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Thinking In 8 And 16 Bar Phrases: Structure In U-Ziq’s “Goodbye” (2022)
U-Ziq’s “Goodbye” (2022) is a marvelous track whose clearly discernible structure is part of the music’s power. (Which reminds me of Steve Reich’s quote in his Writings on Music about “a compositional process and a sounding music that are one and the same.”) The music proceeds in 8- and 16-bar blocks, with each block a… Continue reading
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Resonant Thoughts: Mads Walther-Hansen on Balance in sound Production
“Balance is one of the most important cognitive concepts in sound production and perception. Musical movement is often conceived of as driven by sonic elements that continually balance and unbalance each other in different forms of tension-and-release patterns, and sound production is largely about balancing sounds relative to each other in order to achieve a… Continue reading
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Play—Or Doing Ever New Things With The Sounds You Already Have
Over the past few weeks I’ve been listening to Huerco S’s recording Plonk. The music finds many ways to hold a listener’s attention, and its sound-flow suggests someone playing with the artifacts of sounds, taking them apart, and arranging them into always new constellations. In other words, it’s not so much Huerco’s sounds that hold… Continue reading
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As A Single Flowing Gesture
(Ensō calligraphy by Kanjuro Shibata) “Too much thinking.” – Kanjuro Shibata, master bowmaker and archery teacher There is no best way of doing music production, but I find that when I approach a piece in terms of what might be called a single gesture I have the best chance of turning it into something that works.… Continue reading
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