Have you ever transited through a casino and found yourself being fascinated with the collective symphony of slot machine music and gaming room sounds? This imaginative piece for wind band presents some interesting musical challenges for the intermediate wind band (and some unique percussion effects), as they guide the audience on a linear journey through the highly stylised world of casino music.
Casino Locale
- Contents: Transposed Score and Parts (PDF)
- Pages: 89
- Duration: 4'32"
- Grade: 3 / Medium
- Conductor (score only option available upon request)
- Piccolo
- Flute 1
- Flute 2
- Oboe
- Bassoon
- Bb Clarinet 1
- Bb Clarinet 2
- Bb Clarinet 3
- Bb Bass Clarinet
- Eb Alto Saxophone 1
- Eb Alto Saxophone 2
- Bb Tenor Saxophone
- Eb Baritone Saxophone
- F French Horn 1/3
- F French Horn 2/4
- Bb Trumpet 1
- Bb Trumpet 2
- Bb Trumpet 3
- Trombone 1
- Trombone 2
- Bass Trombone
- Euphonium
- Tuba 1/2
- String Bass
- Timpani
- Percussion 1 (Glockenspiel, Wood Blocks, Castanets, Agogo, Plastic Cup with Coins)
- Percussion 2 (Triangle, Xylophone, Whip, Suspended Cymbal, Plastic Cup with Coins)
- Percussion 3 (Drum Kit)
t’s near impossible to visit Las Vegas and not walk through a casino. On a visit to this city in 2013, I discovered that often the quickest (and sometimes more scenic) way to get from one place to another was to walk through a string of casinos.
All of the casinos on the strip are unique, massive and expansive structures of space. Wandering through one and in to another almost feels like stepping in to another country. The soundtrack of slot machines and the sound of fortunes (and futures) being changed in a matter of seconds gave me the idea for this piece. In order for it to work, imagine you are walking from point A to point B - on your journey you hear slot machines singing out a chorus of tunes which match the scenario of their game, accompanied by the white noise of coins rattling in plastic cups.
Our journey starts in the mystical land of Egypt (b. 1 - 8) and meanders its way through Vienna (b. 9 - 16), Japan (b. 17 - 28), the wild west of the United States (b. 29 - 37), Spain (b. 38 - 49), Russia (b. 50 - 57), the African serengheti (b. 58 - 68), and a tropical island with buried treasure (b. 69 - 81).
From b. 81 - 90, the themes heard so far are combined with a gentle underscore of percussion players rattling coins in plastic cups. From b. 91 - 98, our journey continues through the Bavarian alps just before our themes are cascaded from b. 99 - 108, once again accompanied by the coins in cups. A brief coda from b. 109 - end brings our journey to an exciting finish.
The title is a play on words of the famous James Bond film, “Casino Royale,” with the “Locale” part of the title referring to the many different parts of the Casino the listener travels through as they experience this piece.Maintaining a consistent pulse throughout this piece is vital for both the conductor and ensemble to navigate the quick changes of meter and key in order to blend from one style seamlessly to the next.
There are challenges for the woodwinds (particularly from b. 81 - 90), along with several features for the bass end. Confident leadership from each of your first chair players, in addition to centred section sounds, will help string these moments together.
The percussion parts will work with a minimum of four players; however, if extra players are available, it is desirable to double the bass drum and crash cymbal part on the drum kit with their orchestral equivalents.
When I workshopped the ‘plastic cup with coins” effect, I found that using different sized cups produced a different resonance. For the recording, I used both a large plastic cup and a small plastic cup. The technique simply involves filling the cup with a few coins (smaller denominations tend to project more), and for the performer to simply sift through the coins with their fingers.