36 solfeggio tones

Image courtesy of Bob Phillips.

The following two musical experiments are based on the above 36-tone hexagonal-arrangement of the 81 Lo Shu tones within the 279 fabric, as mentioned in a previous post.  These études are a continuation of my initial compositional explorations within this experimental temperament, where I have directly translated these 3-digit numbers into absolute frequencies (in Hz).

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slow motion in sound

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“Our senses enable us to perceive only a minute portion of the outside world.”
-Nikola Tesla

The lights in our home are powered electrically by means of Alternating Current that operates at a frequency of 60Hz, which is 60 cycles per second.  This means that these lights are blinking off and on 60 times a second but due to the limitations of our sense of sight, our brains deduce that the light is simply and steadily illuminated.  Perception in slow motion offers a fascinating reflection of what really is going on underneath the surface of our surroundings.

Slow motion in sound gives us the same insight into a hidden, surreal dimension beyond the grasp of our basic hearing abilities.  In slow motion audio, our ears are able to lavish in sounds that otherwise would have quickly passed us by.  Listen as the hammers of the piano are transformed into an ensemble of bowed, stringed instruments.  This simple procedure offers a glimpse into sound that is normally glazed over.

In this example, I have slowed down the piano introduction from my tune “Community Immunity” by 900% using the open-source software paulstretch.  I combined aural phenomena by adding a very subtle beat-frequency of 7.63Hz (see previous post) tuned to a Lo Shu value (as interpreted in pitch) of 264 Hz, which just so happens to be about 15cents higher than concert ‘C4’ in 12 tone equal temperament.   I also added isochronic pulses at 111Hz and beating at 7.63Hz.

Even though I have heard this piano excerpt hundreds of times in real-time, as I listen to it anew in slow motion, I hear new aural worlds ripe for exploration. This just goes to show that there is always something new to hear in music.  There is always a different way to hear something if one is willing to listen.

Immediately after listening to this, I became hyper aware of the ambient, pulsating sounds in my own apartment.  I heard my fridge also humming at around 260Hz, the HVAC was pulsing at about 90Hz, and white noise was coming through the vents in the walls all around me.   This just goes to show that slow sound music is all around us, present even in modern day urban living.

Related Links:
paulstretch as seen on createdigitalmusic
paulstretch for Mac OS & Linux
Gnaural on sourceforge

immunity and the harpsichord

At the time of my  most recent residency at the Banff Centre, I was exploring all sorts of timbres and sonic possibilities, seeing if I could add any more color to a recording I was in the process of mixing.  I recruited a fellow resident and prized harpsichordist Katelyn Clark who demonstrated to me the countless sonic possibilities of the harpsichord and amazing collection toy pianos, which I just had to record, being the sound junkie that I am.

The Banff Centre is one of those magical places that if you can imagine it, you can find a way to make it happen.  Before I knew it, we were recording my tune “Community Immunity” on harpsichord in the gorgeous Rolston Recital Hall using 8 mics with a team of 3 engineers!  Ultimately these takes were not used on the record, but the scratch edits from the session reveal how incredible this sound is, loaded with such a rich history.   Needless to say, I will be mindful of this sound for future compositional material.

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Be sure to check out Katelyn’s affiliations:
Contemporary Keyboard Society
Cantos Music Foundation

Thank you:
Katelyn Clark
Theresa Leonard
Steve Bellamy
Michael Culler
Meining Cheung

two pieces for player piano

Two pieces composed for the Disklavier digital piano.  I used a sequencer to feed the piano MIDI information in “live” performance at the Banff Centre in 2008.

a taste of nancarrow

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I’ve recently delved into the music of Conlon Nancarrow.  Here is a sample-based improvisation of one of his “etudés” for player piano.  Nancarrow once said: “ever since I’d been writing music I was dreaming of getting rid of the performers”.  Here’s an homage to that very idea.