Christopher Atkins - MUS116 Blog

MY OWN GOLDEN RECORD

In blog prompt2, I chose three examples of sound that I would include on a ‘Golden Record’ type project. These sounds would be sent into space, with the hope that one day an extra-terrestrial intelligence would intercept it and learn how to access the audio on the device. I chose the following three samples:

Sounds of the earth’s natural landscapes: 

This sound sample was taking to a publicly available 10-hour audio recording of nature. I felt that capturing the raw audio of Earth, undisturbed by human touch, was an important aspect of the golden record. The sounds could include but are not limited to:  waterflow – from ocean waves, rain, or river rapids; the howl of winds or wolves; the buzzing of a bee; or a crow’s call; or an block detaching from our arctic ice packs. The idea would be to paint an auditory image of Earth, and to draw contrast to the next sound example.

Sounds of earth’s urban environments:

This sample was taking from a similar source, though this was a 10-hour audio recording of New York City, one of the most established and well known urban epicenters on the planet, and one which resides in western civilization where a large quantity of the worlds media and entertainment is produced. These sounds might detail the honking traffic or sound of sirens, the rush of people with their distant chatter, the shouts of construction workers, the beeping of a cargo truck in reverse. This sample play great contrast to the previous sample of natural sounds, which I believe is an important aspect for a ‘Golden Record’ type project. This way, there is an apparent diversity in sounds that roughly follow the same format. I think this would make sense as far as creating an auditory experience that would be simpler to understand or interpret, given we know nothing of the other beings level of intelligence or technology.

I would consider including samples from multiple environments to further diversify this auditory description and encapsulation of Earth; perhaps other urban epicenters such as Tokyo, Dubai, or Hong Kong, as well as less populated area such as in countries in Africa or the South Pacific.

Across the Universe – The Beatles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90M60PzmxEE&ab_channel=TheBeatles-Topic

A song by one of the, if not the most, popular band from the 20th century, and one that is arguably one of the most influential in the direction of popular music that we still hear today. I think there of course should be multiple samples of music included, but coming from this new golden record idea, I believe ‘Across the Universe’ is a fitting song and if the being who discovers it is able to develop an understanding of the language, I believe the song represents a powerful message.

Each example represents aspects of life on earth, hopefully allowing for a basic understanding of earth. The natural landscapes demonstrates the environment which the humans live upon. The urban sounds show our daily life innovation on the natural world. The Beatles song shows creative expression and I believe the lyrics are fitting for not only human life, but also the very nature of the project.

‘GRAPEFRUIT’ – YOKO ONO INSPIRED INSTRUCTIONAL PIECES

Here are seven of my own compositions:

Accomplishment

When it rains go for
a walk in the woods
watch your step on wet rocks
Drive home.

Travelling

Ask a boat for a ride,
if its windy, drive
If your car breaks down, fly.
Get a loved one to drive you home and
break your bike.
Fix your car and repeat.

Senses 1 of 5

Every winter
Slap your cold hand on concrete.

Copyright

Give a stranger a box of your things
In a week’s time return
and ask if they used what’s inside
If they say yes,
ask for it back.

Dishwasher

Say you are a dishwasher
repair person
and when hired,
arrive after dinner and
wash the dishes.
Offer to return tomorrow evening.

Senses 3 of 5

In the spring
plug your nose
Identify a bird with your eyes closed.

Birthday Cake

On a blank piece of paper write
C-A-K-E
and eat it.
Optional: light it on fire and breathe on it.

I physically performed three of these compositions.

‘Travelling’ was performed before writing, and I based the instruction on my experience as a way to summarize, but also to quantify the experience as a lesson or game you can play. I attempted to take the ferry and it was cancelled due to wind. When driving home my car broke down. The next day I flew to my family. My father drove me back to Victoria a week later, and when I went to pick up my car from the mechanic, my bike broke. I repaired my car and have now reset. This composition is a way to identify cycles of luck in our lives, for better or for worse, and to show that you just need to find the start of the cycle, and be prepared to start again.

‘Accomplishment’ was performed on Tuesday, December 8, 2020. It was a very rainy day in Victoria. I went to Mt. Douglas Park and hiked through the woods. There was fog and mist, and sound all around; rain droplets that filtered through fir needles, shuffling to the ground like plinko beads; my rain jacket hood warping and shifting around my head; the rubber soles of my boots sliding on wet rocks. At the summit, I was surrounded in fog, I was alone to anyone else’s sense, lost in a skyward sea of mist. On the way down, I was adamant about carefully traversing the slippery terrain. I made it back to my car and drove home. When I got home, I changed my wet pants and turned on my space heater which rattled when it blew.

Arriving home, I was confronted with comfort and safety, where in the park, comfort was my confidence in my steps.

‘Senses 1 of 5’ was performed Wednesday, December 9, 2020. I went for a walk in the morning when the daytime temperatures had yet to rise. I left my gloves at home. Near the end of the walk, my hands felt stiff, I tried to curl and uncurl my fingers, they moved like snails. When I felt my hands on my face, my cheeks became cold.

I smacked my hand on my concrete driveway.

It gave me a nostalgic feeling of recess in elementary school; in the winters of BC’s interior, playing basketball on an outdoor snow-shoveled court, and tripping in my boots, falling to the ground, my gloveless hands slapping the concrete like a goatskin drum.

It was equally painful and numb. The discomfort was largely not fully feeling the pain. It subsided shortly.

P.S. 

This was a really fun and interesting blog prompt, I thoroughly enjoyed the process of making this. 

REPEATED LISTENING

In blog prompt #7, I did a repeated listening of “Salt Peanuts” Written by Dizzy Gillespie and Kenny Clarke. Here is what I experienced:

Throughout my first listen, I found that my attention was focused mostly on the saxophone line which seemed to lead the song. This idea evolved as upon a few more repeated listening’s, and over the following couple play throughs, I found myself attracted to the bass line. The bass line became the leading voice and base of the song as I listened. It walked rapidly through pitches and its tempo was matched by the percussion. The saxophone seemed to no longer lead, but rather playfully dance overtop what the bass and the percussion provided as a floor. As I repeated listening’s further, I found that the piano drew my attention. It complimented the other lines by filling in cracks and gaps between voices, save for it’s moment where the saxophone ceases and the piano to has a turn dancing in the spotlight on the floor of bass and percussion. Near the end of the song, the drums have a moment of their own. All other voices cease, and we hear that the drums can dance on their own as well. It then shows how its rhythm can mimic the melody that the vocal line, along with the saxophone, often sings, ‘salt peanuts, salt peanuts.’

I decided to repeat this process, having not listened to the song since, and see if my experience has differed in any way

The song became a sort of conversation to me. All these lines of different instruments conversing in compliments – or maybe, they argued for who deserved the spotlight. I imagine these voices, poetically, like a family, each a different member of the family. There is an ongoing dialogue. The song feels like a group argument with different counters and talking points in the rising and falling tensions of the instruments. Sometimes the piano pushes its voice to be heard, showing it’s opinion, tinkling through the spaces, only for the saxophone to come screaming through with it’s powerful wail. The drums and bass form became the parents to me, with their mature and consistent voices guiding the conversation, at one point, the drums has had enough, and show the family who is boss with its solo. Though all voices, all members of the family argue, they heat is always cooled with ‘salt peanuts, salt peanuts’ coming through as an indisputable voice.

HOW CAN A MUSICIAN SUCCEED DURING THE CURRENTS TIMES OF COVID-19?

Though it can often be difficult for musicians to succeed in general, the new limitations presented by the pandemic make it even more challenging. Success is often a subjective idea. One’s definition of success may be heavily weighted on how much monetary gain is involved, while another’s may be more focused on enjoyment in that activity. Regardless of the definition, success is attributed by achieving one’s goals.

A musician can succeed during this global pandemic by adapting to, and actually finding ways to take advantage of the limitations presented to them. These current times see a great mass of people experiencing a surplus of time unoccupied by work, or social obligations. Musicians must learn to use this to their advantage. Not only can musicians use this time to hone their craft, but also use it to engage all of those seeking music from the safety and comfort of their home and isolation. The opportunities to listen to live music is lacking. Utilizing the social media and live streams to perform is an obvious option. Livestreaming can be done independently, and there are tools for selling tickets and promoting via social media such as TicketSpice.

Riot on the Roof 2020, Vernon, BC. – Vernon Public Art Gallery

There are also opportunities to be livestreamed. For example, I worked at an art gallery during the summer where we hosted a live stream of three bands and paid them much like a gig. Following current CDC guidelines and taking proper safety precautions, there are safe physical options to perform that are easier to monetize.

Being digital also can be seen as a way to collaborate with other musicians while not having to pay travel costs. Organizing a live stream where multiple groups perform can be more enticing for ticket buyers. A live stream can also be recorded and made available for purchase if posted to a website or service such as Vimeo, or it can be uploaded to a streaming site such as YouTube, where it can generate revenue via advertisements. Musicians can also set up donation links where spectators can donate if they wish. If planning a any sort of project or online event, musicians should consider and apply for grants available. Creative BC is a great resource for projects in British Columbia, and I personally saw that they supported a livestreamed concert I attended based in Kelowna, BC.

Aside from performing, musicians with a following may choose to promote and sell merch online, there are many services which handle all processing, BigCartel for example. Additionally, this is the most important time to establish an online presence. Getting music available on popular streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple music, and Bandcamp, is more crucial now than ever. Establishing a website where people can access information about the musicians, their music, their background, is immensely important as well.

Though it can often be difficult for musicians to succeed in general, the new limitations presented by the pandemic make it even more challenging. I think a musician can succeed in Covid times by adapting to the limitations we are presented and finding ways to take advantage. Many musicians are faced with more time on their hands, so taking advantage of that time to practice or work on material would be an obvious start. As well as musicians, people in general have more time on their hands, and the opportunity to listen to live music is lacking. Utilizing the social media and live streams to perform is an obvious option. Livestreaming can be done independently, and there are tools for selling tickets and promoting via social media. There are also opportunities to be livestreamed, for example, I worked at an art gallery during the summer where we hosted a live stream of three bands, and paid them much like a gig. Taking proper safety precautions, there are safe physical options to perform and make money. Being digital also can be seen as a way to collaborate with other musicians while not having to pay travel costs. Organizing a live stream where multiple groups perform can be more enticing for ticket buyers. A live stream can also be recorded and made available for purchase if posted to a website or service such as Vimeo, or it can be uploaded to a streaming site such as YouTube, where it can be monetized.  Musicians can also set up donation links where spectators can donate if they wish. Aside from performing, musicians with a following may choose to promote and sell merch online, there are many services which handle all processing, bigcartel for example. Partnering with local businesses for livestreams is a good way to promote events to the community and sell tickets.

My oberservations of participatory discrepancies within three examples:

OOIOO – Polacca
Here we can here a discrepancy often when the vocals sing freely in the repeated phrase sounding like ‘mo’. It doesn’t exactly line up with the timing of the bass guitar and percussion, which play tightly together, however, it is this discrepancy which makes this recurring phrase of vocals have so much character. It is a release of a tension created by the energetic drums and bass. Later on in the song I observed another discrepancy in the guitars, which layered over each other. At one point, one guitar came in blatantly off time. Further, during a break in bass and percussion, the guitars played repeated phrases at a slower tempo, with the drum and bass reintroduction, a significantly faster tempo took place yet all the instruments moved together.

Sly and The Family Stone – Spaced Cowboy
Here I heard discrepancies in the way in that the vocal line interacts with the instruments around it. Sometimes the vocals come in low and seem mismatched with the instrumentation, however it is this quality that adds to the songs character. Another discrepancy could be between the drum machine and the drums, with slight variations in timing, there becomes a quality of looseness in an otherwise tight song.

Patato Y Totico – Agua que va a caer
In this piece we can hear a discrepancy early on with the vocals coming in loosely to the drum line. To me, this creates a dialogue interaction between the two lines, at a part of the song where they both stand alone. There is also a consistant discrepancy in the ‘clicking’ of some percussion instrument. It would seem to be tasked with keeping a steady time, however it plays at a fluid time and even changes its pattern throughout depending on the leading instrument it is interacting with.

For my repeated listening, I chose to listen to “Salt Peanuts” Written by Dizzy Gillespie and Kenny Clarke.

During my first listen, I found that my attention was focused mostly on the saxophone line which seemed to lead the song. This idea changed as I listened more and over the next few times play throughs I was really drawn to the bass line.  The bass line became the leading line and base of the song as I listened. It walked rapidly through pitches and its speed was matched by the percussion. The saxophone was no longer leading, but rather playfully dancing overtop what the bass and the percussion provided as a floor. More listening had me drawn the piano, which complimented the other line where there seemed to be gaps, save for it’s moment where the saxophone ceases for the piano to have a turn dancing on the floor of bass and percussion. Near the end of the song, the drums have a moment of their own, where the rest ceases and we hear that the drums can dance on their own. It then shows how its rhythm can mimic the melody that the vocal line, along with the saxophone, often sings, ‘salt peanuts, salt peanuts.’

Playing music exclusively from the past might mean that we lose a development in culture in the present. By only playing music from the past, we resist the natural advances and evolution that music takes over time. Music of the present also reflects the current times. Playing music exclusive to the past would not only hold with it the era in which it was composed, but also leave a void for reflection and expression for our current times to take place in music. Current music can start dialogue in society, and sometimes is a common point of our reflection in human and societal growth. We can look at pop music composed in the 60s and compare it with today’s pop music, this draws dissimilarities and directs the forward movement pop music takes. I think the quote from Nietzsche, hits a nail on the head. “If you are to venture to interpret the past, you can only do so out of the fullest exertion of the present.” I think it points out the relation of the present to the past in terms of context. Without seeing where things have ended up, where things have advanced and evolved to, it would be hard to understand the past.

Both the 1981 and 1955 recordings of the first section share some similarities but also offer many differences. I found the 1955 recording to support more frequent polyphonic textures, diverging from the otherwise often homophonic left and right hand. They tend to more frequently drift along different melodies creating counterpoint, though it is often brought back to a homophonic texture where the left and right hands move through pitches together. Another large difference I noticed is the accompaniment of Gould’s vocal harmonies in the 1981 recording. Though they are subtle, they support the piano with homophonic texture.
Additionally, I found the 1981 recording of this section to hold much more space, and I found the use of this space to be more compelling. The space allowed for the vocal harmony to slip in without over-encumbering the sound. The 1955 records did not offer this space, though did not have the vocal harmony.

If the one and only Elon Musk hired me to curate content for a golden record style project, here are three examples of what I would include.

Sounds of the earth’s natural landscapes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uRqV9sFxnLDde2bIzPYXovXyt4yz2HL4/view?usp=sharing

This might include waterflow from ocean waves, rain, or river rapids, the howl of winds or wolves, the buzzing of a bee or a crow’s call, or an block detaching from our arctic ice packs.

Sounds of earth’s urban environments: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ImE3LYm2JOOrP0N85WM-Ryxl4_jslYmQ/view?usp=sharing

These sounds might detail the honking traffic or sound of sirens, the rush of people with their distant chatter, the shouts of construction workers, the beeping of a cargo truck in reverse.

Across the Universe – The Beatles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90M60PzmxEE&ab_channel=TheBeatles-Topic

A song by one of the, if not the most, popular band from the 20th century, and one that is arguably one of the most influential in the direction of popular music that we still hear today.

Each example represents aspects of life on earth, hopefully allowing for a basic understanding of earth. The natural landscapes demonstrates the environment which the humans live upon. The urban sounds show our daily life innovation on the natural world. The Beatles song shows creative expression and I believe the lyrics are fitting for not only human life, but also the very nature of the project.