Clapping Music For 12 Musicians (Steve Reich Cover)

Apr 8

Clapping Music by Steve Reich is a piece for two musicians, which premiered in 1972. The 12 beat pattern is first played by both musicians simultaneously a total of 12 times. After this the 1st musician holds the pattern steady, while the 2nd musician shifts the pattern over by one 8th note. This continues for another 12 repetitions, and then the pattern shifts again. It continues shifting until the 13th phase, where the two musicians are back together in unison. This creates some fascinating aggregate rhythms.

I was curious what would happen if instead of two performers that kept shifting the pattern, if instead I just kept adding musicians to the mix. I was also curious about different rhythmic pairings that Reich couldn't explore because of the process of the piece. So, enjoy Clapping Music For 12 Musicians.