The Alan Sondheim Mail Archive

QinCave: New Qin Music from the Brown University Cave


http://www.alansondheim.org/qincave34.jpg
http://www.alansondheim.org/crystal4.mp3
http://www.alansondheim.org/crystal6.mp3
http://www.alansondheim.org/crystal7.mp3
http://www.alansondheim.org/qincave07.jpg
http://www.alansondheim.org/qincave13.jpg
http://www.alansondheim.org/qincave46.jpg

The Qing dynasty qin was played in the Brown University Cave. I
noticed that the Cave formed a resonant chamber or sound box.
The goose-feet (yen-tsu) rested either directly on the floor, or
on a wooden board - in both cases transmitting the sound
directly to the chamber floor. For the straight-forward audio
recording, an instrument mic and vibration meter were used; the
meter was wedged against the chamber floor and a structural
support, and the instrument mic was placed directly underneath
the instrument. A second mic also led to an instrument amplifier
facing away from the chamber; its sound was recorded with the
video camera, but didn't interfere with the straight audio,
which was fed into a Zoom H4n. The whole chamber was 'live,' as
were the images; the Cave wand and control glasses were worn
either by me or Kathleen or Azure imitating the qin moves. The
other end of the qin rested either on a board or on my leg;
playing the instrument in a dim colored light, close to the
floor, was difficult but not impossible. The four images show
the arrangement under various conditions. The three audio pieces
demonstrate the use of H4n output; the sound was raised two to
three octaves, so that the ambiance recorded by the vibration
meter would be audible. In some cases I chose to raise the pitch
of the instrument mic as well; the general contours of the
improvised pieces changed with each adjustment. When playing, I
also made use of sounding the strings to the left of my left-
hand stopping; this produced a non-resonant high-pitched series
of tones which were more controllable than I thought they would
be. The session was two and three-quarters hours, during which
thirteen videos and audio tracks, as well as over fifty images,
were produced. I will release these as processed over the next
few days. I'd never heard a qin sound so resonant as it did in
this chamber; for this reason, I thought of 'crystal' as a
generic name for the processed audio. Since the qin mythos
reflects the cosmos, one way or another, it was fitting to work
with sound inhabiting the space, just as the Cave writing and
movement did. Together they created a miniature, fragile
cosmology which needs more exploration. Thanks to John Cayley
for the opportunity to work in the Cave, Kathleen Ottinger for
assisting and performing, Azure Carter for performance, video,
audio, and song, and Stephen Dydo for restoring the qin.

qincave A.B.C.

http://www.alansondheim.org/qincave55.jpg
http://www.alansondheim.org/qincaveA.mp4
http://www.alansondheim.org/qincaveB.mp4
http://www.alansondheim.org/qincaveC.mp4

qincaveA. four-minute slow improvisation recorded close-in,
sound from qin and amplifier, visual echo added paralleling
acoustic resonance.
qincaveB. color-shadow moire patterns occasioned by the Cave
projector flicker for 3-d virtual reality. qin played open
strings only.
qincaveC. improvisation with head-mounted display transforming
the 3-d environment. sound from camera, raised-pitch vibration
meter, amplifier, and mic beneath the instrument,

                                 O cavernous love O emerald bone
and filE
photographing inside animal holes and those cavernous spaces
beneath the hollow out; cavernous, wrung with the memory of
weeping, thick braids The hanger was large and cavernous and
damp. The ground was hard and showed it. cavernous lead south.
on scrawled inscription, foe, food, fool, meek and keen,
                                 O cavernous love O emerald bone
and filE cavernous, wrung weeping, braids curl bathing
underground lake. silver is,_ restored tarns and pools. hanger
cavernous damp. dry. suns tension. beings,
                                 O cavernous love O emerald bone
animal holes and those cavernous spaces beneath the
hollowed out, cavernous, wrung with the memory of weeping, thick
to the hanger large and cavernous and damp. The ground for them,
their caverns for final furious show it. cavernous lead south.
                                 O cavernous love O emerald bone
know cavernous, wrung weeping, braids curl bathing underground
restored tarns and pools. hanger cavernous damp. dry. suns
tension, hollowed out, cavernous, wrung with the large and
cavernous and damp. The ground was hard and hollowed out;
cavernous, wrung with the memory of weeping, thick braids,
cavernous and damp, hollowed out, wrung with the memory of
weeping, thick braids, the hanger was large and cavernous and
damp. The ground was hard and harder.