Beat(ing)

Beat(ing)
Beat(ing) for bass flute (doubling flute), Bb clarinet, accordion, and violin is a work centered on the aural sensation of beating caused by the juxtaposition of two sustained tones with slightly different frequencies. When approaching a unison, the amplitude or volume of the tones seems to fluctuate as in a tremolo. This tremolo effect gradually slows and disappears as the tones slide into a unison. Beat(ing) refers not only to this fascinating acoustic phenomenon, but also its interplay with highly rhythmic and often violent percussive elements that appear throughout the work.