A beautiful arrangement by Orchestra Percussion, the actual concert was in Meyzieu, France, november 2009 – I especially love the extreme slow tempo. Like this? You might also want to see RDNZL, Let’s Make The Water Turn Black, We Are Not Alone, or Peaches!
Wonderful choice, Balint! I dig the near hypnotic quality of this particular cover, climaxing the composition in a sort of violent juxtaposition to the original using the orchestral snare drum. Damn interesting arrangement of a Zappa classic!
That song always gets me emotionally, but I didn’t expect it here as well.
Excellent find, Balint.
These classical musicians sure have a “straight” (rigid) way of approaching rhythm. The original, elastic feel of the FZ ‘rock’ version (in 9/4) has been reduced to a plodding, unwavering 4/4 beat.
I do want to have percussive intercourse with the conductor though.
Harry – no, this version above is not in 4/4. This is 4/4 + 5/4, as it should be.
[quote comment=”12177″]Harry – no, this version above is not in 4/4. This is 4/4 + 5/4, as it should be.[/quote]
4/4 + 5/4 is something different than 9/4. Music is not mathematics.
Well, it is surely not mere 4/4 – as it was written in the previous post. 😉
BTW: I happen to have the score right in front of me (The FZ Guitar Book, transcribed by Steve Vai), and it IS definitely 4/4 PLUS 5/4. 😉
Apart from the fact that the basic riff could not fit into 4/4, there’s a section at around 2 minutes where you can see the conductor clearly beat a bar of four followed by a bar of five.
The above is definitely in 9/4, or 4/4 + 5/4. For all audio intents and purposes they are exactly the same thing. Just a question of where that invisible bar line is…
Actually, music is very much about mathematics – about timing, and pitch and resonance. It’s how these time signatures are added together, along with these various other elements that determine a work’s overall value.
I liked their version of RDNZL, although I assume is the reason the melody is never harmonized, esp. in the recap, is that it’s a student version. Would’ve sounded nice harmonized with all those mallets.
Yup, the spaces between the notes are just as important as the notes themselves when it comes to the ‘overall rhythmic structure’; and i happen to dislike the ‘feel’ of 95% of the classical musicians i’ve heard.
Western classical training = rigid, inflexible rhythmic feel? Seems to be. Even the genius of Ruth Underwood could only improvise in 4/4.
herrlich!