John Adams – Short Ride in a Fast Machine

I’m aware that I did this a year previously, but I thought that I could do a much better job this time around.

Short Ride in a Fast Machine features the usual minimalist earmarks: repetition, steady beat, and, perhaps most crucially, a harmonic language with an emphasis on consonance.

For the basis of this analysis, I will be focusing on the repetition and rhythmic aspects of the piece.

The whole structure of this piece relies on the wood block, which plays fortissimo quavers throughout.  This is the driving force that all the other instruments work around. Brass then enters with a pulsing rhythm, that further creates excitement and drama. Every cell and theme that Adams introduces in this work fits in around the wood block rhythm. The fact the score indicates that the block plays at fortissimo, and everything else at forte, signifies the woodblock’s importance both rhythmically and structurally.

The element that I could probably take from this most, would be that something as simple as a woodblock counting out crotchets can evolve into something as epic as Short Ride. My current Sonic Art project involves something similar: recording steady beats from someone on a treadmill, and then writing music around that. John Adam’s fanfare is a good model for me to study in regards to my project, as I would like to attempt to create a minimalist feel, whilst still keeping the pulse as the main focus.

Emma

John Adams- Short Ride in a Fast Machine

Short Ride in a Fast Machine is an orchestral work composed in 1986. The piece establishes a consistent pulse with a woodblock, which accentuates every downbeat. Adams incorporates several rhythmic techniques in Short Ride, such as compound meters, substituted beat divisions and rhythmic displacement. The result is a euphonic blending of stabbing strings, regularly interchanging between the regulated pulse (often with simple quaver notes) and then forming their own contrasting meters and rhythmic motifs. This contrast between the regulated pulse and what the other instruments actually play, leads to the question, why is this metrical pulse included the piece?

The most obvious answer would be for practicality purposes, as attempting to pull off these rhythmic displacements and overlaying beat divisions would be a difficult task without a point of reference. However, I think that the reason has more to do with the concept of manipulating time, or, more precisely, psychological time. This refers to our perception of time passing, as opposed to our ‘real time’. When we listen to music, we establish a method of measuring time that differs from that of ‘real time’ through use of time signatures and bar measures, to split up a certain period of time into an arrangement we can understand and break down into a consistent manner.

With this system, we understand that music consists of a starting point and an ending point. Thus, all music can be considered a teleological process. The title Short Ride in a Fast Machine, envisions this process through the concept of travel and exploration, the listener is hinted at the idea that they’re going somewhere. Adams takes this narrative, an established period of time, and manipulates our perception of it throughout the piece. The woodblock represents a regulated beat, which can be measured and is therefore static, much like the function of a clock. This is then accompanied by the rest of the instruments, who sometimes conform to the strict time measurement, but then act independently, playing off the beat and weaving in and out of the spectrum. The piece continues in this fashion, before reaching an anthemic climax and eventually ending on an abrupt, but satisfying note.

Shannon Barnes

John Adams (b. 1947) Shaker Loops (1978)

Absolutely fascinating! Listening to this work is like opening up doors to new worlds for a few minutes at a time and experiencing something different, that is still somehow strangely familiar. Adams creates ‘audio waves’ using instruments of the orchestral string family. Originally written for a septet, and latter arranged for string orchestra, each part works through a motif repeatedly occasionally making the slightest of alteration as it morphs into the next idea or disappears completely. The work comprises of four movements; 1.Shaking and Trembling, 2. Hymning Slews, 3. Loops and Verses, 4. A Final Shaking.

In the first movement you can hear the loops, initially it sort of sounds a bit like Mahler’s 1^st symphony’s 1st movement if it was on speed. It emerges from barely anything and becomes larger. A lot of the work feels a bit like you are sitting at a mixing desk or computer and playing with MSP. So much of what can be heard would be a simple turn of a knob on a synth. Whilst using repeated short mostly rhythmic motifs may seem like a simple idea Adams manages to create music that is full of beauty and tranquillity at points, and at other times becomes ferocious to the point it is almost violent.

The highlight for me is the second movement. It’s almost typical of a symphonic slow movement with lush melodies and a nice contrast from the other movements. Regardless of the overall concept this movement is a beautiful yet haunting work for strings. That this was written using the same ideas as the other movements makes it all the more impressive. Adams creates lush almost ‘deep-sea’ sounds, I can hear  dolphins or whales talking and the beeping of a submarine sonar, but it’s still very much what the average person would call music. I am a little shocked to hear what seems to be some sort of diatonic cadence at the end of the movement.

Perhaps most important is that the first performance was held in ‘Tully’ Hall in New York.

Warren.

John Adams – Shaker Loops

I will focus on the 1st movement “Shaking and Trembling”.

It begins with the violins playing in 4ths, with occasional “blips” of sound echoed backwards and forwards between the violas and cellos. The result is a discordant sound, that never seems to completely resolve. The entire beginning seems to be one massive build up, one massive experiment in the building of tension. This tension is resolved at about 2.36. However the tension then resumes when the cellos and basses play a very fast, sinister tremelo line. We then return to this idea of tension building, as the different sections become a massive sound, that eventually becomes soft low sustained notes that signal the move into the second section of the piece.

This is a very curious piece for me, as there is no real discernible melody. This seems more a work of tension and rhythm than one of melody and harmony, very much like many of John Adams’ other works, i.e Short Ride in a Fast Machine. I was pleasantly surprised by it however, especially at seeing how effective the tension-building was.

Job well done John.

Emma

John Adams – Short Ride In A Fast Machine

Woah! If anyone wants to challenge themselves in the score-reading department, try Short Ride In A Fast Machine. I looked away for a split second and immediately found myself totally lost. Also, if anyone is constantly struggling to get out of bed in the morning, set this composition as your alarm – as soon as you hear that woodblock interrupt your dreams, I guarantee you will leap out of bed and face the day with a renewed sense of unbelievable exhilaration.

It is quite amazing to think that the humble woodblock can produce such pure adrenaline. But it is the integral element of this composition, initially setting the rapid tempo before continuing to delightfully bash away under the orchestral instruments. As you’ve probably guessed by now, this piece is all about complete excitement, constant animation and utter enjoyment. Not surprisingly, Short Ride In A Fast Machine was written as a celebratory piece, commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony to mark the 1986 opening of the Great Woods Summer Festival. And what an opener it is.

Just listening to this piece enthrals me, but to actually take part in a performance would be something else altogether. Every instrument involved is going full throttle. Clarinets play an upper register, three-note quaver motif which is so fast the individual notes eventually become indistinguishable. Trumpets, trombones and horns play syncopated staccato phrases which provide, if possible, even more driving momentum to the music (later on, the strings play similar rhythmic phrases in conjunction with the horns). The flutes and piccolos play a series of descending runs which are so fast they are basically just bursts of brilliant noise. Sadly, the woodblock eventually departs, but it is replaced by more percussion parts which provide even more syncopation. The whole thing is really absolute lunacy, but incredible fun.

Another important aspect of this work is the kaleidoscope of musical colour contained within; the continuous blend of the clarinets, the vibrant and resounding horns, the heavy splashes of percussion. I have always been unsure as to how to interpret the concept of musical colour, but when listening to this piece it was hard not to keep imagining a vast palette of colours being flung everywhere.

Basically, think of every single situation in history which has involved some sort of triumph, then combine these moments all into one, and you have Short Ride In A Fast Machine. Who could not be uplifted by this masterpiece? Have a listen – I guarantee you’ll enjoy the ride.

- Tully

J. Adams. Shaker Loops. Part 4: A final Shaking

Part 4: A final Shaking

Perhaps it’s because I’ve listened to this piece so many times, or because it follows such a powerful 3^rd movement, or maybe it’s because I have a cold, nonetheless I find this fourth section quite unnecessary. I comprehend that, as a whole, it unites the piece by reiterating the first movement, and since the entire piece is titled “shaker loops” I suppose it’s important to make a point of the “shaking”. But as a reiteration of the first movement the only new thing it offers is the higher strings playing a slightly different rhythms over the drone of the lower instruments towards the end. And fades out into oblivion, literally, in that I have trouble recalling it as a movement, I just remember that there is a diluted version of the first movement at the end.

Though one interesting aspect about the 4^th part was in the score. Because the phrase markings are so obvious, it is easy to see how this looks like a notated form of tape music, each phrase having it’s own life separate from the other phrases as well as being clearly visible as segments of notes being repeated over again.

The best thing about shaker loops is the way Adams creates texture in such a minimalist medium of musical phrases. Through the tension and release of discordant to diatonic intervals and through staggered rhythmic placing. By cleverly manipulating the phrases he creates a version of tape music that is orchestral, intentional and subtly intricate.

Jamie-Leigh

J. Adams, Shaker loops Part 3: Loops and verses. 

Part 3: Loops and verses.

This third part is a much more melodically driven bit of music, and by far my favourite. The climactic segment being quite moving in its aggression. It uses intervals as a means to create and release tensions much more than any of the other 4 parts do. It begins with the strings playing 5^th (D and A) which would naturally make one assume that the chord being alluded to is some form of D… But as the other notes gradually enter the listener feels as though the bass note has changed. First the C and E (which creates an A minor chord) but then as the cello drops from E to D my ear became uncertain of the root note, It’s almost poly chordal (A minor and some variation of a D chord containing and A on top of a D).

The beautiful and simple cello solo in bar 46 is set against a backdrop of quickly played notes from the higher instruments as well as very low notes on the contrabass, and due to their modulations, the simplistic cello melody goes from romantic to sinister smoothly.

The piece builds up to the powerful climax and fades out to niente on harmonics to introduce the fourth part.

Jamie-Leigh

J. Adams, Shaker loops. Part 2: Hymning Slews

Part 2: Hymning Slews

Hymning slews features long expressive notes played on the strings, with glissando and harmonics. This reminds me of Enya (if she was good) or Whale sounds (if they were violins and cellos).

The first section of this piece is distinct as it has Four “key changes” each featuring scales of 6 notes.

E major:                             E F# G# A C# D#

A major:                             A B C D E G#

B major (naturalised D#): B C# D E F# G#

B major:                             B C# D# E F# A

I say “key changes” because although it moves from E major to A, B. The key changes act more like accidentals that occur within the E major scale, it’s just that they were occurring often enough to create a new key signature. The fact that each key change is a variation becomes obvious when looking at the score as the A Major key signature is represented with a naturalised D. Although, there are four distinct scales used in each section giving it a unique colour.

The introduction has the 3 violins playing off each other to create a sort of melody as it sound as though the different notes are coming from one instrument (except for the sustain of notes over each other). In bar 14 some pizzicato enters, which helps to break up the long notes. Throughout this piece a rise and fall effect is created through 1. Glissando 2. The glissando that is in contrary motion – from thin to thick or vice versa and 3. The transition from discordant notes to more diatonic notes.

One very interesting aspect of hymning slews is the division of bars (the piece is in 7/4, a dotted line appears at the 5^th beat of the bar running through all the parts) to show that each instrument is in it’s own rhythmic cycle, still in 7/4 but staggered.

This whole movement is centred on glissando and sustained notes using harmonics, pizzicato and grace notes to build a thick complicated, yet subtle, texture.

Jamie-Leigh

J. Adams, Shaker loops.

This piece is written in four sections, the first three all use different elements of the strings it was written for (the 4^th being a reiteration of the first part). First a little bit of history!

Written in 1978, it initially began as an idea titled “wave maker”, where Adams had set out to emulate the waves of a pond, or some other strain of water body, but being young he states that his “technique lagged behind my inspiration”. Upon performing Wavemaker for the first time, it flopped and was revisited, retitled and became Shaker Loops.

The title Shaker loops comes from “to shake” meaning tremelo or trill, which occurs frequently throughout the piece. “Loops” refers to the tape music era, which the score demonstrates visually, very clearly.

Shaker loops is minimalist and continuous but “differs from most other works of its kind because it sees so so much change within a relatively short amount of time. Also it avoids the formal and temporal purity of such “minimal” music by not adhering to a single unbending tempo throughout” (John Adams).

I am going to split my study on this piece into four posts as I would like to look closely at all the movements instead of a brief overview or one movement. Each part in Shaker Loops has a distinct tone and subtle complexity that would be overlooked on a brief glance.

Part 1: Shaking an trembling

This movement is very fast paced, the violins repeating fourths (G and C), tension is added by the third violin playing the B on longer notes. The viola is introduced as an echo to violin 3, playing the B as well. When the cellos enter, they play the G. There is dramatic discord at this point and the piece feels incomplete, the notes GBCD are very close to a sus4 chord, which leaves you feeling as though the piece is unresolved. It goes well with the fast pace as it gives the listener the feeling of moving (as in, moving to a destination of resolution as opposed to just music at a fast pace). This undercurrent of rapid notes continues to a climax, which is followed by the higher instruments all dropping away in volume and the VERY low tremolo on the cello is introduced. The higher instruments sound out over the sinister thrashing on the cello with rough bowing.

There bars that stand out here are 191-192.  While the violins are playing the very fast tremolos, the cellos come out to play a fifth, which sounds relieving and beautiful and then it’s quickly taken away by angry viola Spiccato.

I feel

1. Confused – What’s the point? Unless it was to;

a) Anger

b) Amuse

Which it did.

At roughly 6:22 the loud tremolos become very quiet and drones on the cello become the main feature finally transforming the piece into sustained notes that grow quieter, the change to this is in preparation for the 2^nd part of Shaker loops.

Jamie-Leigh

“You know how it is when someone asks you to ride in a terrific sports car, and then you wish you hadn’t?”

This is how John Adams responded when asked about the title of his fanfare, Short Ride in a Fast Machine.

For this analysis, I have decided to focus mainly on rhythm, as this is what struck me most about one of my favourite 20th century works.

Short Ride is a compelling piece of music, with a driving rhythm that keeps you listening until the very last second. But Before I say anything else, I would like to mention that I do not envy the poor percussionist given the task of the woodblock. That’s a devastating game of rock-paper-scissors they’ll wish they’d practiced for. But in saying that, the woodblock is probably the most crucial element in this whole composition. It sets the pace right at the beginning with fortissimo quavers, and is quickly joined by the other instruments that enter at forte. This steady marking of the beat is typical of John Adams’ minimalist style. The pulsing rhythm of the brass section keeps one’s ears intrigued, so much so that one struggles to stop listening. His use of the brass gives the work a brilliant and jubilant sound, giving it the fanfare aesthetic.

I remember hearing Short Ride in a Fast Machine for the first time and thinking “My God this is just screams American,” but I could never really define why. Still can’t really, but I believe that its strong and bright sound give it this “patriotic” quality that makes American 20th Century music so unique.

Emma Mc