Four polyrhythmic pieces

Polyrhythm: a hard word for me, to write. When I see it with my spanish eyes, it seems it hasn't any vowels ("y" is a consonant for us). Anyway, an interesting concept.

Polyrhythm is not a XX century issue. Mozart used it in Don Giovanni mixing several dances in 3/4, 2/4, 3/8 and 4/4:

(How can I make you tube windows smaller?)

Mixing meters creates interesting effects that can't be done using the same meter. The piano is fine to show this. I wrote some pieces exploring it. In the previous platform of the forum I uploades one of them. Now I bring them together.

Polyrhythm in each piece is written this way:

5/4 + 7/8         5/8 + 2/4     7/8+5/4     6/8 + 2/4

In "In Dreams" whenever you had quarter notes in the bass and a "rest, eighth, eighth" pattern in the soprano it seemed to ruin the image of polyrhythm for me, just because it was pretty much evenly subdivided at that point.

It All Comes Back, m. 7, the D natural in the soprano clashes with the D flat resolution in the bass. Also, something in that F major section seemed a bit off, maybe the type where you end a measure with an eighth note after quarter notes?

In "If" starting from m. 9 to a few systems down, the tonality of the piece got really wacky with the rhythmic integration. Maybe that's what you wanted, but it's a big jump from the previous section.

Also, especially in pieces like this, it helps the performer when you beam the rhythms in the notes exactly how you want them to be played so they have separate rhythms to fall back on just in case.

These are cool! Weirdly polytonal and polyrhythmic

Thanks for your comments!

In general terms, I don't stay in a tonality, I am aware of that, and I like it.

Also, some "clashes" don't disturb me. In "It all comes back" there's anoter one even "harder": in m. 55 in the right hand there's a Db-Eb and a D at the same time. Weird? I don't mind, it's (for me) a way to create tension.

In other words, "the end justifies the means" in this case, I mean to say: if it sound good (to me, at least), I don't care about clashes or tonalities. In fact, I like to write the chords, but sometimes I can't (because of the dissonances or extended notes).

Hello Luis!  Since you commented on my pieces, I wanted to return the favor :)

I'm no musical expert or critic, so I'm not going to say what should have gone better or be changed in your compositions.  I'll just share my thoughts and say the first piece "It All Comes Back (To You)" was really emotional, and you managed to pull that off with atonality and polyrhythm.  Plus, I'm new to the term "polyrhythm" and your collection really helped me learn about it.  Great job!

All of the pieces were great, jazzy, and interesting, and personally "It All Comes Back (To You)" is my favorite.  Can't beat the expression of that one! ;)

Luis:

Thanx for responding..  Now I have some else to check out..  I really like your work.. What you are doing is somewhat out of my element.. My brain can't process and play like you do..  It is beautiful, you do so much with one piano  pass..  I greaty admire that.. Yes, the clashes are fine.. I edit my pieces in Logic Pro.. and I find, I can put in all kinds of clashing passing tones, if duration is short, and softer, and in different octave.. but even dissonant notes  side by side can work in one instrument, as long as other instruments are doing something..  But you dancing naked in the moon light here..  You can't hide behind some other instrument. So you have to let the 'movement of the melody' carry one thru the clash..  

I have done a few pieces that are in one time signature, yet, I will add one or two instruments in a different time signature.. I love how it opens up the feel of the piece, and kind of creates a a 'timeless quality'. which is very liberating. You did this very well, and simply and then you're dealing with some atonality loosens it up even more..  wow..  I look forward to more.. 

My favorite is the first movement, which like the others comes across as a more deterministic rubato than rubato. It's relaxed at these tempos and ambiguous, which is very charming I think. But because you have imposed this extra formal procedure on it, I have to re-adjust my reaction to it. Which is pleasant and which I am very happy to do.

I would love to hear a wicked up tempo piece from you using these same techniques.