Context
Catching Shadows by Ivan Trevino
Ivan Trevino (b. 1983) is a Mexican-American composer, percussionist, and writer whose music bridges the gap between classical chamber music and contemporary rock/pop. As a founding member of the crossover band Break of Reality, his writing is heavily influenced by his background in indie rock, giving his acoustic compositions a propulsive, beat-driven feel.
Composed in 2012, Catching Shadows was originally written as a marimba duet and later expanded for full percussion ensemble. The piece takes its title from the fast, fluid motion of mallets dancing across the wooden bars – looking almost like shadows flickering in real time. Rather than traditional classical development, Trevino uses interlocking, syncopated ostinati (repeating rhythmic motifs) to build momentum.
Listen out for:
- Interlocking rhythms: listen to how the two primary marimba parts seamlessly fit together, passing rapid semiquaver (sixteenth-note) patterns back and forth.
- Syncopated grooves: listen to the off-beat accents and pop/rock-inspired metre shifts that give the piece its infectious, dance-like momentum.
- Contrasting registers: notice how the composer creates variety through instrument pitch. The music moves between the deep, warm resonant bass notes at the bottom of the marimba (e.g. 01:10 and 01:40) and the bright tones at the very top of the instrument (e.g. at 02:52).
- Layering: watch how the composer layers instruments one by one, starting from a quiet pulse and gradually building into a massive, full-ensemble climax.
Things to consider:
Choose two melodic or percussive sounds in your DAW or notation programme. Try writing an ‘interlocking’ rhythm where Instrument A plays on the beat and Instrument B fills in the off-beats so that it sounds like one continuous part. How can you use these overlapping patterns to create a driving groove without cluttering the texture too much?