Philip Trumble : Roundhouse : Bergmann

Philip Trumble

Bergmann Edition : 12 pages

The first thing to say about this piece is that it is printed in notation and tab, simply because three strings are retuned on this piece, and therefore from low to high, the open strings are DADGAD, making 1, 2, and 6 a tone lower than normal. There is a performance by the composer on YouTube, but it has been recorded with other instruments too, so it is not really the way you would hear it if you bought the sheet music.

In 3 / 4 and in the key of Dm the writing is largely arpeggiated, and uses the retuned strings to create a very gentle clash as it progresses. There are other moments where the piece diversifies into some offbeat moments, split into, largely, two voices, but providing you are able to cope with the unusual tuning, the piece is quite a pleasant one, and however is quite short at a few seconds under 2 minutes long, but a friendly piece of writing that is a little folk – like in style at times, and not too difficult to play either.

Chris Dumigan