R!Solo: Bit Crusher for Minimalist Drum Set And Track

This short piece includes an optional electronic play-along track in the kawaii bass style that emphasizes many of the accented syncopations in the drum set part. All of the patterns written for the drums feature the use of dotted-eighth durations spread across three or more measures at a time. In this sense, the piece is monothematic for the drums, and each section incorporates a different variation technique. On snare drum, ghost notes should be kept as low as possible, and the marcato accents should be played as rimshots.

The following section information may be helpful in learning the piece and playing with the track provided. In the A section, rimshots are doubled in the upper chip-based synths while the kick drum is generally doubled in the saw chords. In the B section, the right hand repeatedly sweeps out to the floor tom for the first four measures and then sweeps inward for the last four. The drop occurs in the C section, and the kick is doubled in the synth bass. The D section features a brief return to the initial pattern followed by a new variation of the B section pattern where the right hand alternates between sweeping out and sweeping in.

To maximize the playability of this piece during the COVID-19 pandemic, when percussion equipment access may be more limited, the drum set part only requires four pieces: hi-hat, snare, kick, and floor tom. Enjoy “Bit Crusher,” and I would love to hear any new recordings that are produced, with or without the track.

Greg Haynes is a percussionist, composer, and educator based in the Connecticut/metro New York area. Haynes is active as both a soloist and an ensemble player, having performed concertos, solo recitals, chamber works, and orchestral pieces throughout the United States and internationally.  He has performed with a diverse selection of ensembles including the Hartford Symphony, the Longmont Symphony, the Midwest Chamber Ensemble, Banda Sinfonica de Santa Fe in Argentina, Marimba Sol de Chiapas, and the Redemption Sound Setters steel orchestra in Tobago. Haynes serves as Assistant Professor of Music at Western Connecticut State University. He composes chamber and percussion works by commission and produces music for film and media via GHM Scoring. Haynes received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Kansas in 2009 and holds a professional certificate in advanced music production from Berklee Online.