Uploaded August 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
My submission for the Hardware Jams “The End” Weekend Challenge.
I’ve recently been looking into some of the techniques the Steve Reich uses in his minimalist compositions and was particularly drawn to his piece “Clapping Music” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clapping_Music. In this piece two parts start with the same beat pattern and then after a few bars one of the parts shifts by a beat. This shifting continues until the parts are back in phase for the end of the piece.
For my jam this week. I’ve started with 3 oscillators forming a C major chord (C,E,G) they all play the rhythm of “THE END” in morse code “- …. . / . -. -..” Then after a few repetitions the E shifts a beat backwards and the G shifts a beat forwards. I continue with this shifting until eventually all 3 parts come back into phase and play the morse code for “THE END’ at the end.
A very minimalist techno jam, which I’m pleased with the results of making interesting rhythmic variations whilst the notes used don’t change.
This week’s challenge prompt:
Adventures on the Blue Mist Mountain - Part Two!
What a party! You danced all night to the pulsating psytrance music that you stumbled upon in the middle of the forest. Surrounded by new friends that will last a lifetime. As the early light of dawn begins its inexorable creep into daylight, collected thoughts start to turn to the question of “what’s next?” - all of a sudden a sprightly voice pipes up “you’re all invited to an after-party over at my place, it’s only a short walk from here in a cabin on the side of the Blue Mist Mountain!” A whoop and a cheer went up, the party seems destined to continue, in a more relaxed and gentle form. A little while later you are happily chilling with all your new friends at the afterparty; the vibes are wonderful and the music is hitting the spot perfectly. Suddenly there is a loud, abrupt hammering at the door of the cabin and loud voices demanding to be let in immediately. A tremor of shock rolls round the gathering. What’s going on? Who could it possibly be?
COULD THIS BE THE END??????
So often when we make our jams, we focus all our energies on building the tune. And the inevitable five-minute point is upon us all too soon with no exit strategy in place! This weekend we would like you to really think about how you are going to end your jam, the challenge is to focus on this aspect of your performance. It could be a dramatic ending, or a surprise. It could be one or more false endings. It could be the resolution of a musical or rhythmic progression up to that point. Take inspiration from the ongoing saga of our adventures on the Blue Mist Mountain and the idea of an after-party that takes an unexpected turn; perhaps you could make the piece of music that is playing when the knock on the door occurs!
Always Learning
════════════
I'm a strong believer in continuous improvement and always trying to learn something new. During this jam I explored phasing techniques to add variation and interest to a jam.
My submission for the Hardware Jams “The End” Weekend Challenge.
I’ve recently been looking into some of the techniques the Steve Reich uses in his minimalist compositions and was particularly drawn to his piece “Clapping Music” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clapping_Music. In this piece two parts start with the same beat pattern and then after a few bars one of the parts shifts by a beat. This shifting continues until the parts are back in phase for the end of the piece.
For my jam this week. I’ve started with 3 oscillators forming a C major chord (C,E,G) they all play the rhythm of “THE END” in morse code “- …. . / . -. -..” Then after a few repetitions the E shifts a beat backwards and the G shifts a beat forwards. I continue with this shifting until eventually all 3 parts come back into phase and play the morse code for “THE END’ at the end.
A very minimalist techno jam, which I’m pleased with the results of making interesting rhythmic variations whilst the notes used don’t change.
This week’s challenge prompt:
Adventures on the Blue Mist Mountain - Part Two!
What a party! You danced all night to the pulsating psytrance music that you stumbled upon in the middle of the forest. Surrounded by new friends that will last a lifetime. As the early light of dawn begins its inexorable creep into daylight, collected thoughts start to turn to the question of “what’s next?” - all of a sudden a sprightly voice pipes up “you’re all invited to an after-party over at my place, it’s only a short walk from here in a cabin on the side of the Blue Mist Mountain!” A whoop and a cheer went up, the party seems destined to continue, in a more relaxed and gentle form. A little while later you are happily chilling with all your new friends at the afterparty; the vibes are wonderful and the music is hitting the spot perfectly. Suddenly there is a loud, abrupt hammering at the door of the cabin and loud voices demanding to be let in immediately. A tremor of shock rolls round the gathering. What’s going on? Who could it possibly be?
COULD THIS BE THE END??????
So often when we make our jams, we focus all our energies on building the tune. And the inevitable five-minute point is upon us all too soon with no exit strategy in place! This weekend we would like you to really think about how you are going to end your jam, the challenge is to focus on this aspect of your performance. It could be a dramatic ending, or a surprise. It could be one or more false endings. It could be the resolution of a musical or rhythmic progression up to that point. Take inspiration from the ongoing saga of our adventures on the Blue Mist Mountain and the idea of an after-party that takes an unexpected turn; perhaps you could make the piece of music that is playing when the knock on the door occurs!
Always Learning
════════════
I'm a strong believer in continuous improvement and always trying to learn something new. During this jam I explored phasing techniques to add variation and interest to a jam.
