There seems to be some interest in the Crafty community brewing again about the Airport Exercise. I’ve had a few inquiries in the past few weeks about where a score exists. A few years ago I scratched out a fast and poorly executed version and posted it somewhere in the haystack of this diary.
Then one morning, I saw an efficient path: hire an expert. And create a ‘show me how’ video.
The Airport Exercise is part III of the Tower Trilogy that includes The Tetrachords and Descendent: three pieces for large guitar ensemble designed to stretch the fingers of the players and the attention of listeners.
This version of the piece is designed to give interested guitarists a glimpse of what is going on with the form and fingering.
The piece was designed to be played in airports. I don't mean playing a recording, I mean to use the time that might otherwise be wasted waiting by pulling out your instrument and playing this quietly and gently at the gate, perhaps even transforming the idea of a delayed flight into an opportunity to go deeper.
The score for this piece, transcribed by Gabriel Riccio, is available here for a small (optional) donation here.
The backing tracks were recorded and released as part of the version of this piece that appears on Steve Ball Sketch Box: CD1, Guitar Sketches featuring:
Robert Fripp, soundscapes
Tony Levin, bowed bass
Pat Mastelotto, zing
JG Bennett, voice
Steve Ball, guitar
In addition to completing the Electric Gauchos Box Set, this year, I’m already looking ahead to capturing a number of the group exercises and improvisation forms I’ve been using in guitar ensembles over the past decade or so.
My current working list includes:
- Nine Lives
- Group Loop
- Pulse Division
- Follow The Leader
- Nine from Nowhere
- Chord Circulation
- Descendent
- The Tetrachords
- The Airport Exercise
More on this project as it continues to unfold.
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