“Decayscendo”

Artist Statement:

I very much enjoy taking my many interests and combining them into some cohesive act.  In this project, I added my musical talents to my artistic talents.  Decay of sound may seem as simple as lowering the volume, but it can also be done through the complexity of a piece of music.  I took a Fugue from a piece I am currently working on and decomposed its elements through animation.  A fugue is built on one simple phrase that is repeated in different keys and with added embellishments, harmonization, etc.  In this project I removed every superfluous part of the Fugue until all that was left was the original riff.  Through this process, the sound decays until it is more simple and void of embellishments, extra notes, or harmonization.

I was inspired by William Kentridge’s style of drawn animation.  Instead of using charcoal and leaving residue, I used pencil and tried to remove any residue, but allowed the image to become somewhat softer and more faint, better portraying the idea of decay.  This animation does not tell a story or share an idea, it simply displays the process of creating sound decay through use of complexity.

Here is a section of an article that explains drum layering in order to add complexity to tracks.  Sound complexity, as explained in the article, can accomplish the following: ”

• Adds width, depth and overall thickness to a main sound you’ve chosen.
• Allows for very detailed tonal sculpting.
• Layering frequencies enhances the perceived harmonic (or enharmonic) content of the result.
• Layering small elements from different samples avoids the frequency smearing that’s so common with complete-waveform sample layering.
• Sensible layering techniques give you control over frequency mishaps such as summing, cancellation and clashing.
• New, unique tones can be created that otherwise would not be available in stock drum sample libraries.   “

When all of these aspects are taken away, instead of added, to a piece of music, the effect is the decay or decomposition of sound (either through volume or harmonization or tonal layering).

Here is a recording of the piece that I am decomposing for the Decay project.  The very first small phrase that she plays is repeated throughout the piece.  This is the phrase that I am uncovering through the removal of all the embellishments.  Listen carefully to all the extra notes that color the same phrase over and over again.

Aww so cute

Learning how to take a pattern or image and make  it a brush you can paint over anything! Similar to creating toile.

For the decay project, I’m going to animate the decay of sound complexity.  I’m going to use a Fugue from the unaccompanied Bach violin Sonata in G minor, which I am currently working on and preparing.  A Fugue is built on one phrase that repeats itself.  Each repetition stays true to the original phrase, but is embellished with triple stops, 16th notes, accidentals, etc.  So I am going to animate the removal of these embellishments and strip the Fugue down to the bone to show the main melody.  Hence, the complexity of the sound will decay.

My eyeballs are burning from staring at the computer screen for so long.  I’m satisfied though.