Kleptomania for marimba and cajon duo
Publisher: C. Alan Publications (2020)
Composed: 2019
Duration: 4′
Difficulty: Medium
Instrumentation (2 players): 4.3-octave marimba, cajon
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Kleptomania is defined as a recurrent urge to steal, typically without regard for need or profit. In music, stealing, or more often “borrowing,” is something we do regularly. We copy chord progressions, imitate riffs or licks, and develop new material from existing rhythmic ideas, etc. This duet for marimba and cajon is entirely derived from the blues scale (a very commonly used collection of pitches, particularly in jazz) based on two different roots: F and C. Because the source material is intentionally limited to those two scales, the piece continuously returns to its own melodic ideas for further exploitation, essentially stealing from itself. The two instruments, one melodic and one rhythmic, work in tandem to navigate these recurring and mutating ideas that weave through numerous feels and time signatures.