# Terry Riley — In C

Terry Riley’s In C (1968) is No. 1 in our Minimalism ranking. The full verdict, and where to hear it.

- **Released:** 1968
- **Label:** Columbia Masterworks
- **On one list:** Minimalism
- **Updated:** 2026-08-29
- **Artist:** [Terry Riley](https://waxonia.com/artist/terry-riley/)
- **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/track/terry-riley--in-c/

## What we say

### No. 1 in [Minimalism](https://waxonia.com/genre/minimalism/)

Fifty-three fragments, any number of players, each moving on when they feel like it. Riley wrote a set of instructions rather than a piece, and produced the founding document of the whole method.

## Analysis

11 sections, the first drop of 11 at 0:10, 0% of the way in, 47% of it spent climbing.

- **Tempo:** 129.2 BPM — holds throughout
- **Dynamic range:** 5.8 dB — moderate range, typical of a modern master
- **Length:** 40:14

- `0:00` A · **intro**, instrumental — opens the record below its own average energy — playing: other
- `0:20` B · **steady** (bar 11), instrumental — holding a level — the groove, neither rising nor falling — playing: vocals, other
- `3:32` C · **breakdown** (bar 115), instrumental — energy falling away mid-record, percussion thinning — playing: other
- `4:17` D · **build** (bar 139), instrumental — energy and brightness climbing without a break — playing: other
- `9:42` D · **build** (bar 313), instrumental — energy and brightness climbing without a break — playing: vocals, other
- `17:12` D · **peak** (bar 556), sung — sits at the top of this record's range — playing: vocals, other
- `18:40` D · **build** (bar 603), instrumental — energy and brightness climbing without a break — playing: other
- `24:36` D · **peak** (bar 795), instrumental — sits at the top of this record's range — playing: vocals, other
- `34:20` E · **steady** (bar 1109), instrumental — holding a level — the groove, neither rising nor falling — playing: other
- `39:04` E · **peak** (bar 1262), instrumental — sits at the top of this record's range — playing: other
- `39:46` F · **outro** (bar 1284), instrumental — the closing fall — playing: other

**Drops** at 0:10 (bar 6), 4:04 (bar 132), 8:16 (bar 267), 10:13 (bar 331), 17:12 (bar 556), 19:19 (bar 624), 23:39 (bar 764), 25:23 (bar 820), 29:48 (bar 963), 30:09 (bar 974), 39:04 (bar 1262). A drop is a moment, not a stretch.

**What is playing.** Separated into parts by a source-separation model, so each lane is the instrument it names.

- **drums:** the drum kit, separated from the mix
- **bass:** the bass part, separated from the mix
- **vocals:** the voice, separated from the mix
- **other:** everything else — synths, guitars, keys, strings

Measured from the YouTube master on 2026-08-29. Section labels describe how the energy
moves, not musical form. Anything we were not confident enough to state is omitted
rather than hedged.

## Listen

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Terry%20Riley%20In%20C) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=yNi0bukYRnA)

---

Hand-curated by Waxonia. We host no audio; all links point to streaming platforms.