Tile the Plane aims to explore the instrument of the snare drum from a new perspective. Rather than limiting the instrument to an unpitched percussive drum, this piece augments the snare with electronic amplification and manipulation that greatly broadens the instrument's timbral range. Each performer is equipped with a snare drum flipped upside-down and a contact mic placed on the snare head. The sound is then manipulated through a Max patch to produce an instrument which differs greatly from the traditional snare. This new instrument maintains elements of the original drum, but allows for a broad range of pitched sounds and is much more reactive to even the gentlest actions made by the performer. Throughout the piece, performers will use a variety of techniques including vocalizing pitches into the snare, gently brushing along the head, or lightly plucking individual snares. Each of these produces an entirely unique effect. The blending of all these sounds is then spatialized around the perimeter of the hall, enveloping the listener in an everchanging soundscape.

Links: Score Max Patch

Upper video performed by Critical Error: Cameron Church, Mary Price (marypricecompositions.com), Michael Mills, and Sebastian Suarez-Solis (cbassuarez.com) in the Cube at Virginia Tech during the Virginia Tech New Music + Technology Festival on May 3rd, 2022.

Lower video performed by Cameron Church, Ryo Hasegawa (hasegawaryo.com), Tyler Jordan (tylerjordancomposer.com), and Sebastian Suarez-Solis, featuring Mary Price as the french horn soloist. This performance is from Cameron's Master's recital in Griswold Hall at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University on February 17th, 2023.