Explorations 9 (Whomptronkle), by Payton MacDonald's Explorations

Explorations 9 (Whomptronkle)

by Payton MacDonald's Explorations

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1.	whomptronkle 02:05	info	buy track
2.	clustificator 02:25	info	buy track
3.	bopperbuzzer 01:57	info	buy track
4.	rattlehook 02:09	info	buy track
5.	mop 01:59	info	buy track
6.	clustotron 01:57	info	buy track
7.	flagallet 01:37	info	buy track
8.	smackdangler 02:28	info	buy track
9.	clusterplunk 01:57	info	buy track
10.	vegetarian marimba roll 02:13	info	buy track
11.	danglusteranator 03:45	info	buy track
12.	dangly thing 02:35	info	buy track
13.	sizzle squeegee 03:29	info	buy track
14.	the flux capacitor 02:20	info	buy track
15.	murphy bar 02:55	info	buy track
16.	cowellet 02:31	info	buy track
17.	domallet 02:58	info	buy track
18.	the new music mallet 02:09	info	buy track
19.	clusterbroom 02:02	info	buy track
20.	dangling perfect sixth 02:32	info	buy track

about

When I created this music I was spending a lot of time meditating on timbre, and the way it shapes musical thinking and hearing. I've been working on this concept for a while on marimba, by preparing the instrument with various things that buzz or rattle or thump, or I make new kinds of mallets. "Actuators" is actually a better term, because it frees us from mallet thinking.)

The whomptronkle is a strip of stiff cardboard, covered in gorilla tape, with a little plastic hook attached with fish line. You can't play the marimba normally with it, and that's a good thing. The mallet thumps and crashes and leaves a trail of sonic detritus. It's messy, clumsy, and it forces me out of my habits. I love it.

I put a short video of the whomptronkle up on Facebook and asked for some suggestions for a name. I got a lot of wonderful names, which became the titles of the pieces. One of my favorites was Jeremy Grimshaw's "whomptronkle." It's funny and the onomatopoetics are quite accurate.

The challenge of creating an entire recording centered around a single mallet was exciting, and I spent two feverish days, working from dawn to dusk with only a few intermittent motorcycle-riding breaks working on the project. Of course I used other mallets and actuators as well, but the whomptronkle was front and center.

This is improvised music for marimba, developed from decades of engagement with experimental music of all sorts, from many cultures and historical periods, some notated, some not. All the music on this recording is acoustic with no overdubbing or looping, and minimal processing.

credits

released December 8, 2020

-Composed, performed, recorded, mixed, mastered by Payton MacDonald
-Recorded on a Malletech 5.0 MJB marimba
-A blog post about these recordings: paytonmacdonald.com/2020/12/15/52-marimba-recordings-in-52-weeks/

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about

Payton MacDonald's Explorations Wayne, New Jersey

Explorations is Payton MacDonald's series where he explores every possible avenue of sonic expression, mostly centered around marimba, with electronics, collaborations and solo recordings. Good headphones are recommended.

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