Inflection Point by Christopher Whyte © 2025 Tapspace Publications, LLC (ASCAP). All rights reserved.
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TSPCE25-022
In mathematics, an inflection point is the point in a curve at which a change in the direction of curvature occurs. The phrase also refers to a time of significant change in a situation, or a turning point. For me, this piece is reflective of the time we find ourselves in—one of rapid societal change, where we can at once experience a sense of constant upheaval and simultaneously a great deal of stagnation. As I reflect on the passage of especially the recent years, I am struck that some of our collective change, and the reaction to it, seems to happen overnight, while in other areas it takes much longer and moves almost unnoticeably. Sometimes the process of change for the better can in the moment happen right under our noses, and it’s only when we reach an arrival point that we can really notice in hindsight what has taken place.
Musically, the work progresses through four major phases beginning with the drums establishing an ambiguous sense of pulse, time, and meter. The layering of musical ideas as the melodic voices are slowly introduced further obscures a grounded sense of meter despite a central, unified pulse. The pitch material in the opening section is equally disparate, giving way to a more grounded middle section built on a few simple chords in a mix of F Mixolydian and F Dorian. The introduction of the unpitched wooden instruments in the percussion parts begins to transform the bombastic percussive rhythms of the opening into something more lyrical and horizontal. Through a series of metric modulations, eventually the opening 6-note motive in the vibraphones is transformed into the harmonic outline that fuels the resolution of the piece in which the remnants of the earlier rhythmic material weave together with the transformed melodic voices to create an entirely different texture and feel, this time more grounded and secure.
—Christopher Whyte
• All keyboard players will need an impact drum of some kind. A mix of low toms and multi-bass drums is recommended.
• Keyboard players should position drums so they are easily reachable while performing on the keyboard.
• Percussion 1–3 should use three graduated drums — high to low, respectively.
• I recommend using some form of dampening on all of the drums to avoid too much ring while still preserving the low fundamental tone of the drums.
• Each percussion part uses one drum and one wooden instrument. Suggested wooden instruments include woodblocks, wooden slats, or high pitched temple blocks, but you are encouraged to experiment with other available sounds. A combination of timbres may be used as well. Regardless of the instruments chosen, the wooden instruments should be graduated from high to low with Percussion 1 playing the highest sound and Percussion 3 the lowest.
• Stickings appearing in the Marimba 1 part are suggestions. The player is free to use alternate stickings if desired.
• Vibraphones should pedal notes to their full length unless otherwise indicated. Slurs indicate pedaling, and dashed slurs indicate phrase groupings for repeating patterns.
• Vibraphones will need two bass bows per player. Crotales may use Vibraphone 1’s bows to reduce the total number of bows required.
Inflection Point requires 8 players with the following instrumentation:
1. Glockenspiel & Crotales (2 octaves) + impact drum, 2 bows (may share w/ V1)
2. Vibraphone 1 + impact drum, 2 bows
3. Vibraphone 2 + impact drum, 2 bows
4. Marimba 1 (4-octave) + impact drum
5. Marimba 2 (5-octave) + impact drum
6. Percussion 1 — high drum, high wooden instrument
7. Percussion 2 — medium drum, medium wooden instrument
8. Percussion 3 — low drum, high wooden instrument
Level: Med-Advanced
Approx. playing time: 5'00"
C r o t a l e s ( 2 o c t . )
+ m p a c t d r u m
V i b r a p h o n e 1
+ i m p a c t d r u m
V i b r a p h o n e 2
+ i m p a c t d r u m
° ¢ ° ¢ G l o c k e n s p i e l &
For Mark Claassen and the Mountain View High School Percussion Ensemble (Vancouver, Washington)
d r u m w / st i c k s r i m > Ú G .P. > Ú G .P. > > q = 1 5 2 / d r u m w / st i c k s r i m > Ú > / d r u m w / st i c k s
M a r i m b a 1
( 4 - o c t a v e )
+ m p a c t d r u m
M a r i m b a 2
( 5 - o c t a v e )
+ i m p a c t d r u m
P e r c u s s i o n 1
h g h d r u m
h g h w o o d
P e r c u s s i o n 2
m e d u m d r u m
m e d u m w o o d
P e r c u s s i o n 3
l o w d r u m o w w o o d f f f f f f f f
4 8 4 4 4 /
d r u m w / st i c k s r i m > Ú > / d r u m w / st i c k s r i m >
o c k e n spi e l
( c ro t ) ( gl o c k ) q . = q ( q = 1 0 1 )