Journal of experimental musical instruments

Description

VOLUME I #3, OCTOBER 1985 “Letters” 1 & 1/2 pages. A short note by Arthur H. Sanders from The Musical Museum offers information on the Reed Organ Society. Bill Colvig, in response to the June 1985 article on tuning devices, tells where he found WW II surplus oscilloscopes and kits. Bill and Mary Buchen give an update on recent activities. [Additional keywords: relative tuning, frequency-to-cents charts, Lou Harrison, Heathkit, flea markets, Marie Osmond, Skip La Plante, Bow Gamelan Ensemble, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not] “The Puget Sound Wind Harp” by Bart Hopkin. 3 pages. 3 drawings. Ron Konzak’s massive aeolian harp is described, with attention to exceptional requirements of its design, construction and tuning: fundamental tones are subsonic and the acoustic behaviors of flat stainless steel banding versus round strings are discussed. Contact for Konzak, his recording of the instrument, and his own written account are provided along with information about other wind harps. [Additional keywords: overtones, resonating chambers, torsional waves, flat ribbons, ribbon strings] “Glenn Branca and The Third Bridge” by Bart Hopkin. 1 1/2 pages. 1 diagram. New York composer noted for his electric guitar symphonies, Branca’s harmonics guitar is designed to selectively produce the tones of the harmonic series, enabling the series to be used for scale material. The article details how the strings, the pickup and a central bridge are uniquely positioned to bring out the string harmonics. A sidebar compares conventional harmonics playing to Branca’s extended technique. [Additional keywords: nodes, octaves, guitar pickups, sliding bridges] “Meet Mothra” by Tom Nunn. 2 pages; 2 photos. Nunn’s electroacoustic percussion board is made from birch plywood, steel rods, combs, springs, glass, and self-adhesive sidewalk safety surfaces, which are amplified with a contact microphone. This San Francisco composer and builder’s basic playing techniques on Mothra are striking, strumming, plucking, scraping, rubbing, and bowing. He describes the construction materials, its visual aesthetic, and possibilities for future exploration; his concepts and history in free improvisation, spontaneous interactive processes, teaching, and the Bay Area Improvisational Project. [Additional keywords: Sound Wave Festival, found objects, non-musicians, Earwarg, ] “Some Thoughts on Sound Art Exhibits” by Peter Williams Brown. 1 & 1/4 pages; 1 photo. Brown shares some of his findings and solutions to the problems of presenting gallery-based sound exhibitions: continuous background noise levels, displaying hands-on installations, dividing space into small rooms, “tokenism,” audience interaction, volume control mechanisms, his “music box” approach, and their advantages and drawbacks. [Additional keywords: audio arts, participation, curating, sound sculptures, baffles, All Ears] “Organizations and Periodicals”. 3/4 page. Information on The Guild of American Luthiers: journal, history, membership, convention and contact. Over 200 Data Sheets of their quarterly journal provide an utterly unique library of practical and esoteric information. [Additional keywords: associations, string instruments, guitars, Tacoma] “Books”. 1 page. Marlin Halverson’s Sonic Art exhibition catalog was published for the Sonic Art Exhibition at the Art Gallery at California State College in San Bernardino, 1982. The usefulness and difficulty in acquiring catalogs of contemporary sound art exhibits is discussed. The Sonic Art exhibit is described. [Additional keywords: catalogues, audio arts, curating, sound sculptures] “Events”. 1 page. Review of performances by Totem, a group led by Richard Waters, inventor of the Waterphone, and Nazim Ozel, a classically trained Turkish master of the Ney flute, who performs on his Semi-Civilized Tree. These were part of a concert series at the Theater Artaud, sponsored by the Maitreya Institute of San Francisco. [Additional keywords: tree branches, water, Turkish music, natural materials] VOLUME I #3, OCTOBER 1985 “Letters” 1 & 1/2 pages. A short note by Arthur H. Sanders from The Musical Museum offers information on the Reed Organ Society. Bill Colvig, in response to the June 1985 article on tuning devices, tells where he found WW II surplus oscilloscopes and kits. Bill and Mary Buchen give an update on recent activities. [Additional keywords: relative tuning, frequency-to-cents charts, Lou Harrison, Heathkit, flea markets, Marie Osmond, Skip La Plante, Bow Gamelan Ensemble, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not] “The Puget Sound Wind Harp” by Bart Hopkin. 3 pages. 3 drawings. Ron Konzak’s massive aeolian harp is described, with attention to exceptional requirements of its design, construction and tuning: fundamental tones are subsonic and the acoustic behaviors of flat stainless steel banding versus round strings are discussed. Contact for Konzak, his recording of the instrument, and his own written account are provided along with information about other wind harps. [Additional keywords: overtones, resonating chambers, torsional waves, flat ribbons, ribbon strings] “Glenn Branca and The Third Bridge” by Bart Hopkin. 1 1/2 pages. 1 diagram. New York composer noted for his electric guitar symphonies, Branca’s harmonics guitar is designed to selectively produce the tones of the harmonic series, enabling the series to be used for scale material. The article details how the strings, the pickup and a central bridge are uniquely positioned to bring out the string harmonics. A sidebar compares conventional harmonics playing to Branca’s extended technique. [Additional keywords: nodes, octaves, guitar pickups, sliding bridges] “Meet Mothra” by Tom Nunn. 2 pages; 2 photos. Nunn’s electroacoustic percussion board is made from birch plywood, steel rods, combs, springs, glass, and self-adhesive sidewalk safety surfaces, which are amplified with a contact microphone. This San Francisco composer and builder’s basic playing techniques on Mothra are striking, strumming, plucking, scraping, rubbing, and bowing. He describes the construction materials, its visual aesthetic, and possibilities for future exploration; his concepts and history in free improvisation, spontaneous interactive processes, teaching, and the Bay Area Improvisational Project. [Additional keywords: Sound Wave Festival, found objects, non-musicians, Earwarg, ] “Some Thoughts on Sound Art Exhibits” by Peter Williams Brown. 1 & 1/4 pages; 1 photo. Brown shares some of his findings and solutions to the problems of presenting gallery-based sound exhibitions: continuous background noise levels, displaying hands-on installations, dividing space into small rooms, “tokenism,” audience interaction, volume control mechanisms, his “music box” approach, and their advantages and drawbacks. [Additional keywords: audio arts, participation, curating, sound sculptures, baffles, All Ears] “Organizations and Periodicals”. 3/4 page. Information on The Guild of American Luthiers: journal, history, membership, convention and contact. Over 200 Data Sheets of their quarterly journal provide an utterly unique library of practical and esoteric information. [Additional keywords: associations, string instruments, guitars, Tacoma] “Books”. 1 page. Marlin Halverson’s Sonic Art exhibition catalog was published for the Sonic Art Exhibition at the Art Gallery at California State College in San Bernardino, 1982. The usefulness and difficulty in acquiring catalogs of contemporary sound art exhibits is discussed. The Sonic Art exhibit is described. [Additional keywords: catalogues, audio arts, curating, sound sculptures] “Events”. 1 page. Review of performances by Totem, a group led by Richard Waters, inventor of the Waterphone, and Nazim Ozel, a classically trained Turkish master of the Ney flute, who performs on his Semi-Civilized Tree. These were part of a concert series at the Theater Artaud, sponsored by the Maitreya Institute of San Francisco. [Additional keywords: tree branches, water, Turkish music, natural materials]