Dex for Percussion Quartet by Michael Burritt.

Instrumentation:

Player 1 – Bongos, Toms and Bass Drum

Player 2 – Bongos, Toms and Bass Drum

Player 3 – Bongos, Toms, and Bass Drum

Player 4 – Bongos, Toms and Bass Drum

Dex was commissioned by and dedicated to the University of Texas Percussion Ensemble, (Thomas Burritt, Director) and premiered by the group at the 2012 Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Austin Texas.

Tom had asked me for an exhilarating drum piece to fit between two larger works on his program. When I began writing the piece I found myself composing rhythms in the style and feel of the great drummer, John Bonham. Not intentionally, but in reflection, Bonham’s rhythmic conviction and heavy style of drumming felt like the perfect paradigm for this work. Dex moves through a myriad of textures, colors, and metric modulations to create sort of a “drumming fanfare” that I hope is both fun to play and experience as a listener.

Dex is named for my dog and best buddy Dexter, who sat beside me on our porch as I wrote much of this piece.

-MJB