Today I began the piece, with some very ‘Simon Atkinson-esque’ filtering via the GRM tools. Many of the Norwegian works that I have listened to have contained very discrete sustained pitches, so I wanted to reproduce these in my composition (caveat: I should point out that Jøran gave me a CD of works by the composer Arne Nordheim, so these are the ones that I have been listening to. But appropriate for one working in the ‘Nordheim Studio’ at NOTAM).
The main question that needs to be addressed is the extent of abstraction that should exist within this piece:
- If the processing renders the sounds abstract then why does it matter that they were recorded in NOTAM itself?
- If the sounds are left unprocessed then how can one work with them creatively, unprocessed they seem to simply form a document of the spaces and environments.
One possible solution is to begin abstract, slowly reducing the level of abstraction. To end up at raw field recordings. This will probably direct the overarching form of the piece, as I have an idea of where to end up.
Not being quite as restrained as Simon A, I have impetuously rushed in other more gestural sounds to accompany the slowly evolving filtered sounds. These work, to some extent, as triggers for the shifting filter processes (a gesture occurs and provides an inferred cause for the filter shift) but are perhaps too prevalent at the moment.
I should always remember the theme…..
"Quiet" Collaboration with NOTAM 