Amorphous Solid (Steel Band)

Amorphous Solid is an exploration of different physical states as they can be represented through musical texture. Furthermore, it’s an attempt to repurpose and reorder the traditional instrumentation of a Panorama-style steel band. At its core, the piece attempts to answer this question: “What happens when you melt a steel band?”

Genre: Steel Band | # of Players: 9+
Level: Medium Difficult | Duration: 4:10

Instrumentation
Lead Pan (1 or more players)
Double Tenors ( 1 or more players)
Double Seconds (1 or more players)
Guitar (1 or more players + concert bass drum)
Bass (1 or more players + tam-tam)
Crotales (2 octaves)
Vibraphone (+ Cajon)
Percussion 1 (kick drum, brake drum, bell tree, rainstick)
Percussion 2 (kick drum, China cymbal, sizzle cymbal, swish knocker, 1 large crotale [any pitch], 32" timpano, FX cymbal)

Program Notes
Amorphous Solid is an exploration of different physical states as they can be represented through musical texture. Furthermore, it’s an attempt to repurpose and reorder the traditional instrumentation of a Panorama-style steel band. Some of the instruments found in the “engine room” (brake drum, drumset, etc.) have been deconstructed and dispersed around the ensemble, and other metallic instruments like vibraphone and crotales augment the colors of the steel pans. The resultant ensemble and sound are reminiscent of a steel band, with just enough disorder injected to feel strange. At its core, the piece attempts to answer this question: “What happens when you melt a steel band?”

Amorphous Solid was commissioned by the McCallum Knights of Steel (Austin, TX) under the direction of Matt Ehlers their performance at the 2012 Midwest Convention in Chicago, Illinois.