'For the Funk of it' - Browning

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tuba_bloke
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'For the Funk of it' - Browning

Post by tuba_bloke »

I just ordered 'For the Funk of it' by Zach Browning. Does anyone know anything about this piece or has played it or owns a recording?

Cheers,
Mark.
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kontrabass
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Post by kontrabass »

YES! In fact, I just played on my recital last year.
It's quite a challenging piece but very cool. There's a driving, syncopated 16th funk theme that's seperated by some twelve-tone stuff. At times the tuba and piano are rocking together and at other times they are quite different, in twelve-tone fragments of the theme with an almost pontillistic accompaniment.
In order to perform this piece, you will need a piano player who
a) can play in a 'funky' style, and
b) can count and read extremely well.
You yourself will need to be a good counter as well.
The sections that are fragments of the theme are often syncopated in a way that's not easy to hear where the beat lies. You will need to rehearse A WHOLE LOT with your pianist so you can 'hear' the beat in the sporadic piano part. Practise with a metronome and mark the beats in your part. Finally, establish 'landmark' spots where you can get back together if one of you miscounts (which is very likely to happen with all but the very best pianists).
Good luck!
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