Abstract

Vibrations

With this assignment, my main goal was to create something that was abstract from less abstract objects.  I decided to create a piece of music because it is something that fills my day, something that I come into contact with constantly.  Rhythm, which is an essential aspect of music, is something that we can all feel inside of us and even create, even if we aren’t listening to music on a record or an iPod.  I do not feel like other art forms are so constant in our lives as music is.  While we can draw inspiration from all kinds of objects and processes for all forms or types of art, only with music do these processes and objects actually create a specific type of art on their own without human assistance (apart from hearing the actual sounds).

Because sound is, at its core, the result of vibrations of different objects, I wanted to highlight the basic nature of sound itself to create rhythm and even bits of melody.  I recorded sounds of phones vibrating, rulers vibrating, strings vibrating, and any other object that I could find that I could make vibrate.  I recorded those sounds and assembled them together in the most rhythmic way that I could.  The most difficult part for me was trying to keep the piece “abstract.”  I naturally had a tendency to want to make it more rhythmic but especially more melodic as well.  I tried to find a balance between seeking for rhythm in order to highlight the vibrational quality of music, but also keep it focused on just that without including too many other aspects of song making.

While thinking about this piece, I thought about the work of different artists like DJ Shadow and Kid Koala that often incorporate sound effects like sneezes, clapping, coughing, and scratching in their music making processes.  Both of them are disk-jockeying hip-hop artists that have done production on many artists’ album, but their own work is much more abstract.  A fundamental part of music and especially hip-hop is the ability to make that kind of music with no musical instruments.  This kind of music started by taking objects that weren’t supposed to be instruments (like record players) and making a new type of music with new sounds or using old sounds and music that others had already recorded and making them new.  Similarly, I used everyday sounds to try to create vibrations that not only highlighted the average person’s every-day experience, but also hint at our ability as humans to find art in all of the objects that we use and come into contact with throughout our lives.