Dielectric Breakdown

Listen to the work here!
 
Dielectric Breakdown is a work for solo snare drum, written primarily in a rudimental style, but intended to be performed on a concert snare drum. The work may also be performed on a kevlar-headed snare drum designed for the marching arts if desired.
 
A dielectric is a material which has an insulating effect when placed in an electric field or between electrically charged objects. However, unlike insulators in general, dielectrics polarize the electric field that they are placed in, allowing the device to store energy. One example of a dielectric is the atmosphere around us, which stores electrical energy in the space between the surface of the Earth and the clouds. Lightning strikes are an example of the field strength overpowering the insulating capabilities of the dielectric, resulting in dielectric breakdown. Scientific details aside, this work for snare drum is inspired by the volatility and energy of lightning strikes, and the strength of the clouds’ electrical field which can overpower the sky itself. The use of recurring musical material on the rim of the drum represents the crackling of static electricity, and the variety of rhythmic language presented throughout reflects a lightning-like ingenuity in performance. The nature of a lightning strike in breaking the space between sky and ground is most clearly reflected at the very end of the work, when the stick is slammed on the ground and caught as it rebounds.