INSTRUMENT BUILDING WORKSHOP

Thu, 13 May 2010 18:28:40 +0100

Instrument design is many things to many people. It brought us the modern orchestra, the engineering feat that is the grand piano, the digital sampler, and a near endless world of things in between.
There are several classes of instruments (as can be seen on page 3) and we will explore nearly all of them through our multi-part Instrument Building Workshops. During this first workshop we will be exploring some of the basics of Idiophones and Chordophones, with our Contact Mic Instrument and Third Bridge Guitar, as well as general Instrument building and design skills.

The workshop will happen over the course of two days. Sunday May 9th at 7PM and Sunday May 30th, and 2PM. With a special “Home Made Instrument” themed Noise Upstairs on June 10th. The first workshop date will deal with an overall introduction to instrument making, some information on Contact Mics, and the construction of the Contact Mic Instrument. The second session will deal with the Third Bridge Guitar. You may attend one or both, as each session will focus on the separate instruments.

Since we are making experimental musical instruments, some of the plans and parts on the following pages are not as specific as the details given during our Circuit Bending Workshop last year, as these instruments can be built in a variety of ways. I will provide you with some rough information on the materials and parts needed, and everyone will make a slightly different version of the instruments.

We will provide you with all the necessary tools to make the instruments needed. So other than having some timber cut at B&Q when you buy it (see following pages) everything else will happen at the workshop. So read on, and get ready to build yourself into DIY nirvana!

Click here to download workshop leaflet.

JOHN ZORN'S COBRA

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:24:34 +0000

John Zorn's Cobra is either an often performed contemporary music composition, an improvisational game, a short attention span barrageof noise, a social experiment, or every piece of music you've (n)ever played or heard. I can't be certain as to which it is or isn't but Ido know that it
involves a group of performers, a set of rules, and sometimes dirty headbands.

Rehearsal dates:
February 28th
March 14th
March 28th (including performance at NUS Label Launch night)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD LEAFLET/INSTRUCTIONS.

Here is the video from the performance and a couple of photos from the workshop.

LAPTOP WORKSHOP

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 15:44:13 +0100

Laptops make great musical instruments there's so much you can do with
them. Effects, live coding, processing, sampling just some of the fun
you can have with a laptop. Laptops are increasingly ubiquitous while
the capabilities and instrumental performance opportunities are ever
increasing. We are offing a free laptop noise making workshop as part
of the October Noise Upstairs. This will involve two workshops and then
an ensemble performance at the October Noise Upstairs. All you need is
a laptop, boldness and a desire to imagine something un-heard.

If you have a laptop, then you can make music.

During the course of this workshop you will go from exploring the
musical possibilities of pre built applications to exploring the
physical sonority of the laptop. Exploring ensemble methods of playing
and collaborating the workshops will seek to facilitate further
ongoing play. In preparation for the final performance we shall
experimenting with the ultimate flexibility of live coding within the
ChucK programming environment.

We will provide you with ideas and links to software capable of
expanding you laptop into a noise machine. Suggestion of ways to
listen and the kind of musical sonority available. Initially we will
suggest playing techniques with existing software before exploring the
opportunities of live coding to create a customizable, individual
instrument. Interface wise its just what a laptop came with, ascii
keyboard, track pad, mic, line in and/or webcam.

Click here to download leaflet.

Here are some pictures of the techy fun.

CIRCUIT BENDING

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 16:19:05 +0100

Circuit-bending is an electronic art which implements creative audio short-circuiting. This renegade path of electrons represents a catalytic force capable of exploding new experimental musical forms forward at a velocity previously unknown. Anyone at all can do it; no prior knowledge of electronics is needed. The technique is, without a doubt, the easiest electronic audio design process in existence.

If you learn to solder and can drill a small hole to mount a switch in, you can circuit-bend. Everything else is a process of non-technical, routine experimentation in which various short-circuits are created in an attempt to alter the target device’s audio behavior.

During the course of this workshop you will go from having a basic electronic toy, to having a sophisticated circuit-bent instrument at the very end. In order to make sure that everyone has an exciting and interesting instrument at the very end we are limiting the target toys to ones that are tried and true, and will provide guaranteed results. In the downloadable leaflet we will provide you with a break down of the toys that we will be working with, along with part numbers for all the switches, knobs, and jacks we will be using from Malpin.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE LEAFLET

Here are some pictures and video from the workshop.