Racer Session #150 | Chris Icasiano | December 23, 2012
In the last few months, I have found myself increasingly frustrated with developing as a free-improviser. My approach and ideas often fall into a predictable formula and my execution has been largely the same. It has been about a year since I last curated the Racer Sessions and I am taking this opportunity to challenge myself in ways that I have not done before. The piece that I have written is for solo drums and it is my attempt to break away from this comfort zone.
The development of this piece has gone through a few different phases. This time around, I did not attempt to make use of an overarching thematic or conceptual idea. Instead, my goal was to try and approach composition and my instrument in a different way than I had before. I decided that I would put pencil to paper and attempt to compose without having my instrument in front of me. My thought was that if I didn’t have a physical drum set to play on, I could come up with ideas and patterns that I might never attempt if I were actually playing. In addition, I also wanted to focus on giving the drums a clear melodic focus and identity. I try to be conscious of this whenever I play, but I’m sure it is not always easily discernible to the listener.
I struggled with writing a full piece for drums. I wondered if the material made any real sense as a composition; if melody and form were even recognizable. I suppose we’ll see…
For the session, I don’t have any specific parameters. All I would like is for everyone participating to step outside of their comfort zone. Try to approach your instrument and delivery in a different way. Play with someone you’ve not played with. Challenge yourself.
I look forward to seeing all of you on Sunday.
Chris