Slapping music
February 3, 2011 1:47 PM   Subscribe

 
That's sort of astonishing.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:53 PM on February 3, 2011 [2 favorites]


Believe it or not, it's more interesting sonically than a regular performance of this played out piece. Most people don't know how to make a consistently nice sounding clap, or they don't phrase in an interesting way to make each pattern sound cohesive. I was prepared to roll my eyes at this but it turned out pretty cool. Just a tad slow.
posted by ReeMonster at 1:54 PM on February 3, 2011


Excellent. I love the form, and in my mind, this was all one long take, just seven minutes of Lee Marvin all "crazy dames hittin' me, g'wan" with Angie Dickinson going Chun Li on him.
posted by boo_radley at 1:54 PM on February 3, 2011 [2 favorites]


Looks like a fantastic workout.
posted by found missing at 1:57 PM on February 3, 2011


This is amazing.
posted by mintcake! at 2:08 PM on February 3, 2011 [1 favorite]


More Point Blank-ery here, if anyone's interested.
posted by Joe Beese at 2:19 PM on February 3, 2011


Awesome, thanks.
posted by safetyfork at 2:19 PM on February 3, 2011


> That's sort of astonishing.

If by "astonishing" you mean "disturbing", yes, I agree.

Dude's shoulders must be swelled up like melons after that.
posted by ardgedee at 2:33 PM on February 3, 2011


Thanks for that it was great. A group of friends did a performance of Clapping a while ago I will have to send this to them.
posted by djstig at 2:38 PM on February 3, 2011


We're in a silly postmodern world.

Good stuff.
posted by gcbv at 2:43 PM on February 3, 2011


My enjoyment of that bordered on the obscene. Minimalism + campy fllms = a change of underpants for LMGM
posted by LMGM at 2:52 PM on February 3, 2011 [1 favorite]


WACKY WAVING INFLATABLE ARM-FLAILING TUBE MAN!
posted by xedrik at 2:53 PM on February 3, 2011 [5 favorites]


Hypnotically boring. I couldn't get through the whole thing. Am I missing some piece of vital information?
posted by unliteral at 2:53 PM on February 3, 2011 [2 favorites]


That was brilliant!

This is nice for dessert.
posted by maudlin at 2:55 PM on February 3, 2011 [3 favorites]


So so excellent!
posted by OmieWise at 2:58 PM on February 3, 2011


I saw the title of the FPP, and I was in disbelief. But I love miracles like the next guy, so I switched off my inner skeptic and I ignored what I know of the world and how it works, what is possible and what not - and I allowed myself to dream, dream big, dream stratospherically high and I was getting extremely excited... Angie Dickinson? Lee Marvin? Steve Reich? Can it be?!?! And then I clicked on the link. And my inner skeptic came roaring back, scolding me for ever allowing hope of impossible things to take root in my heart. Then I kept watching out of inertia and devastation. And then I started enjoying it and my inner skeptic slunk away.
posted by VikingSword at 3:01 PM on February 3, 2011 [5 favorites]


Am I missing some piece of vital information?

Not really. This animation provides a great way to visualize the patterns, though.
posted by mintcake! at 3:02 PM on February 3, 2011 [7 favorites]


Somehow I missed that previous Point Blank thread, so I hope it's okay if I slightly de-rail this thread by asking; in the flashback scene where Reese convinces Walker to take part in the heist, what manner of gathering are they at? It's a room full of businessmen, everyone's really drunk...but it seems like something oddly specific and kind of strange (like the rest of the film, which of course is awesome).
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:16 PM on February 3, 2011


Holy shit this is amazing.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 3:20 PM on February 3, 2011


This version of Clapping Music by jugglers is pretty damn cool.

I still think Reich's Music for 18 Musicians is as close to music of the spheres as we've ever had. It's almost inhumanly perfect.
posted by Rory Marinich at 3:31 PM on February 3, 2011 [7 favorites]


ardgedee: Dude's shoulders must be swelled up like melons after that.

The thoughts of a "real" version of this made me think of a clip similar to this one from Mondo Cane 2, except the clip I remember was shown on TV in the 1990s in some daytime show, not a 1960s Italian shock film.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:57 PM on February 3, 2011


I love this so much, and I haven't even clicked the link yet.
posted by .kobayashi. at 4:19 PM on February 3, 2011 [1 favorite]


Okay, I've just seen it and I love it even more now. I wouldn't have thought such a thing is possible, yet there it is.
posted by .kobayashi. at 4:28 PM on February 3, 2011 [1 favorite]


violence with a beat you can dance to? shamelessly fucking terrible idea
posted by kitchenrat at 4:42 PM on February 3, 2011


I've never seen a live performance of Clapping Music, but I wonder what happens when the performance is over. Does the audience clap? And if so, wouldn't that seem especially cacophonous?
posted by twoleftfeet at 4:44 PM on February 3, 2011


I still think Reich's Music for 18 Musicians is as close to music of the spheres as we've ever had. It's almost inhumanly perfect.

Totally agree that it's an astoundingly wonderful piece. For "music of the spheres," though, Terry Riley's In C is what does it for me.
posted by treepour at 4:47 PM on February 3, 2011 [2 favorites]


Angie Dickinson is about due for a revival. She's phenomenal in Rio Bravo, maybe the sexiest role I've ever seen a woman play in a Western. She also chews up the scenery in troubled mini-series Wild Palms where she plays the heavy, complete with some awesome full force open palm slaps.
posted by Nelson at 4:59 PM on February 3, 2011


The thing with clapping music is both parties are supposed to be making distinctive sounding claps, so I expected Lee to start "clapping" also, but that didn't happen.
posted by crunch42 at 5:04 PM on February 3, 2011


Is there a beatbox version? Is there any way to convince Reich to write some beatbox music?
posted by Ad hominem at 5:25 PM on February 3, 2011 [1 favorite]


For "music of the spheres," though, Terry Riley's In C is what does it for me.

And to bring it all full circle, the 8th note pulse in In C was purportedly Reich's idea.
posted by el_lupino at 5:39 PM on February 3, 2011 [2 favorites]


This is a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup of awesomeness.
posted by box at 6:16 PM on February 3, 2011


Does anybody know how to make these? It looks like it would be heaps of fun.
posted by bdave at 6:21 PM on February 3, 2011


Can anyone offer tips on how to learn to clap this, for people who don't read music? The main pattern is fine, but are there lessons somewhere on how to clap the second part?
posted by surenoproblem at 6:29 PM on February 3, 2011


Truly fantastic! Things like this redeem the existence of the internet for me, no matter what good or ill it has/is/will unleash upon the world.

Is there any way to convince Reich to write some beatbox music?

This is the best commission idea I've heard in a long time....
posted by LooseFilter at 6:29 PM on February 3, 2011


Loved it, thank you!
posted by nj_subgenius at 6:29 PM on February 3, 2011


Can anyone offer tips on how to learn to clap this, for people who don't read music?

I honestly think it would be easier to learn the basic concepts of time division/grouping & rhythm notation and just read the music, than it would be to learn this piece by ear. The concepts involved in managing pattern/pulse and how they are notated are actually quite straight-forward and easy to understand--certainly to the level required by this piece.

I recommend this very accessible and outstanding little book to get you there.
posted by LooseFilter at 6:35 PM on February 3, 2011 [3 favorites]


I wish to be trapped in a small space with Lee Marvin. The living version, of course.

This is fantastic.
posted by medeine at 7:22 PM on February 3, 2011


now i've got led zep's boogie with stu stuck in my head. slapping guitar.

posted by lapolla at 1:41 AM on February 4, 2011


Clapping Music has been discussed previously.
posted by twoleftfeet at 2:24 AM on February 4, 2011


Sounds like some really great foley work there. Couldn't watch it though. Ugh!
posted by Coaticass at 3:24 AM on February 4, 2011


I think I like this even more than the original!
posted by orme at 5:48 AM on February 4, 2011


This was really superb.
posted by From Bklyn at 9:11 AM on February 4, 2011


This is awesome. Thanks.
posted by klausness at 3:14 PM on February 4, 2011


I will have to check against the versions I have at home, but aren't the claps supposed to phase out against each other?
This version has shifts on a quantized beat grid, not drifting out of phase.

I do love it, though.
posted by Theta States at 6:49 AM on February 9, 2011


It's been years since I read published score for "Clapping Music", but I recall it instructing the second to increment his tempo forwards by one beat at regular intervals. (The score is intended to be understandable even by nonmusicians, and it's totally worth visiting your local university library for.)
posted by ardgedee at 11:54 AM on February 9, 2011


Oh mighty intertubeses.... *grrrrrrnnnnnnnnn ah!* viola!
posted by From Bklyn at 12:47 PM on February 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


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