Premiered on November 10th, 2026 by Daniel Garber

Instrumentation

Vibraslap, Metal Rod/Triangle Beater, and Stomping

Duration

ca. 4 minutes

Composer’s Note

After writing my solo for flexatone, “Phone Home,” I wondered what other auxiliary instruments could be given designated solos. It did not take long for me to choose another silly instrument that doesn’t have too many different uses. The vibraslap was another instrument that I couldn’t find any existing solos for, so I knew that it had to be my next project. 

Similar to the flexatone solo, I wanted the piece to match the vibe of the instrument overall. The flexatone gave me alien vibes but the vibraslap gave me groovy vibes. After deciding that I wanted the piece to be groovy but also goofy, I merged the words to create the title, “Groofy.” Unlike “Phone Home,” I did not have another piece to find inspiration for extended technique. I had to solely rely on my own experimentation with vibraslap sounds and my friends’ input. In the end I think we came up with a nice variety of sounds that came together for a groovy piece.