Terrain
For plastic bottles, microphones, amplification and several hands.
Approximate duration: 15 minutes (+/- 5 minutes)
Instrumentation:
–A collection of plastic bottles.
–A suitable PA system.
–Cardioid tie clip microphones.
–One mixing desk per player.
Terrain utilises the resonant volumes of plastic bottles in order to create pitched feedback.
The feedback is generated as the mouths of the bottles are placed near or over the microphone capsules.
Bottle position, its' proximity to the microphone and volume controls may be used to control feedback.
The material should predominantly consist of mid-frequency feedback.
Occasional high or low frequency feedback is permitted.
The feedback should never be allowed to become uncontrollable.
There should be moments where several layers of feedback exist.
There should be moments of silence or near silence.
Technical notes
Bottles should be of different shape and size, but none greater in volume than 1 litre. You should have a minimum of 4 per player.
Microphones should consist of one stereo pair per player, assigned left and right, fixed in a position to suit the player for the execution of the work (e.g. at 90 degree to each other, parallel, etc.).
In order to facilitate the generation of beat frequencies, slight deformation of the bottles may be used to alter the resonance of one of a pair,
Equalisation may be used to control feedback, if the capacity for this exists on each mixing desk.
Lee Patterson
3rd December 2007
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Lee Patterson
Lee Patterson is myspace.com/therealleepatterson.