Glomar Response (digital download)

$20.00 $25.00

Program Notes

Glomar Response is the name for the phrase “we can neither confirm nor deny…” and originates from a CIA project in the early 1970s. Although secret at the time, we now understand the ship known as the USNS Hughes Glomar Explorer was not on a mission to harvest manganese nodules from the ocean floor. Rather, its mission was to recover the wreckage of the Soviet submarine K-129 (including code books and a nuclear missile) from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. When a question is answered with the Glomar Response, it might protect someone’s well-deserved privacy, but it is often used to avoid (or at least postpone) an international incident. It is an honest answer in its own way, but it only muddies the waters. The obfuscation is built in, and that’s the point. “We’re not saying we did it, but if we did do it, we couldn’t talk about it anyway.”

Glomar Response (the percussion quartet, not the answer) has a strong underlying structure, but obfuscation of pulse and timing is built into the piece. Still, the organization behind it will, in the end, help you feel that everything is (almost) just fine. The Glomar Explorer cost $350 million to build in 1972. Performing Glomar Response is considerably cheaper. The percussionists will only need four drums and eight drumsticks. Glomar Response is dedicated to my students at the University of Central Arkansas. It was premiered at the UCA Percussion Festival on April 13, 2024.  – Blake Tyson

Program Notes

Glomar Response is the name for the phrase “we can neither confirm nor deny…” and originates from a CIA project in the early 1970s. Although secret at the time, we now understand the ship known as the USNS Hughes Glomar Explorer was not on a mission to harvest manganese nodules from the ocean floor. Rather, its mission was to recover the wreckage of the Soviet submarine K-129 (including code books and a nuclear missile) from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. When a question is answered with the Glomar Response, it might protect someone’s well-deserved privacy, but it is often used to avoid (or at least postpone) an international incident. It is an honest answer in its own way, but it only muddies the waters. The obfuscation is built in, and that’s the point. “We’re not saying we did it, but if we did do it, we couldn’t talk about it anyway.”

Glomar Response (the percussion quartet, not the answer) has a strong underlying structure, but obfuscation of pulse and timing is built into the piece. Still, the organization behind it will, in the end, help you feel that everything is (almost) just fine. The Glomar Explorer cost $350 million to build in 1972. Performing Glomar Response is considerably cheaper. The percussionists will only need four drums and eight drumsticks. Glomar Response is dedicated to my students at the University of Central Arkansas. It was premiered at the UCA Percussion Festival on April 13, 2024.  – Blake Tyson

Performance Notes

1. The toms should be tuned so the four voices are easily discernible. Glomar Response was premiered using 10, 12, 14, and 16 inch toms, but other sizes are okay. If the drums have a long ring time, it can be minimized by using control rings, gel, etc.

2. The piece can be performed with the players in a shallow arc. Instead of placing the toms (and performers) very close to each other, you might want to try putting a little space (two or three feet) between them. This will help the audience see and hear the musical interactions more clearly.

3. The sound of the rim of each drum should reflect its place in the ensemble (high to low). Performers can use different sticks (different thicknesses, different woods) to help achieve the perfect variety of sounds for the piece.