Violin Phase

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Violin Phase, written by minimalist composer Steve Reich in October 1967, is an example of his phasing technique previously used in Piano Phase in which the music itself is created not by the instruments but by interactions of temporal variations on an original melody. Music of this kind is generally referred to as process music.

In Violin Phase, two violins are recorded and played back, together at first. They are then made to go slowly out of sync by adding silence one of the tapes. A new melody is formed by the interaction of the two out of sync instruments and is then accented by a third violin. This process is repeated with variations throughout the rest of the piece.

Reich also arranged the piece for electric guitar and tape (or 4 electric guitars) and was recorded as Electric Guitar Phase.

See also: Piano Phase