"Reset' is a marimba solo I released back in September 2014. It is the first published release to come out of my publishing and production company Boyar Music Studios.
What Is It?
Reset may be perceived in many ways to be a giant experiment with rock music on the marimba. I wouldn't agree with that assessment but I would understand the sentiment. Groove music on the marimba is often given a bad name. This has a lot to do with the general quality of the groove music that had already been written. With that said, I would propose the following question. If I was able to take "simple" music and apply my background and influences to it what would it sound like? It would sound like Reset. The beauty of Reset isn't in it's harmonic and melodic complexity like so many other marimba masterworks. In many ways I am simply treating the marimba like a drum set. This is much different than "marimba groove music" which tends to rely on patterns that are uniquely idiomatic for the marimba. Much of my influence on the marimba can be attributed to my background in drum set and Reset is no exception.
When a copy of Reset is purchased, the performer receives an "about page." The following quotes are a few excerpts from the "about page" of Reset. I then delve a little deeper.
"Reset is a short work for solo marimba featuring the player's speed, stamina, and edge. It is a work of moderate difficulty that takes the form of a high intensity sprint."
To insure a successful performance experience, there are several technical tenets the performer of "Reset" will need to master.
Speed
Reset is a fast high intensity work. The performer must possess the ability to play fast without tension. Without sounding repetitive I will reiterate that it is not an accident that Reset almost feels like playing drums on the marimba. Drumming is my background and sometimes (not always) when I set out to write for the marimba, it can take the form of drumming. What the performer must take from this is that speed alone is not enough. The performer must be able to play fast in a relaxed way with an established groove.
Stamina
Stamina is the ability to play for extended periods of time without a break.
Although short, "Reset" contains few breaks. If the player finds themselves clenching and hurting to finish Reset, stamina is an issue. My suggestion to improve stamina is based on a method shown to me many years ago by Joe Morello.
First you will pick a comfortable tempo that you are able to play the whole piece from start to finish without missing notes and especially without pain or feeling tension of any sort. It may be embarrassingly slow and that's totally ok. Once this tempo is established, run-through the work several times. Focus on your breathing, posture, and relaxing the pressure in your hands. You will run-through the work until you feel 100% confident that you can comfortably make it through without missing. Every phrase and technique must be absolutely comfortable and relaxed. This is a literal statement!
Once you have achieved this you will repeat the process the following day only with one minor change. You will increase the original tempo by ONLY 1 metronome marking per minute. You will then go through the process all over again. At this slow but steady pace, you should clear about 5 bpm per week.
This is an extremely slow and deliberate process but over time, you will see real progress. Your ability to play for long periods of time at a fast tempo without feeling tension or pain will be alleviated.
Edge
There's a place where it's possible to play right on the sonic edge of harshness without crossing the line. My suggestion for Reset is to find this place. The marimba's keys are made of living breathing rosewood. It's malleable but not infinitely malleable. You must discover it's breaking point and play on that edge. I've spent a lot of time as a player developing this ability.
"Reset is a metaphor for wiping the slate clean in the pursuit of excellence. Though well intentioned it has the potential to become a truly destructive force of nature. Music is a living organism in a constant state of change and flux. One must accept that there is not and will never be a "final form."
There is nothing wrong with the pursuit of excellence. Most successful performers will strive to be the best they can be. However, when it becomes something that ultimately prevents one's work from coming to fruition it must be kept in check. There is no final form in music. Seeking one is a dangerous game (at least it was for me). I don't want to sound too definitive here but for personal reasons I felt like I had to write about this common creative experience. It's this very self destructive thing that prevented me from releasing my music for way too long!
With that said, for better or worse "Reset" is my creation. It teeters on the brink of being just close enough to self destruction. When I was first writing and performing Reset I would often feel like it would go so fast and there would be so much energy put out that it would just derail. I feel this is an appropriate analogy to my true creative process. I am often always just on the cusp of crossing the line and exhausting myself. Learning to balance this aspect of my personality has always been the crux of my journey in the creative arts. In many ways my company Boyar Music Studios represents my ability to find an inner balance and finally "produce" my work.
Copies of Reset for solo marimba by Simon Boyar may be purchased here.
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