This is another way of transferring 'One Two' onto instruments - just using hand drums this time.

I (TWO pairs of people sit in a square, each facing their partner, with a conga or other hand drum.

II DURING-the piece, everyone must play One with their right hand, and Two with their left, or vice versa - it doesn't matter which, as long as everyone uses the same system.

III ONE person starts by playing One; their partner responds with the Two, thereby setting the tempo.

IV THE other pair must now join in as quickly as possible. They are both trying to start with the One; if they both hit the same beat, they must both stop and try again. When one of them successfully starts, the other must immediately join in with the Two, at the same tempo that the first pair have already set, of course.

V BOTH pairs are trying to change from One to Two and back again in the shortest possible way (see the One Two piece, Stage 2, point IV).

VI WHEN this has been achieved, the halfway beats (previously the handclaps) are introduced. These must be played with the same hand that the preceding number is played with. That is, if the right hand is playing the One, it must also be used to play the halfway beat after One. The halfway beats must also have a different tone from the One and the Two. Experiment with different tones produced on the drum. As soon as one person introduces the halfway beats, the others must do the same . The challenge is again to change from One [clap] to Two (clap) and back again, in the shortest possible way.

VII IF anyone makes a mistake, or notices that someone else has made a mistake, they must stop playing. As soon as someone stops playing, everyone else must stop. Silence is the method of communication - no words or gestures must be used; the silences are as much a part of the music as the beating of the drum is. The person who stopped the piece must restart it.

VIII WHEN everyone has stopped, the piece restarts in the same way as at the beginning. The challenge is firstly to swap from One to Two and back (or from Two to One and back again) in the shortest possible way, and then to put in the off beats, still changing from one beat to the other.

A Further Development

I A third pair of people join the group. They join in playing with their One on the halfway beat after the original One. As before, they are both trying to start first, but if they both come in at the same time, they must both drop out, and try again.

II THIS last pair of people cannot start until the first two pairs have already entered. The overall sound will be like this:

Comment

The use of silence to stop the activity when a mistake has been made makes this piece go in waves.

It is also good practice to change hands sometimes, so if you started with your right hand playing the One, then change it to your left hand. This must be by prior arrangement, because everyone must be using the same hands for the same beat; for example you could change after every pause (after a 'mistake').