Four Clocks
ndhoanit1112ndhoanit1112018d ago

A polyrhythmic tempo canon in D dorian — a nod to Conlon Nancarrow's player-piano studies. One motif (A D C A G F E D) played by four voices at ratios 2:3:5:7. Same DNA, different speeds. All four voices strike the opening A together at cycle 0, then diverge into canonic counterpoint, fully re-aligning only every LCM(2,3,5,7)=210 cycles (~7:45). In between, partial alignments happen at every prime pair — 6, 10, 14, 15, 21, 35 cycles — so the texture is always breathing with near-collisions. A fifth "comet" voice flashes the motif at original tempo (4× the fastest canonic voice) for 4 cycles every 32 — the source DNA streaking briefly across the sky. A D2 drone grounds everything.