Meditation-SAMPLE

IAN T. JONES

MEDITATION for solo marimba and electronics

Meditation by Ian T. Jones © 2022 Tapspace Publications, LLC (ASCAP).

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TSPCS22-002

Level: Med-Advanced Approx. playing time: 8’00”–13'00"

MEDITATION

IAN T. JONES

Brisk, same tempo throughout (q = 112)

1

your racing mind

sim.

                    cresc./dim. ad lib.

When done with 1 , jump to 2 .

≥ 25x

≥ 25x

                                

                                    

  

                          

   2

Go back

                           

Loop ostinato into Track 1.

16x

the journey of your being

                  

End loop (ca. 6')

Loop floating measures into additional tracks.

    

  

  

  



dead stroke





  

  

      

 

  

 

  

  

 

  

  

 

  

© 2022 Tapspace Publications, LLC (ASCAP). All rights reserved.

  

MEDITATION – Jones

3

2

drag mallet across bars



    





R

R

R

    

R



achieving temporary inner peace

(optional  )



 L





L





sim.







(end optional  )

                   Ab on node; cresc./dim. Ab ad lib. ≥ 30x

     R

R

R

     barely audible

R

L

          dim. LH only

L

L

L

  

        





to center ≥ 30x



dissolve to almost nothing

waking up

    ()







 

PROGRAM NOTES Meditation is an art piece written to allow listeners, or the performer, to meditate. Centered around an ostinato to represent the self, the piece explores feelings of growth and decay, otherworldliness, and almost complete silence. Written in part to stretch conventional ideas of music and notation, Meditation could be described as a marimba etude due to the sheer amount of concentration required by the soloist in order to perform the piece effectively, but I prefer to think of it as a study of one’s self. A significant portion of the piece is improvisatory, so most factors are to be uniquely determined by the performer.

—Ian T. Jones

PERFORMANCE NOTES Section 1 consists of multiple rhythmic variations that the performer steps through in order. The markings ≥25x indicate the number of times to repeat each measure. Those with a “greater than or equal to” symbol should be repeated at least that many times before moving on. Once the instruction Go back is reached, the performer is to retrace their steps backward through the measures until they return to the beginning.

Once finished, jump to Section 2.

Here, the ostinato should be played into the looping pedal for 16 measures, then allowed to continue in the background on Track 1. The measures floating beneath the ostinato are to be improvised around it and played into the additional tracks, creating an ethereal soundscape. The actual rhythmic values and dynamics of these measures can be varied ad libitum. While the layout of the floating measures implies a certain order, the performer has complete control and should feel free to play in whatever order they wish.

Section 2 should end by gradually fading the looping pedal while playing the ostinato at a quiet dynamic using the one-handed trilling technique (see below). Section 2 should last approximately 6 minutes in total.

The R R R R sticking at the beginning of Section 3 refers to the technique of “trilling” one mallet between the C and D. This is done by rapidly dragging it back and forth across the bars. On the third system, this technique switches to the left hand. A semi-articulate mallet must be used to audibly achieve this effect.

Required Equipment: • 4.3- or 5-octave marimba (follow the optional  in Section 3 if using a 4.3-octave) • A multitrack looping pedal (such as a Boss RC-300 Loop Station 3-track Looper Pedal) • A microphone to record the loops into the pedal • An interface or mixer • Speakers

SUGGESTED SETUP