From rhythm to texture

Texture is a term we use for temporal structures that are not regular or periodic. We think of textures as being ever changing, never repeating and at the very same time as static - as being describable with terms such as density and complexity that hold over large time scales. Thus, unlike rhythm, two textures, can be “the same” even when the sequence of events of which they are comprised are different. And despite the ever-changing nature of a “constant” texture, we are sensitive to when and how they change. Textures, made of constant disruption, can be disrupted.
Rhythms and textures differ, too, in their relationship to the nature of the events that structure them. While the same rhythm can be played with different sounds, the line between texture and timbre is blurred. Said another way, our perception of rhythm is largely about the abstract when, while texture seems more essentially embodied in the what. The “texture nature” of a sound may reside as much in how we listen as in the sound itself. I will pepper my panel contributions with audio examples to explore some of the musical and metaphorical potential of sound textures.