Skid-Krinkin'
2005, for Tuba & 5 Octave Marimba
Length: 10 minutes
Revision: 1
Difficulty: Difficult
Cost per Copy: $30.00
Skid-Krinkin' is a playful work that shows off the
virtuosity and lyrical potential of both the tuba and the marimba.
Balance Duo,
the husband and wife team of Marty
Erickson and Alison
Shaw, commissioned Skid-Krinkin'.
So, what does "Skid-Krinkin'" mean? When Marty and Alison
asked me to write a work for them, I interviewed them to learn about
what they were seeking. One of the questions I asked was what
they liked to do in their spare time. They replied,
"Skid-Krinkin'!"
Upon further questioning, I learned that skid-krinkin' means to hop
into a car and start driving in any direction, simply to see where one
ends up. And, if you happen to pass an antique store, you
must stop and visit it.
For me, that was enough inspiration for the work.
The piece itself is not programmatic. Certainly the contrast
of driving merrily along and visiting an antique store suggested
something of the form, but nothing was written with a story in mind.
However, in one rehearsal, I found myself trying to
communicate to the tuba player the sound I was looking for in a
particular section (rehearsal letter R). I wanted something a
bit more dirty than what he was playing. Finally I asked him
to imagine the sound of a rolling flat tire on a 16-wheeler,
and that worked! Now I find myself always thinking of that
image at that spot in the music.
Due to Balance Duo's busy schedule, their premiere of the work was
delayed beyond an already scheduled concert with this work, and they
kindly gave permission to Dennis
AsKew and Thomas
Murphy to premier Skid-Krinkin' on
October 8, 2006 in the New Music Arizona concert at the Phoenix Art
Museum.
Parts are included in purchased copies and are not included in the perusal copies.
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