The Black Page
Encyclopedia
"The Black Page" is a piece by American composer Frank Zappa
known for being extraordinarily difficult to play. Originally written for the drum kit
and melodic percussion, the piece was later rearranged in several versions, including a disco
and a so-called New Age
version.
Drummer Terry Bozzio
said of the piece:
On the live album Zappa in New York
, Zappa noted the "statistical density" of the piece. It is written in common time
with extensive use of tuplet
s, including tuplets inside tuplets. At several points there is a quarter note
triplet
in which each beat is counted with its own tuplet of 5, 5 and 6; at another is a half note triplet in which the second beat is a tuplet of 7, and the third beat is divided into tuplets of 4 and 5. The song ends with a quarter note triplet composed of tuplets of 5, 5, and 6, followed by two tuplets of 11.
Australian drummer Chris Quinlan explained and demonstrated the polyrhythms, nested polyrhythms (quintuplets and sextuplets played within a 3:2 polyrhythm), polymeters (5/4 phrases played over 4/4 time signature) and structure of "The Black Page" on "Melbourne Musos" TV Show, episode 122, aired in 1999 on Australian Community TV station, C31 Melbourne.
In 2001, Terry Bozzio and Chad Wackerman
released the video "Solos and Duets" which features "The Black Page" played as a duet between the two ex-Zappa Drummers with a transcription of the piece scrolling along the bottom of the screen as it is being played.
In 2006, "The Black Page" was featured on Zappa Plays Zappa - Tour de Frank
, an ambitious effort by Dweezil Zappa
to bring Zappa music to the stage again, played by himself and a new band. The 2006 tour also included, as special guests, Zappa alumni Napoleon Murphy Brock
, Bozzio, and Steve Vai
. In the 2006 shows, "The Black Page" was played once as a drum solo by Bozzio, then a second time as a guitar duet with Steve Vai
.
In 2010, "The Black Page" was performed by Lucy Landymore in the BBC Young Musician of the Year
percussion final, which she won.
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
known for being extraordinarily difficult to play. Originally written for the drum kit
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and melodic percussion, the piece was later rearranged in several versions, including a disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
and a so-called New Age
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
version.
Drummer Terry Bozzio
Terry Bozzio
Terry John Bozzio is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa.-Biography:Terry Bozzio was born December 27, 1950 in San Francisco, California. He started at age 6 playing makeshift drum sets. At the age of 13 he saw The Beatles premier performance on The Ed...
said of the piece:
On the live album Zappa in New York
Zappa in New York
Zappa in New York is a live double album by Frank Zappa. It was recorded at a series of concerts at New York City's Palladium in December 1976. It was released by Zappa's DiscReet Records label in 1977, then quickly withdrawn. A second version was re-released in 1978 with changes ordered by...
, Zappa noted the "statistical density" of the piece. It is written in common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
with extensive use of tuplet
Tuplet
In music a tuplet is "any rhythm that involves dividing the beat into a different number of equal subdivisions from that usually permitted by the...
s, including tuplets inside tuplets. At several points there is a quarter note
Quarter note
A quarter note or crotchet is a note played for one quarter of the duration of a whole note . Often people will say that a crotchet is one beat, however, this is not always correct, as the beat is indicated by the time signature of the music; a quarter note may or may not be the beat...
triplet
Tuplet
In music a tuplet is "any rhythm that involves dividing the beat into a different number of equal subdivisions from that usually permitted by the...
in which each beat is counted with its own tuplet of 5, 5 and 6; at another is a half note triplet in which the second beat is a tuplet of 7, and the third beat is divided into tuplets of 4 and 5. The song ends with a quarter note triplet composed of tuplets of 5, 5, and 6, followed by two tuplets of 11.
Australian drummer Chris Quinlan explained and demonstrated the polyrhythms, nested polyrhythms (quintuplets and sextuplets played within a 3:2 polyrhythm), polymeters (5/4 phrases played over 4/4 time signature) and structure of "The Black Page" on "Melbourne Musos" TV Show, episode 122, aired in 1999 on Australian Community TV station, C31 Melbourne.
In 2001, Terry Bozzio and Chad Wackerman
Chad Wackerman
Chad Wackerman is a jazz, jazz fusion and rock drummer; arguably best known in the United States for his work as a drummer and percussionist in Frank Zappa's band...
released the video "Solos and Duets" which features "The Black Page" played as a duet between the two ex-Zappa Drummers with a transcription of the piece scrolling along the bottom of the screen as it is being played.
In 2006, "The Black Page" was featured on Zappa Plays Zappa - Tour de Frank
Zappa Plays Zappa
Zappa Plays Zappa is an American tribute act led by Dweezil Zappa, the eldest son of the late American composer and musician Frank Zappa, devoted to performing the music of Frank Zappa.- History :...
, an ambitious effort by Dweezil Zappa
Dweezil Zappa
Dweezil Zappa is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor.-Early life:Zappa was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of musician Frank Zappa and Adelaide Gail Sloatman, who worked in business. He is the second of four siblings: his older sister, Moon, younger sister Diva and younger...
to bring Zappa music to the stage again, played by himself and a new band. The 2006 tour also included, as special guests, Zappa alumni Napoleon Murphy Brock
Napoleon Murphy Brock
Napoleon Murphy Brock is an American singer, saxophonist and flute player who is best known for his work with Frank Zappa in the 1970s, including the albums One Size Fits All, Roxy and Elsewhere, and Bongo Fury...
, Bozzio, and Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
. In the 2006 shows, "The Black Page" was played once as a drum solo by Bozzio, then a second time as a guitar duet with Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
.
In 2010, "The Black Page" was performed by Lucy Landymore in the BBC Young Musician of the Year
BBC Young Musician of the Year
The BBC Young Musician of the Year is a televised national music competition. It is broadcast on BBC Two and BBC Four biennially, despite the name, and hosted by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
percussion final, which she won.
External links
- Analysis of Zappa's unusual rhythms, including some transcriptions and MIDI recordings of "The Black Page"
- Interview by Vinnie Colaiuta for Modern Drummer, including a description of Vinnie's audition for Zappa
- The Black Page, a sample from the 'Zappa Plays Zappa' tour
- http://www.chrisquinlanmusic.com/musolist.html Australian drummer Chris Quinlan played and explained "The Black Page" on "Melbourne Musos" TV Show, episode 122, aired in 1999.