Will Guthrie — Polyrhythm, Polymeter, Texture & Beyond the Grid

Explore the possibilites of sound through percussion. Join renowned Australian drummer and percussionist Will Guthrie for an intensive four-hour workshop exploring polyrhythmic and polymetric approaches to contemporary percussion, with a particular focus on texture, timbre, resonance and collective listening. Drawing on decades of experience across experimental music, free improvisation and percussion, Guthrie will introduce participants to rhythmic concepts that challenge conventional ideas of pulse, meter and musical time. His practice has been shaped by collaborations with artists including Mark Simmonds and Mark Fell, as well as by his deep engagement with Javanese Gamelan and Carnatic rhythmic systems. The workshop approaches rhythm not only as a system of beats and subdivisions, but as something that can emerge from texture, density, repetition, resonance and physical gesture. Participants will explore how a rhythmic structure can be created without relying on a conventional pulse, and how seemingly abstract or fragmented sounds can develop into complex rhythmic relationships. Through a combination of practical exercises, listening, discussion and collective playing, participants will investigate how different rhythmic cycles, sounds and textures can coexist, overlap and interact. Rhythm as texture A central focus of the workshop will be texture-based playing: working with sound itself as the starting point for rhythmic and musical organisation. Participants will explore: • Density and gradual transformation • Sustained and resonant sounds • Rhythmic patterns emerging from repeated gestures • The relationship between attack, decay and silence • Timbre as a rhythmic and structural element • Small variations within repetitive structures • The interaction between acoustic sound, resonance and electronics Polyrhythm & polymeter The workshop will also explore more explicit rhythmic structures, including: • Polyrhythm and polymeter • Layering and superimposing rhythmic cycles • Shifting and displaced pulses • Subdivision and asymmetric rhythmic structures • Independent rhythmic layers • Collective rhythm and group coordination • Using rhythmic cycles as compositional material These concepts will be approached through the body and through playing, allowing participants to experience complex rhythmic relationships rather than simply learning them as theoretical formulas. The workshop is aimed at drummers, percussionists, electronic musicians, improvisers, composers, sound artists and rhythmically curious artists. Participants do not need to be specialists in complex rhythm. The emphasis is on experimentation, listening and discovering practical ways of working with rhythm and texture. Duration: 4 hours (+1 hour lunch break) Format: Theory, practical exercises, listening, collective playing and improvisation Level: Open to musicians and artists with an interest in rhythm, sound and experimentation ———— https://www.will-guthrie.com http://ensemble-nist-nah.com