Sunday, September 25, 2016

Sound Row No. 7

I am pleased to present some recordings of "Sound Row No. 7," a composition by Daniel Barbiero. It took me a while to get my act together on this one. I didn't really have a recording device until I finally got a smartphone. And the score calls for a bow, which is not part of my arsenal. I was able to borrow one from Ben Scott of New Ting Ting Loft. Bowing is definitely not my forte...I'd need a few years to practice. That being said, it was fun to try to coax some sounds of a Chinese cymbal and a smaller (maybe 4-inch diameter) cymbal I have.

Here are some shots of the original score:



And here's what I came up with: a short version and two longer versions. 
This was definitely a challenge! Keeping all the components straight and trying not to make any noise in between parts was tricky. You can hear my drum stool squeak at times, but hey, that's all part of the "individual body responses of the performer," right?

2 comments:

  1. With a score like this, I would concur that any noises from the performer would be included (and accepted) as part of the interpreted execution. When I record my own performances with various tam-tams, I often include stick sounds as it is hard to pick up and release the various utensils I am using in a hurry, and also my own body movements as I am sitting on a carpet most of the time; and sometimes my joints even crack audibly.

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  2. I agree. It was hard to pick up silently all the small bells and toys I had, and I quickly realized that was definitely a part of it. But there was one take where I smacked a cymbal with my elbow accidentally, and that just didn't fit. Thanks for your comment!

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