I recently published a new piece of music called Drift Dhikr over on my music site, mysterybear productions. Like the other pieces I’ve been putting up, it’s an electronic work made with Csound. It is consistent with the earlier pieces in that it is ambient in mood and made sine tones. However, this one is built on a simpler foundation: the interval of a perfect fifth mutating into an octave over a long glissando following an exponential curve. However, it has a richer sound than that might suggest because I emphasize the sum and difference tones produced by the gliding notes, resulting in a constantly-changing chord that travels through various degrees of consonance.

I’ve dedicated Drift Dhikr to my friend Lois V Vierk. Lois has a unique and powerful voice as a composer, and I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to perform and record her music back in the 80s when I lived in New York. Lois uses glissandi and exponential curves in much of her work, and I realized while I was making this piece that I was working in at least somewhat similar territory. You can hear some of Lois’ music on the XI and Tzadik labels; I highly recommend it.

Filed by Dave Seidel under Music