One Pulse to rule them all, One Pulse to find them,
One Pulse to bring them all, and in the Music bind them!
Episode 2 of The Counterpoint Club is all about creating and manipulating pulse in music. In the episode, we explore the history of pulse in Western classical music. Brandon begins the history lesson with poetry in ancient Greece and takes us all the way to current times. Take a listen here to the complete performance by the Cypress Quartet of the third movement of Dvorak’s String Quartet in F major, Op. 96, “American”, which Brandon discusses in the episode:
The podcast features the Miro Quartet’s recording of Dvorak’s quartet, which you can buy online.
In the technique section of the podcast, Justin demonstrates counting techniques that Skyros uses to create a unified sense of pulse, creating a solid foundation for the musical ideas we want to convey. Download this worksheet to bring this counting technique to your next rehearsal. It can feel a little awkward to musically count out loud at first but just go for it! These techniques always prove really valuable to Skyros in our rehearsals!
Garrett Arney and Mari Yoshinaga are the arx duo. Known as a leading pioneer in the percussion chamber music community, this fantastic Seattle-based ensemble joins Brandon and Willie in a conversation about pulse and all of the incredible ways that arx duo creates music.
arx duo
Dedicated to the creation and presentation of new music, arx duo’s mission is to foster audiences that are imaginative and open-minded through engagement and creation of art; forming intrinsic values that further connect people. It is arx duo’s belief that they can contribute to the revitalization of live music through commissioning new works, collaborating with other artists in unique projects, and educating the next generation of percussionists and musicians to value the art of engaging with audiences and creating new opportunities.
Listen to Dominic Murcott’s The Harmonic Canon music discussed by the arx duo here:
Harmonic Canon is available on Spotify!
During the interview, the arx duo discusses the difference between pulse and groove – see them ‘unlock’ groove in their performance of Book of Grooves: IV. Dance Groove Drifting, by Alejandro Viñao:
You can listen to our full interview with arx duo online.
Do you have a question for the Skyros Quartet? Fill out our online form or send us an email with your question attached as a voice recording! We’d love to hear your questions about our ensemble, chamber music, or being in a string quartet! We’ll try to answer as many questions as we can during the Q and A at the end of each podcast episode.
Stay tuned for Episode 3: The Well-Tempered Quartet
