As a percussionist who most often found himself inside large and complicated multi-percussion setups, I became tired of having to, in effect, learn a new instrument every time I played a new piece, constantly reinventing my technique and musical approach. Additionally, the logistical considerations of instrument setup and cartage consumed so much of my time and energy that sometimes I barely felt like a musician.
I wanted to have a relationship with an instrument in the same way a violinist or clarinetist does; I wanted to be able to practice more than one piece in a given day without having to take a half hour in between to make setup changes; I wanted to not have to make so many programming sacrifices for the sake of stage setup and instrument availability. The answer was this: a specialization, not in one instrument, but in one setup (or in a few setups, as the case may be). A collection of instruments that are set up and notated in the same way for every piece and for which many pieces are written.
Additionally, as part of my exploration of these setups as "instruments," I have decided for some that it is necessary to include the pitches the individual instruments produce as a key characteristic of the setup. This means composers have the chance to write not just for a specific set of instruments but my specific instruments with the specific pitches they produce. This creates an opportunity for a true marriage of pitched and "unpitched" instruments and eliminates the reliance on novelty of sound on which so much of the percussion repertoire is based. Although future performances of these works by other performers will not necessarily use instruments with the exact pitches of my instruments, the sounds produced by those performers will not be any more indeterminate than would be in the normal case of percussion setups.
I hope as the repertoire for these setups grow, performers and composers will grow with it in much the same way we develop with the repertoire of a new ensemble (like the Pierrot ensemble). So in addition to serving my own purposes, I think this project will increase the chances for the creation of a lasting repertoire which is not as reliant on the novel sounds and techniques of unusual collections of instruments, but rather is built on a new sonic, technical, compositional, and musical convention.
Setup #1
Setup #1 is an excellent vehicle for solo and chamber music. It has many different sounds with varying degrees of recognizable pitch, ranging from keyboard instruments of definite pitch to sounds with very high noise-content like guiro, snare drum, and closed hihat. The instruments used are commonly available, and I believe the sound palette is versitile enough for this instrument to have a repertoire with a strong future. I plan to be very active in the acquisition of new works of solo and chamber music for Setup #1.
Setup #2
Setup #2 was designed to be a very portable instrument. It is much quirkier than Setup #1. Its components are not as commonly available, and many have very recognizable (and random) pitch. For this reason, this setup's musical application is rather limited. Setup #2 is not intended for a substantial developing repertoire; I plan to use it for smaller, less serious pieces of solo and chamber music and as a vehicle for improvisation.
Drumset
Drumset is the most, if not only, existing successful standard multipercussion setup - one which already has an extensive repertoire. Drumset is not ideal for solo music but perfect for chamber music. The instruments included provide a wide range of rhythmic, dynamic, and articulation functions, and many have very little recognizable pitch, making this instrument applicable in numerous musical contexts. Additionally, all the instruments are very commonly available, and a large market of both performers and listeners already exists for drumset repertoire. I had never really considered becoming a serious drumset player, especially in context of my new-music/multipercussion life, but this process of designing setups and thinking about grand-scheme advantages and disadvantages of certain instrument choices has made me really understand importance of this instrument and its versitility of application.
