SHIVER LUNG 2

FOR SOLO PERCUSSION AND ELECTRONICS

By Ashley Fure ( 2017 )

Technical gear: Setup and Performance Process: Amplification:

2 15” subwoofer speaker cones (such as these) The two subwoofer speaker cones sit side by side on a table, Unless the performance space is exteremely intimate, this piece
- 4 Ohms vibrating (for the vast majority) of the piece at a subaudible should be amplified. Each speaker cone should have one mic
- Textured cone surface without spiral patterns or concentric rings frequency of 10.67 hz. This oscillation creates an iterative ictus angled directly at its surface. These mics should be panned
1 stereo amplifier (such as this) that rises and falls in a rhythm roughly equivalent to 32nd notes slightly left and right, wide enough so the audience experiences
1 Laptop at 76 BPM. Throughout the 16 minute and 23 second piece, the some directional distinction, but not so wide the polyrhthmic
Max/MSP Runtime patch (provided by composer) performer slides a sequence of materials across the surface of density arising from the layering of the two cones’ activity is
these undulating cones, moving from beads, to hands, to paper compromised. In other words: if someone sitting near the left
Laptop Amplifier Speaker Cones boards, to rattle, to chimes, respectively. speaker hears only activity from the left cone, much will be lost.
Care should be taken to create directional differentiation within a
Percussion gear: The score provides a general map of this sequence, laying out fused spatial field.
proportionally spaced timbral environments inside of which each
2 drumsticks with 2 12” mardi gras style beaded necklaces hanging on player must strive to create polyrhythmic tension, structural In an amplified setting, a high pass filter should be active
each stick. These four strands should have the following timbral momentum, and formal thrust. throughout the first 12 minutes and 40 seconds of the piece. Try
qualities: starting with a cutoff frequency of 100 hz and calibrating from
• Stick 1: Timbre A (hard plastic beads), Timbre B (light plastic The timings in the score refer to a studio recording of the piece there. From 12:40 - 14:40, this filter should slowly ramp out,
beads) created by percussionist Ross Karre, for whom the piece was allowing in more and more of the low end until a point of
• Stick 2: Timbre A (hard plastic beads), Timbre B (metal beads) composed. An audio and video recording of this studio session are maximum subwoofer immersion during the last two minutes of
made available to the performer for rehearsal reference. The the piece.
timings indicated in the score refer precisely to this studio
recording. While they should be heeded with as much accuracy Ideally, the engineer can also fade in (actual) subwoofer support
as possible, structural momentum and polyrhythmic force are far to boost the immersive impact of these last 3 minutes of the
2 paper boards, each prepared in the following manner: more important than clock accuracy in this piece. If a timbral piece.
• Cut a foam core frame for an 11”x 17” (or A3) sheet of paper. shift arrives 5 seconds later than the score indicates because the
The frame should be roughly 3 inches thick. Tape the short (11”) performer is building toward their own sense of arrival, so be it. Another mixing note: when the speaker cones’ oscillation
edge of the paper to the frame, leaving the long edge unfastened. The complex, kinetic environment created by these vibrations increases from 10.67 hz to 30 hz over 12:40 - 14:40, the volume
leaves local gestural shaping largely up to the player. Feel agency of the chimes bouncing on top of them increases considerably. It
in making the form come alive; the score is only your guide. may be necessary to ride the main amplification gain throughout
that passage to avoid clipping.
I recommend a process of rehearsal that involves free play inside
of each timbral environment, close study of the session recording,
and then eventually labored, repetitive practice of the notated
1 set of 3 octave chimes of lightweight metal alloy edges and transitions between material encounters. In my
- LP brand are preferred experience, the deeper you go with these speaker cones, the
- Individual chimes on the bar should be solid, not tubes more they give back, the more they sing. Follow your gut and see
1 seed rattle if you can light them up.
- Example: ankle rattle with a cluster of 1” dried nut or seed shells
- Without gourd, rim, or shaft
2 rute sticks
- Example: Hot Rods
 BEADS HANDS PAPER CHIMES

Morse A: Hold the A strand

of beads so that its lowest Nail Swipes: Scrape the Paper Polys: With the board Chime Tickle: Hold the
bead barely touches the high nails in a fast circle around resting flat against the cone, chimes vertically so the
edge of the cone. Attempt the high edge of the cone. tap the fingers in polyrhyth- short (high) pipes tickle
to hold the stick perfectly Each sforzando scrape mic patterns across the against the surface of the
still at this threshold of should fade into soft tip surface of the paper. Each cone. Raise and lower the
contact. Since perfectly still slides at the completion of shifting pressure point will chimes slightly to create
is impossible, the bead will the circle. audibly alter the timbre of accents in volume and color.
somtimes touch the cone the rustle.
and sometimes not, creating
morse code like clicks with
charged, aleotoric silences.

Morse B: Similar to Morse Tip Slides: Slowly slide the Wing Flaps: while main- Chime Drop: With a sharp,
A, but with the other strand fingertips around the cone. taining contact on the fast movement, drop the
of beads. This produces a soft pitter interior edge of the cones, chimes into horizontal
patter like white noise slowly raise and lower the position so all the pipes
raindrops, with the timbre of exterior edge of the boards, bounce loudly against the
each drop shifting depend- creating a flange-like surface of both cones.
ing on proximity to the filtration of the white noise
center of cone. rustle.

Vertical Play: Move the Tip Hops: Lift the fingers on Proximity Rhythms: raise Lift Accents: with a sharp
stick up and down in short, and off the cone, sometimes and lower the board just jerk, whip the chimes
polyrhthmic accents. As singularly, sometimes all above the cone, without quickly off and back onto
distance from the cone together, creating subtle actually touching its surface. the cones.
increases or decreases, more accent patterns. When all Moving air emerging from
or fewer beads will bounce fingers lift and re-engage the cone will rustle the paper
against the surface, causing together, charged silences more or less loudly depend-
shifts in volume and timbral similar to the Morse effect ing on proximity from the
density. wtih beads can be created. surface.

RATTLE RUTE
Timbre Waves: Move the Fingertips into Fingernails:
stick up and down and left Tip hops and slides can be
performed with either the Rattle Polys: Explore the Rute Slide: Slowly slide the
and right with both bead
fingertips or the fingernails. surface of the cone with the rute toward and away from
strands bouncing against the
From 6:40 to 7:52, a rattle, using scrapes and the center of the cone. This
cone. Shifts in the angle of
primarily fingertip texture short vertical accents. produces a thick, machinic
the stick will cause one or
should progressively morph drone whose timbre shifts
more timbre to dominate;
into an entirely fingernail according to proximity from
shifts in the vertical distance
texture. the center.
of the stick will cause swells
in volume.
 0:00 2:01 2:56 4:35 4:52

Quietly
LH Morse A Vertical Play A Timbre Waves Beads off set down
beads and join
Slowly pass stick nail swipes.
to left hand so all
RH Morse A Morse B Timbre Waves four bead chains Nail Swipes
vibrate in left cone
Sparse Dense

ppp P f P f etc. ff sffz pp sffz pp etc.

Oscillation Speed: 10.67 HZ

5:01 6:40 7:52 8:18 8:20 8:26 8:30

2”
LH Tip Hops and Slides Single Swipe Board Drop Paper Polys
Progressively transition from
fingertip to fingernails slides
RH Tip Hops and Slides Pick up board while left hand Board Drop Paper Polys
continues nail slides and
prepare to drop

ppp f sffz Sudden ff

Silence
 9:01 9:22 10:06 10:40 10:49 10:51

2”
LH Wing Flaps Proximity Rhythms Paper Polys Lift Boards Drop Boards
Slowly slide right hand
board to left cone so both
RH Wing Flaps Proximity Rhythms Paper Polys vibrate there. Quietly Drop Rattle
pickup rattle with rght

P pp
hand and preparpe to

F ff
drop.
Sudden
Silence

10:55 11:31 12:40 14:56 16:23

LH Paper Polys Chime Tickle Chime Off Rute Slide

Remove boards
Quietly set down
and quietly pick Chime Drop Lift Accents chimes and join
up chimes.
Rute, fading in from
RH Rattle Polys Rattle Polys Remove rattle Rute Slide niente.
and join 2
handed lift
accents

f ff fff
Abrupt
Oscillation Ramp: 10.67 HZ 30 HZ Cutoff