Forum - Week 12 - Forumskin and Dirty Dancing

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days we improvise. I thought today was
Friday so I didn’t get up until 10, and missed CC plus 10 minutes of an aural exam.
Anyway we had a nice improv session today, albeit slightly less energetic than last
time. It seems Dirty Harry must be reading my blog, as this time he actually stayed
in the room and even got us into a 7/8 jam with him on piano. Stephen came to visit
but didn’t say anything, which I guess is his way of saying “Not bad.” Due to my
morning rush I didn’t bring the effects pedal again, but I have managed to get a
convincing bass drum sound through 2 layers of EQ. Jake experimented with Live v.6
with great success. Using the Impulse feature, he created drum loops on the spot and
distorted them with much greater efficiency, thanks to Live 6’s easier effects
interface. Matt pulled out some nice synth solos as usual and Adrian lay down the
bass with a sometimes serial edge. Dave injected the necessary funk or solo and I did
whatever it is I pretend to do. Although a few members down again, we still kept it
fairly clean and got ‘down and dirty’ on occasions. That last sentence has just
collapsed my motivation to write any more.



Tending to the herd



Anyway. The 7/8 timing was a good experience. After about 4 minutes I got Jake to
slow the tempo from 90 to 84 so we could catch on to the ‘un-rhythm’, and
this allowed us to keep a groove going for about 10 minutes. Dirts pulled off some
very chromatic and abstract pianocism, and it was great to see him getting into it as
much as we do. I’m looking forwards to our performance (whenever it is), and I might
try and kill some of the less useful band members so as to even out the numbers. Oh
shit, did I say that out loud?

Finding His Happy Place...

Oddly enough this pic looks better on a PC than a Mac.
Although I guess that isn't odd at all.
Click to enlarge.

Napster Bad! Plogue Good!

As shocking as it may be to hear, I actually like plogue now. Have a listen to what
I did on it yesterday in Studio 1 with a microphone. The spectral freezing is just so
beautiful! I also had it going in 5.1 before the recording.
If only this was for a gradable part of the blog... MP3 458KB

Forum - Week 11 - Luke but not the Audio Lab Luke

Luke Harrold formed the artist talk portion of forum, and presented his Music Tech
ventures throughout Europe. Despite the experience being intriguing in itself, we spent
most of the time watching videos of other artists rather than Luke. The star of the
presentation was the video of Adachi Tomomi, a musical artist that uses an infrared
shirt to manipulate his own singing and screaming (example 1.4Mb).

Unbeknownst to him, Luke has earnt the nickname "Magic Mango Man" from one time when I
was telling Jake how I was jealous of Luke's hair, and Jake informed me it smelt like
Mango shampoo. So there you have it.

Forum - Week 11 - Millions of Peaches

Finally, a genuinely great improvisation session. Despite being a couple members
down, our group managed to bond very well, often giving each other space and using
their 15 seconds to the max. David D apparently recorded the whole thing on his
crappy voice recorder, so hopefully I will be able to provide links to some of the
best grooves. One accidental groove that proved humorous to the group was when Matt
figured out the main mandolin theme from that Deep Forest song “Sweet Lullaby” on the
keyboard, and I attempted to sing the bit that the girl sings (Ni ma oe e fasi
korona. Dolali dasa na, lao dai afuimae). Needless to say, it sounded pretty
hilarious and I’m glad it was at a time when Stephen Whittington was present. I think
next time I will pull out some Presidents of the USA lyrics.

A new avenue was taken in this session, as now I walk around the room informing
members of upcoming changes to key or tempo. This is perhaps the magic key to our
band’s success, as we could improvise for 20 minutes without getting tedious. Perhaps
the most prominent example would be when I told everyone that Jake is about to slow
the tempo right down, then told Jake that everyone is expecting him to do it. We fell
from a high energy funk bash into a ultra-smooth porno groove, and it really put a
smile on everyone’s face. Jake has found a great position in the group, where he
provides basic timekeeping in some parts then all out drum loop disintegration for
his sections. I had an idea that Jake could use Live for the looping and tempo
functions, but mess with the beats in Plogue. I think this would allow a greater
degree of customisation of sound, especially considering Live’s clunky effects
interface. Matt also pulled out some genius moments, including pitch-bent chords and
even a whammy-bar-esque piano solo. A welcome addition is Adrian's bass guitar,
especially when coupled with Dave pulling off an incredible guitar solo in the heat
of a groove. Aural nirvana.

It was a shame that some members were not present, yet I can’t help but wonder if the
smaller group allowed for a more concentrated environment. In turn, I blame the
lecturers for making the groups too big. I’m sure they could skip over the idea (as
they do) and say “Well you should learn how to work in a large group”, to which I ask
the question, “Who says?”. I mean, since when is there limits to improvisation? Are
we getting graded on group size? Like 2 of my 3 ex-girlfriends say, “Size doesn’t
matter.”

And by popular demand (Luke), here is my latest photoshoppery.
Click to enlarge.

Forum - Week 10 - Got Forum?

Back to normal 'forum' again- 2 hours of straight improvisation in our groups. I’m
really starting to miss the old days, when Dirty Harry would put on his little song
and dance, then some influential artist would have a blathering about how great they
are and we’d all be like “Ooh, I hope I turn out as good as them”. It was something
that inspired thought and made all of us struggle to fit our opinions into the 500
word blog limit. Nonetheless here we are paying for this, so it is in dismay that I’d
have to agree with old Weimerhead, in that this week was a generally unsuccessful
improv session. Some group members are still finding their feet it would seem, as
instruments were interchanged numerous times. Too much time is spent exploring synth
effects instead of actually playing, and we cannot get into a groove when people
change the groove constantly.

Considering our lecturers only spent a maximum of five minutes in our room for the
entire two hour session, I am curious how much time was spent on other rooms. If at
all. Even more baffling is that when our group is failing to start anything
productive, the lecturers do not intervene and tell us what the problem is or give us
a point of departure, they just shake their heads and mutter something as they leave.
Are they getting paid to baby sit us? They are so ready to criticise us on something
that they haven’t helped with, hence why this picture has taken on a new meaning.


Shut in a glass room and thrown into the sun

Forum - Week 9 - Tr!ppin' on Chewbacca

Well here I am in the EMU kitchen, eating Suimin noodles,
cinnamon donuts and a bread stick. Yes Luke, this is exactly
why I burp frequently. Our guest presenter for forum this
week was Tyson “DJ Tr!p” Hopprich, or as his friends call
him, Tyson (probably). Prior to the presentation, the early
gatherers (including myself) and Tr!p fell into a premature
jam, unfortunately not caught on tape. As cool as last week’s
trip to India was, I was much more engaged this time ‘round
by Tr!p’s gadget collection. Myself being privy to the Gameboy
Camera’s hidden DJ mixer, I was surprised to hear such funk
come out the previously-thought-crap program.

I would normally consider the talking part of these forums
‘artistic blatherings’, however Tr!p had a much more tangible
way of explaining his profession, perhaps due to his innate
youth. After his first little improvisation on his own, my
group joined in and tentatively pursued improvisational nirvana.
Of course all good things must come to an end, in my case my
pedal finally collapsed under the weight of its own inferiority
and died. Right at the start. So without my safety blanket I
stepped into the cold dark woods of performance, and diminished
my input to skeletal beat boxing. But I’m not going to dwell on
the fact, just pretend it never happened and let it fester
quietly as a mental illness. Listening back on my Studio 1
recordings of the session it all sounded pretty good, with
the piano often creating some great moments. I would say the
best part of the day was Dave’s guitar solos in the 3rd
‘trip-hop’ improv- even listening back it still gives me
shivers. “Chewie, is that you?”


2nd Jam MP3 15MB


Are these pictures getting too abstract?


Remember everyone,
Ubi cáritas et ámor, Déus ibi est.
Congregávit nos in únum Christi ámor. Exsultémus et in ípso jucundémur.
Timeámus et amémus Déum vívum. Et ex córde diligámus nos sincéro.
Ubi cáritas et ámor, Déus ibi est. Amen.

For the Music Technologist...

SynthAndSon.MP3 - 0.5MB

The Station for Hard Rockers...

VROCK.MP3 270KB

Forum - Week 8 - Sensing Sensual Incense in Senses

A sensuous Indian extravaganza awaited
all who dared to enter the EMU space on
Friday, complete with incense, sitar and
personable Indian native. Dr. Chandrakant
Sardeshmukh (1) is possibly the best guest
we’ve ever had, as I was absorbed by his
expansive knowledge and quick wit. His
personality was only transcended by his
instrumental skill, which was demonstrated
through his osteopathic sitar playing. He
presented us with the basics of traditional
Indian sitar improvisation, none of which
I remember, and proceeded to initiate the
improvisation with the unsuspecting members
of Group 2.

As a whole this was a great success- of particular note was
the chemistry between the Dr. and Vinny on tabla, where a certain
musical (perhaps ethnical) connection was perceivable. Surprisingly
beneficial to the sound was Poppi’s (Poppies?) ethereal vocals wandering
around the heavens and delving to great depths, unleashing a powerfully
organic emotion almost spiritual in its role. have to agree with the young
John “Squarepants” Delaney with his views on improvisational restriction.
This session was far more successful than last week’s, and I believe the
constraints of ‘allowable notes and rhythms’ was the cause of such a
result. The entire improvisation spanned for about 40 minutes or so,
which I believe was the necessary time for the piece to fully develop. To
top off a great forum, David “Dr. D” Dowling and I had a 2 hour
improvisation of our own in Studio 5, where I discovered some funky
bass line vocals that complimented the groove laid down by the Doctor
himself. It’s a shame our performance will probably be nothing like this,
as the members of our group that actually need the extra sessions lack
the initiative to participate. Once again I suppose we are only being
graded on our participation in the final performance, so truancy to such
extracurricular sessions is not a real issue.

1. Dr. Chandrakant Sardeshmukh. "Who Needs The Kwik-E-Mart?"
Presented at the Electronic Music Unit, University of Adelaide. 14/09/2006

Forum - Week 7 - John 3:16 and Revelations

An actual artist for the “Artist Talk”! Derek Pascoe is a renowned improvisatory
saxophonist, and we were lucky enough to have some Improv tips imparted for use in
our own performances, and perhaps in our very lives. Despite his obvious talent, he
had no qualms in saying he can be ‘wrong’ in his approaches to music, and seems to
have instigated a sponge-like attitude- literally absorbing various attitudes
towards improvisation from musical experiences. It was very engaging to have a
totally selfless professional musician present us with his ideals. A thought occurs-
perhaps this is the personality that improvisation breeds? I’m sure having to
respect other musician’s personal musical space during performances would eventually
spill over into other aspects of life, possibly even amalgamating into a total
respect for you fellow man. Derek said he is not a religious man, but when he plays
he feels something other than himself inside him, allowing the music to come from
some other place. Although I am not religious either, the power that ‘his’ talent
has had on his life and thus imparted to others is something to ponder through. Can
we be so self-absorbed to believe that existence is limited to perception? Perhaps
we are just maggots in a carcass, but our carcass is a vacuum filled with exploding
balls of hydrogen and helium. Difficult to prove either way, I suppose ‘faith’ comes
from picking a side. And if you don’t believe in aliens you are too shallow to talk
to.

Group 3 (?) was given the chance to jam with the man himself. After several topic
changes they reached a nice area of conversation, the most engaging being the
instrumental arguments occurring between the guitarist John “3:16” Delaney and
Derek. I gained a valuable perspective on improvisation from this session- it’s more
about what everyone else is playing than what you are playing. You can’t just jump
in to a scene because you haven’t played in a while, there must be an entry point.
Although theoretically there might never be, such is the nature of improvisation. I
guess you could say, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at
all.” Or even, “Better to be quiet and let people think you’re an idiot, than open
your mouth and prove it.”



Two Irishmen are standing at the bottom of a flagpole, when a blonde pulls up in her car. She gets
out and asks the men, "Why are you looking at that pole?” One of the Irishmen replies, "We're
trying to figure out how high this pole is so we know how much rope we need to hoist a flag, but
we have no idea how to measure it." The blonde declares, "Oh that's easy, just wait here." The
two Irishmen watch curiously as she removes a spanner and measuring tape from her car, and
proceeds to unscrew the pole, lay it down and measure it. "15 metres" stated the blonde proudly,
as she got back in her car and drove off. "Typical blonde," said one of the Irishmen, "We wanted
to know how high it is, not how long it is."

Forum - Week 6 - Metallica and ACDC

Improvisation Practice (1) continued its wave of contradiction, this week however
involved a couple of synthesisers being persuaded into Hell. Jake filled out his
drum-loopage some more, which is sounding good, and I am still exploring the
nuances of my effects pedal. I honestly believe the performances should be scored
individually on how well you work as a team player, not just on showing up. Even
if you were just playing the spoons, practice and teamwork would be perceivable.
All the other music degrees have grading on performances, how about we use this
opportunity to pretend we are actually members of the Conservatorium? It’s
obvious who in the groups gives a shit and who is there for the face-time, and all
of us are scored the same regardless. I would like this degree to stay as far away
from the “Bachelor of Attendance” cliché as possible, especially while we are still
trying to concréte ourselves as a viable music study area. We all get the sideways
glances from the ‘real’ degree students, and every step we take towards
musicianship makes us a little more reputable and respected. Either that or we sit
in our little niche and use our anonymity as a tool in our eventual ‘worldwide
takeover’, to quote Stephen Whittington in Week 1 Semester 1. How is that going,
by the way? Perhaps the plan was lost with our Semester 1 blog scores.

Tyrell, Poppi, Albert and Josh gave their presentations this week. I have heard some
of Tyrell’s computer game compositions before and enjoyed them, however the
pieces he presented were more child oriented to fit the game style. Despite this
they remained interesting and suitably ‘happy’. I would like to start composing
again, but any spare time I have generally goes to actual Uni work, which is
disappointing considering the equipment that is available to us. Poppi’s presentation
involved excerpts from short films she has made. I have seen some of her work
previously as well, in this case in the ‘Asylum’ during the ACMC (ACDC), and was as
impressed now as I was then. Her rapping could use a some ‘gangsterisation’,
although it was little Hilltop Hoods-esque. Which is a good thing. I do agree with
Weimerhead with his perception of ‘typical Uni student’, however this is to be
expected from a Uni student. Isn’t that what we all wish to achieve? Uni student level
work? In any case, success at surpassing ‘Uni student level’ would be a paradox in
itself, as any level of excellence that you reach will consequently become ‘Uni student
level’. I suppose there’s nothing wrong with being great though, as I would know.
Josh played us his Musique Concrete composition of which was centred around
‘metallicism’, which he didn’t say but is what he meant. It would have been a good
name for the piece, but I don’t think he would have cared. Nonetheless, the outcome
was quite interesting and I believe it certainly lived up to its metallic ideal. Albert’s
recording of a Jazz band had high production values, and whatever microphones were
used really captured the feel of the band.

1. Stephen Whittington. "Music Technology Workshop: Improvisation" At the Electronic
Music Unit, University of Adelaide, 31/08/2006.