Sample Mp3

I. Esque-YouTube Sample

II. Departure-YouTube Sample

III. HIIT-YouTube Sample

As compositions written for steelpan duets are limited, Asada wrote a piece with a unique combination of tenor steelpan, the highest voice in the steelpan family, and the bass steelpan, the lowest, in her 3 Short Pieces for Tenor and Bass Steelpans.  

I. Esque is a tango-esque dance, in which the lead and support roles shift between the tenor and the bass in various sections.  Both voices come together with ostinati to the last section that ends with a climactic coda.  

II. Departure was inspired by the passing of a steelpan pioneer, Dr. Ellie Mannette.  The piece exhibits strong emotions with sorrow, and the beauty of soul departing to a warm and bright place.  A mixture of darkness and lightness, and unknown mystery of life and death is portrayed at the end.

III. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) showcases the HIIT workout musically.  With wide ranges of intervals are used throughout, this highly intense piece ended up becoming a physical workout especially for a bass pan player.  

Difficulty: Medium/Hard (great for high school & college steel pan players)

Instrumentation: tenor/bass

ITEM ID : SDYA-007