Erik Griswold - Strings Attached

Erik Griswold's Strings Attached

In Strings Attached, for six percussionists, the ensemble is transformed into a live kinetic sculpture. Four-meter-long bright white nylon ropes attach the performers' sticks to a lighting rig, or in some cases to each other, causing their gestures to be visually amplified on a massive scale. Minute shifts of stick position produce palpable shifts in the tension of the ropes, while large physical gestures give rise to a dramatic rising and falling choreography.

Each of its sections explores a unique musical texture and concomitant visual kinetic: gently swelling tremolos suggest breathing or gusts of wind; pulsating rhythms produce sound wave patterns; quick single strokes imitate the action of a whip. At times the choreography of the ropes emphasizes spiraling movement around the stage, while at other times the ropes seem to become magically frozen in a three-dimensional abstraction.

Through the intricately choreographed score of rolls and accents, the quivering ropes suggested gusts of wind or sound wave phenomena, in what became a percussion tour de force and kinetic sculpture all in one. - Josef Woodard, Los Angeles Times, Jan 29, 1999

For those brave enough to weather the [Bang on a Can Marathon] in its entirety, two of the works challenged the 'Bang on a Can' status quo, moving the festival into vital new territory...In the second of these prophetic works - Erik Griswold's 'Strings Attached' - left/right coordination is studied with the help of a large maypole, with ropes attached to the sticks of four snare drummers positioned around the pole. The ropes' vibrations, and the movements of two other snare drummers, create visual models for how waves (sonic or otherwise) are emitted and received. - Gregg Wager, Newsday, May 1999.

If you are looking for a very unique percussion ensemble work at either the high school or college level that will be both fun and entertaining, "Strings Attached" is the piece. - F. Michael Combs, Percussive Notes 69 June 2007

Worklist		Erik Griswold's Strings Attached In Strings Attached, for six percussionists, the ensemble is transformed into a live kinetic sculpture. Four-meter-long bright white nylon ropes attach the performers' sticks to a lighting rig, or in some cases to each other, causing their gestures to be visually amplified on a massive scale. Minute shifts of stick position produce palpable shifts in the tension of the ropes, while large physical gestures give rise to a dramatic rising and falling choreography. Each of its sections explores a unique musical texture and concomitant visual kinetic: gently swelling tremolos suggest breathing or gusts of wind; pulsating rhythms produce sound wave patterns; quick single strokes imitate the action of a whip. At times the choreography of the ropes emphasizes spiraling movement around the stage, while at other times the ropes seem to become magically frozen in a three-dimensional abstraction. Through the intricately choreographed score of rolls and accents, the quivering ropes suggested gusts of wind or sound wave phenomena, in what became a percussion tour de force and kinetic sculpture all in one. - Josef Woodard, Los Angeles Times, Jan 29, 1999 For those brave enough to weather the [Bang on a Can Marathon] in its entirety, two of the works challenged the 'Bang on a Can' status quo, moving the festival into vital new territory...In the second of these prophetic works - Erik Griswold's 'Strings Attached' - left/right coordination is studied with the help of a large maypole, with ropes attached to the sticks of four snare drummers positioned around the pole. The ropes' vibrations, and the movements of two other snare drummers, create visual models for how waves (sonic or otherwise) are emitted and received. - Gregg Wager, Newsday, May 1999. If you are looking for a very unique percussion ensemble work at either the high school or college level that will be both fun and entertaining, "Strings Attached" is the piece. - F. Michael Combs, Percussive Notes 69 June 2007