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ZAPPA IN NEW YORK

 Black Page #2

Notes and Comments
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From: WonkyRcrds
  I was hoping for some help from some fellow musicians... I have the score for Black Page #2, and while reading through it and listening to the tune, i began to get a little frustrated trying to figure ou t how to count some of Frank's more "outside" rhythmic groups (groups of seven, eleven, etc.). I've got quintuplets down cold now, but some of the larger gro upings are tough... especially the repeated "elevens" phrase at the end of the tune. Anyone got any tips on how to approach this kind of thing? I know Keneally is famed for his ability to impart some of this info, maybe someone else can? Thanks.
From: Doug Jackson (djackson@iac.net)
  At the end of "The Black Page #2 Easy", measure 91, you have 3 groups of measures in 4.
  Note that I'm talking about the last 2 bars on page 4. The 1st bar repeats once. The first 2 measures are 11 in place of 8. Notice the groupin gs of the 1st measure. 6 + 2 + 3. The groupings in the second measure are 4 + 3 + 4. You can tell by the way the 8th note beams are grouped. The result of this beaming is:
  1st measure, oom pa pa oom pa pa oom pa oom pa pa
  2nd measure, oom pa oom pa oom pa pa oom pa oom pa
  So you end up with 3 + 3 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 3 + 4
  That's no accident that Frank grouped the beams this way. This tells the musicians to play these measures with these accents. (And they are some of the best fucking musicians in the world.)
  I used this example because it's easy for me to drive home from work and crank "The Black Page" and tap my left foot on the floor and tap out the 11's on my stearing wheel at the same time. (Probably anyone who has heard "The Black Page" no less that 50,000 times can do this with no problem with or without a musical education.)
  On measure 86 you find 11 16th notes in place of 8. You can apply the same type of complex rhythm attitude here as with the easier 4 measure phrases at the end.
From: rouse@teleport.com (Sam and/or Karen Rouse) wrote:
  Don't forget Ruth's credit on ZINY for "humanly impossible overdubs." The Black Page is pretty amazing.
From: Martin Gregorie (gregorie@see.sig.for.address)
  And don't forget that apparently (ie I forgot the source) the band couldn't play The Black Page until Ruth used her conservatory training and took the piece to bits and explained the parts to the band.
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