Walking Distance
for marimba duo
In “Walking Distance,” one of the earliest episodes of The Twilight Zone, Rod Serling established a strangely beautiful sense of existential awareness as a man attempts to relive the happiest moments of his youth, only to realize those moments are well behind him. It is a profound realization which evokes deep sadness, even regret, and yet promises hope for those who attempt to better themselves in the future.
Composed for two marimbas, Peter Naughton’s Walking Distance reflects these sentiments, juxtaposing innocence with nostalgic melancholy. The piece establishes three simple and distinctive themes, which become more densely developed and intertwined with each other. The freewheeling lyricism and subtle grooves of this piece provide the performers a range of expressive possibilities within a consistent pulse.
This piece requires a 4-octave marimba and a 4.6-octave (low E) marimba. If a 4.6-octave instrument isn’t available, the Marimba 2 part may be performed on a 4.5-octave (low F) instrument by transposing any low E notes up an octave.
Walking Distance comes as a professionally printed and bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or for tablet viewing.
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- 2 marimbas—(1) 4-octave, (1) low E*
*Performable using a low F instrument with minor alterations
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Josh Armstrong –
Peter Naughton’s new work for marimba duet received its title from an early episode of The Twilight Zone. The show portrays a person attempting to relive the memories of his youth, only to realize it cannot be done. The piece captures the feeling of what the composer calls “nostalgic melancholy” quite well.
The work consists of three different themes that become intertwined throughout. They create a sense of playfulness and childlike innocence through simplicity and multimeter phrases. There is a groove to the piece that does not overpower the work in the background moving the piece forward. The work stays soft for the majority of the time, only having a few sections marked forte, which helps with the feeling of remembrance.
The players must have a strong sense of pulse to effectively perform the mixed meter and syncopated rhythms. Both players should be proficient with four-mallet technique.