The Rhythm of the City

An excerpt from the current draft of The City of Gourm:

With its multitude of pumps and gears all ultimately driven by a single engine, the City of Gourm has an innate rhythm to it that has given rise to a distinctive musical tradition. Gourmish music tends to rely upon this rhythm, building melodies directly over it and occasionally accentuating it with percussion. Common instruments include metallic percussion instruments – chimes, xylophones, brass drums, and the like. Wind instruments – horns and flutes of various sorts – are also common. There are two pipe organs in the city. One of these is in the Temple of Winds, which is near the city’s center in the Temple District. The other is mobile, but is usually in the Arts District. Small, wind-up music boxes are also common. These are sometimes used alone but are more often treated as an instrument in an ensemble. Improvisational music that builds off of the city’s rhythm is popular, particularly among younger goblins. These musicians typically use no more than a percussion instrument and their voice to build layers of complex noise on top of the city’s soundscape.