Your turn!

Outreach Activity: Playing Ride the Rails

While listening to the audio below, identify details that stand out:

  • Texture and Noise: trail whistles, bird calls, metallic clanging of the rails.
  • Melody and Harmony: base tones and overtones of four bass notes fade in and out, sometimes combined with train whistles.
  • Rhythm and Density: as tones move from one note to another rhythms range from slow to fast.

Resonator Part for Ride the Rails (Gayle Young)

Respond by improvising with the recording:

  • How many ways can your instrument or voice imitate the sounds you hear?
  • Can you change the ways you play to match different sonic details that you notice?
  • Can you match the faster rhythm and the train clatters along the tracks?
  • Can you match the harmonies when you hear chords?
  • Can you play sounds that contrast with the pre-recorded sound?
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