Walker-Treehouses (SP)-B/2V/C/X/4M/5T/P/PN/Synth.

Clif Walker's expansive and brilliant piece Treehouses was inspired by a backyard treehouse project that he was working on at the same time he was composing this piece. Both projects seemed intertwined and were amalgams of varied materials and ideas which came about as the projects unfolded. Both are places of discovery where kids can play

Utilizing a large array for percussion orchestra, piano, and synthesizer, various natural sounds such as bird calls, organic wooden effects, and leafy bundle rods are used to embellish the modern sonorities. Six performers serve as a focal point throughout in "pod" configurations, each with three drums, stacked cymbals, and wood textures throughout (rims, bundled sticks, etc.) serving as highlighted branches to the foundation of the piece. These pods use advanced, deliberate stickings, emphasizing that they are to be enjoyed visually as well as musically.

This piece comes as a full, bound score (10.5" x 14") with a color cover and includes an online download code to access individual parts for printing.

Number of players: 20
Difficulty: Advanced

Instrumentation

Player 1: 3 large drums, stacked cymbal, finger cymbals
Player 2: 3 medium drums, stacked cymbal, finger cymbals
Player 3: 3 small drums, stacked cymbal, finger cymbals
Player 4: 3 small drums, stacked cymbal, finger cymbals
Player 5: 3 medium drums, stacked cymbal, finger cymbals
Player 6: 3 large drums, stacked cymbal, finger cymbals
Player 7: Glockenspiel, tam tam (shared w/Player 18)
Player 8: Chimes, birds, wooden clacker (shared w/Player 9), claves
Player 9: Vibraphone 1, wooden clacker (high)
Player 10: Vibraphone 2, wooden clacker (low), vibraslap
Player 11: Xylophone, patio chimes, temple blocks, wooden clacker (shared w/Player 10)
Player 12: Marimba 1 (4.3 octave), nightingale whistle, rainstick, crash cymbals
Player 13: Marimba 2 (4.5 octave), audubon bird call, rainstick
Player 14: Marimba 3 (4.6 octave), crotale (high F#)
Player 15: Marimba 4 (5 octave), Crotale (high G)
Player 16: 4-5 timpani, crotale (high A)
Player 17: suspended cymbal, ride cymbal w/sizzle attachment, triangle, mark tree
Player 18: concert bass drum, sizzle cymbal, slapstick, tam tam
Player 19: Piano
Player 20: Synthsesizer, birds