That guy in the middle is a machine. No freaking way would I ever ever EVER EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR be able to keep a constant rhythm like that for almost 10 minutes. Good GOD.
@@TiagoNugentComposer can you elaborate? at what section do you feel tension and where do you feel release? Do you think that making the rhythm more dense means more tension? If yes, then every musician since the antiquity has understood that concept, hardly makes anyone genius.
@@dpetrov32 there is melody in rhythm, a melody that reveals itself and shifts around as rhythmic changes happen. reich understood how to explore and bridge the distance between pure rhythm and pure melody like no other.
The players are the Toronto-based percussion quintet, NEXUS - (L. to R.) Bob Becker, Russell Hartenberger, Robin Engelman, John Wyre and Bill Cahn. Bob and Russell are regular players with Steve Reich's ensemble. NEXUS formed in 1971 and is still going strong with worldwide performances.
I once played the son clave almost 3 hours without a break. It's so fucking difficult to keep playing the same rhythm for this long while maintaining the same tempo …
i'm addicted to this piece now. I love Reich anyway but this is one of his best percussion pieces. What a great performance. How these guys play their lines without getting distracted by what everyone else is doing, i don't know...but then they're pros. Robin Engelman and John Wyre (3rd and 4th from left) seem to be in a trance. Towards the end it sounds like birds or crickets chirping. Amazing stuff.
As a drummer this shit is blowing my mind, that bit at 4:10 where they all synced up for a brief moment literally had me jumping for joy, incredible stuff
Probs to the dude in the middle keeping time the whole way, I was trying to keep up with him and ended up going out of sync several times, you'd need to fully get yourself into a trance to be able to manage that
When I was in high school I was part of the drum line, and 5 of us preformed this for a winter show and it was pretty intense to get good; I played the part on the center-right spot.
Why are wood clapping instruments not more popular!? I'm 27, never seen this as a concert, and just googled this to see if they exist. I really wanna look into this deeper, I could play these for hours.
Wow.... God has truly given humans extraordinary abilities to create extraordinary works of more than just personal expression, but direct expression of the vast capability of the human mind. Wonderful performance!
It's an amazing rhythm! You could build anything on it: always in flux, never quite stable. And as Clapping Music proved, it works equally well when you knock it out of sync with the barring!
I can feel the tension every second and I'm not even playing. Like the guy at 5:55, "ok now, ok no I'm not ready... damn harold, let's not screw this up" The only thing I miss in this piece, that I never miss in Reich's other works, is the musicality. It feels like a nice etude, but the guys are so busy with playing right, there's no space for dancing. This isn't even a critique, I guess this composition's goal was another
agreed. also i think the length of the piece is 10 min. because if you listen closely, there are layers being made gradually, creating a significant shape - almost like movements. The length also varies depending on who is playing because in the sheet music it's notated with things like "play 6-12 times", "play 8-15 times", so it's really up to the performers lol
There's some sweet rhythms in this. Pretty impressive to serve as metronome for nearly ten minutes and not screw that up in the process. Least he doesn't have to hit very hard to be heard.
Its interesting how the whole measure can be shifted when a single guys changes a little bit. Similar to bar line shifts, a static arrangements gets upside down with a single accent moved...
I defy all of those making negative comments about this piece to post your percussion group doing it better on youtube or shut up! What looks easy to you is extremely difficult to play. Respect. You need to learn what that is first!
If you listen carefully, you can notice changes as the piece goes along. Just about all music has repeated sections, but in some places add variety such as phasing, arpeggios, instruments joining in like a round, chopped phrases, etc. This sounds like a background accompaniment to a song. Lovely piece especially for background music.
They all play the same Rhythm (the one in the middle only give the pulse) but not together, and the way each one builds it give so many interpretations of the same simple Rhythm!
I played the maracas part in 'Four Organs' a few years back, you're right, it's a killer. I think I'm starting to develop RSI as a result from all the practice we did back in the day.
@artyzach Yeah, it took our group a long while to get it down, at least half a school year. It's really worth it to work the transitions between time signatures for a good long time, and then link it together. That's what we did and it really helped our playing. And part 2 has to be so incredibly strong, they could play it backwards in their sleep. Good luck, though! It's incredibly rewarding to do it on stage!
I'm playing it with my percussion ensemble group, and honestly, we found part 5 really hard... part three was the easiest, and part 1 is hard mostly because you're playing the SAME THING throughout the entire thing... And you have to keep the tempo up through the whole storm of the piece. It's amazing when done well though, and these guys are REALLY good.
Holy Christ .. it's a musical piece played on woodblocks. There is literally nothing to argue about concerning this video, yet internet, you found a way.
That guy in the middle is a machine. No freaking way would I ever ever EVER EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR be able to keep a constant rhythm like that for almost 10 minutes. Good GOD.
Haha same😂human metronome!
In what subdivision to imagine the middle guy?
@@HerbalistGuybrush For me it changes between eighth notes, eighth note triplets and quarter note triplets.
Hah same
The guy in the middle with the white shirt has the easiest and the hardest part all at the same time.
no, the hardest part only
It depends on his concentration ability
The Keyboardist i think its harder to keep the rhythm with such a simple pattern
legend has it that he is still standing there beating the stick to this day
That's what she said ^
My friend: so what instrument do you play?
Me: Tree
i can imagine this is what a stone age kraftwerk would have been like thousands and thousands of years ago.
That would be the Vienna Vegetable Orchestra: ua-cam.com/video/bZ9mC7Ccbus/v-deo.html
Jacob Druvietis Kraftwerk is the name of the group that plays really old electronic music, you should look them up they’re pretty awesome
@Jacob Druvietis جج
Played by the Five Ages of Steve Jobs
Ok this comment is amazing.
And oooone una-bomber
Tech ideas born out of this composition likely to change the history
Quite extraordinary. Proof that human beings can aspire to the devine.
Lol i think that too xD
To me personally there is so much tension in this piece
buffalo bison Totally. I think it’s what makes Reich a genius. It’s tension and release but not it the traditional sense.
Too much caffeine
@@TiagoNugentComposer can you elaborate? at what section do you feel tension and where do you feel release? Do you think that making the rhythm more dense means more tension? If yes, then every musician since the antiquity has understood that concept, hardly makes anyone genius.
Funnt thing to say considering theres no string here.
@@dpetrov32 there is melody in rhythm, a melody that reveals itself and shifts around as rhythmic changes happen. reich understood how to explore and bridge the distance between pure rhythm and pure melody like no other.
power to the man in the middle
+sibsbubbles Now let's count how many strokes this guy played
this guy is a legend
'The living metronome'
Legends say he's still hitting that clave, at the very same rhythm and tempo.
The players are the Toronto-based percussion quintet, NEXUS - (L. to R.) Bob Becker, Russell Hartenberger, Robin Engelman, John Wyre and Bill Cahn.
Bob and Russell are regular players with Steve Reich's ensemble. NEXUS formed in 1971 and is still going strong with worldwide performances.
a bunch of guys beating their rods
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Our percussion ensemble performed this in college. One of the coolest yet oddest pieces of music I've ever performed.
I once played the son clave almost 3 hours without a break. It's so fucking difficult to keep playing the same rhythm for this long while maintaining the same tempo …
i'm addicted to this piece now. I love Reich anyway but this is one of his best percussion pieces. What a great performance. How these guys play their lines without getting distracted by what everyone else is doing, i don't know...but then they're pros. Robin Engelman and John Wyre (3rd and 4th from left) seem to be in a trance. Towards the end it sounds like birds or crickets chirping. Amazing stuff.
As a drummer this shit is blowing my mind, that bit at 4:10 where they all synced up for a brief moment literally had me jumping for joy, incredible stuff
Probs to the dude in the middle keeping time the whole way, I was trying to keep up with him and ended up going out of sync several times, you'd need to fully get yourself into a trance to be able to manage that
They are still in the rehab to this day
damn. the dude playing first must go into a trance. super sick piece
9/10 wood reich again
wolfully Omg..... 😂
Concert was also curated by legendary Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu
I was at a percussion performance last night and they played this. I almost fainted.
It sounds like playing a hard mission on a ninja videogame
Friend: what music do you watch on youtube
Me: Its complicated
This is an impressive display of concentration.
soo... Two beatniks, a rad white rude, Morgan Freeman, and a barbershop stylist. Perfect.
Alex George don't you forget Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens
imagine this with surround-sound speakers and every piece comes out of a different speaker.... it's allready awesome but THEN.... wow
When I was in high school I was part of the drum line, and 5 of us preformed this for a winter show and it was pretty intense to get good; I played the part on the center-right spot.
Never knew watching a bunch of guys beat their wood could be so entertaining.
So primitive and exciting at the same time! I love this piece!
I never tire of this piece. The concentration required for Reich's music is cray awesome and seeing it live is so cool!
I'm so glad this is a performance and not just a recording. This is as much a visual art as it is a musical art.
It deserved more enthusiastic applause!!
Why are wood clapping instruments not more popular!? I'm 27, never seen this as a concert, and just googled this to see if they exist. I really wanna look into this deeper, I could play these for hours.
Wow.... God has truly given humans extraordinary abilities to create extraordinary works of more than just personal expression, but direct expression of the vast capability of the human mind. Wonderful performance!
imagine if one of them drops it accidentally
Damn that man is a living metronome
Middle guy is the perfect drum machine. Unbelievable.
There is something meditative about this sound ...spiritual almost
steve reich really likes that 3-2-1-2 rhythm the second guy uses, it's the same rhythm reich used in clapping music. XD
It's an amazing rhythm! You could build anything on it: always in flux, never quite stable. And as Clapping Music proved, it works equally well when you knock it out of sync with the barring!
Its typical African I think.
It's actually the Xavier Cugat band in concert that time the horn players and singers went on strike and the piano and string bass were repossessed.
Best make out music ever.
watch your fingers!
I love Steve Reich.
The simplicity of this really allows you to take a step back and hear the macro rhythm, and the relations between each part
This was composed and performed before personal computers. So rock 'n' roll.
the midguy is a hero
I can feel the tension every second and I'm not even playing. Like the guy at 5:55, "ok now, ok no I'm not ready... damn harold, let's not screw this up" The only thing I miss in this piece, that I never miss in Reich's other works, is the musicality. It feels like a nice etude, but the guys are so busy with playing right, there's no space for dancing. This isn't even a critique, I guess this composition's goal was another
agreed. also i think the length of the piece is 10 min. because if you listen closely, there are layers being made gradually, creating a significant shape - almost like movements. The length also varies depending on who is playing because in the sheet music it's notated with things like "play 6-12 times", "play 8-15 times", so it's really up to the performers lol
There's some sweet rhythms in this. Pretty impressive to serve as metronome for nearly ten minutes and not screw that up in the process. Least he doesn't have to hit very hard to be heard.
The man in the center of group is a rythmbox non stop
Why do people waste there time fighting in comment feeds, when there are ground breaking percussive works being preformed
The fade out at 8:25 always blows me away
How is this not a meme yet?
Its interesting how the whole measure can be shifted when a single guys changes a little bit. Similar to bar line shifts, a static arrangements gets upside down with a single accent moved...
I defy all of those making negative comments about this piece to post your percussion group doing it better on youtube or shut up! What looks easy to you is extremely difficult to play. Respect. You need to learn what that is first!
If you listen carefully, you can notice changes as the piece goes along. Just about all music has repeated sections, but in some places add variety such as phasing, arpeggios, instruments joining in like a round, chopped phrases, etc. This sounds like a background accompaniment to a song. Lovely piece especially for background music.
The guy in the middle was a cicada in a past life.
THATS THE SOUND
That tree should be proud!!
Isn't that second pattern the same from Clapping Music?
It sure is!
Reich always uses the same pattern in his compositions- 3-2-1-2
The pattern changes. It is stated at the beginning of each round.
They all play the same Rhythm (the one in the middle only give the pulse) but not together, and the way each one builds it give so many interpretations of the same simple Rhythm!
I played the maracas part in 'Four Organs' a few years back, you're right, it's a killer. I think I'm starting to develop RSI as a result from all the practice we did back in the day.
Wooww amazing synchro i love it
Absolutely stunning performance.
@artyzach Yeah, it took our group a long while to get it down, at least half a school year. It's really worth it to work the transitions between time signatures for a good long time, and then link it together. That's what we did and it really helped our playing. And part 2 has to be so incredibly strong, they could play it backwards in their sleep.
Good luck, though! It's incredibly rewarding to do it on stage!
Just by listening to it, I thought it was 3/4 the whole time.
I have to watch this video for fucking homework
+snoots
lol paris 8 ?
+snoots Same...
That's a rad assignment
That's weird cause I can actually bob my head to this.
for what class im so jelous
I'm playing it with my percussion ensemble group, and honestly, we found part 5 really hard... part three was the easiest, and part 1 is hard mostly because you're playing the SAME THING throughout the entire thing... And you have to keep the tempo up through the whole storm of the piece. It's amazing when done well though, and these guys are REALLY good.
wonderful and inspiring how simple things can make such beauty
“And now I think it’s time…
for a piece of wood.“ John Cleese
If I were no.5 here, I'd be sorely tempted to interpolate "half a pound of tuppenny rice" just to piss off the other four.
i met the guy playing the metronome part when i saw nexus play last year. amazing group.
Holy Christ .. it's a musical piece played on woodblocks. There is literally nothing to argue about concerning this video, yet internet, you found a way.
Exam tomorrow and me in the middle of night watching 5 guys beating their woods
Wow!! 100% on rhythm.
Inspiring as well.
2 ads midway thru really killed the vibe ngl
This is so good. I love the sound of these instruments.
I'd be so thrown off....this is so amazing. This must take so much concentration.
perfect polyrhythms or whatever its called.....great stuff.....well it works for me.
It can be mechanised and still amazing. check out Symphony for Dot Matrix Printers 1 by The User
It is like carpenters gang at the work on the wood home! Amazing!
It's like the 100000000000th time I watch this.
this gives me a samurai movie or horror thriller trailer kind of vibes.
Amazing, incredible, no words can describe this. Respect guys!
This is my jam!
Very good
Esselamo aleyke
It's like the 100000000000th time I played this...... and playing part number 2 is crazy... if you keep rehearsing without breaks in between... :D
It would be cool to see this performed by trained horses where their hooves make the sounds.
I thought these were trained horses
Seems really, really difficult. Kudos to all the performers.
the most skillful one in this group is the guy keeping time.
I especially like the chord changes.
Watching this gave me wood..............
@Serendepity hmm, our group only managed to have 4 weeks to learn it, and tonight we have to perform it in front of a huge crowd.
These Guys Rock.
This is masterpiece.
I think one wood have to get into a serious “Zen” state to keep the intensely repetitive pattern over and over and...
Steve was an absolute mad man
They're all such good natural percussionists.
i thought i was hearing a delay on this.....i had it open in two windows
this is amazing
I can't image having the strength to do the middlemans job.
Thank you.
Tried to play this piece with some friends once. I played that part. The score is hilarious.
@kgtwin2 you might say that, but it may also be difficult in a way, the pulse has to be kept at a steady beat, and at such a fast tempo.
this music makes ya wanna dance to it.
A bald guy walks in, slaps all five of them and says....NOT MY TEMPO !