed into a pitch shifter that will raise the drone up a perfect fifth when activated. Additionally, the effect should feed into a volume pedal to perform the crescendo and decrescendo at the beginning and end of the movement.
The third movement uses the same sample and hold pedal to create a drone, and then uses a four measure loop with an immediate overdub. There is also pitch shifting up and down an octave simultaneously. A high feedback delay is also used towards the end. Finally, the entire loop should decay through a volume pedal, or decay function of the looper pedal.
In summary, a delay pedal, sample and hold pedal, multiple pitch shifters or a pitch shifter that can do two intervals at once, a volume pedal, and a looper pedal are necessary. A possible setup diagram for this piece is shown below.
This piece is not too difficult technically. Perhaps the greatest difficulty is not being thrown off by the hocket delay in the first movement. The electronics are not too difficult either, although the sample and hold pedal is not as common an effect as others. This could be a good candidate for an introductory piece to the genre.
This is a very accessible piece, and is likely to be enjoyed by most audiences.
©2024 by Benjamin Bradshaw
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