Program Notes: This piece has an unusual source of inspiration:  one day as I walked to the parking lot my keys kept bouncing against a water bottle I was carrying. The aural possibilities fascinated me and I began to explore. 5 Wet  is a structured improvisatory piece and requires a great deal of attention and interaction between players.

The piece is full of fives. Five water bottles. Five players. The main groove is in 5/4. It is a five-part rondo (ABACA), with each section first establishing a groove and then layering an improvised solo onto that groove. Each new section is introduced through metric modulation, maintaining a level of continuity as the meter shifts. The players broaden the sonic palette as the piece builds towards a climax in the last section.

Performed by Michigan State University percussionists Brendan Betyn, Zac Brunell, Ben Mapes, Alina Watriolik, and Steve Wulff

5 Wet was originally written for the Lansing Community College Experimental Music Ensemble.

Scores are available for $9. Purchase here.