Atonal, ambient, noise-art Weissenborn

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 12 Mar 2020 3:27 am

This is a free album of free, noise-art, atonal, ambient sonic landscapes featuring Weissenborn. Not my cup of tea but I do respect the artistic journey.

https://archive.org/details/soliloquese ... +Slumb.wav

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 12 Mar 2020 7:52 am

Is this supposed to be music?

Erv

Joshua Grange · Post by **Joshua Grange** » 12 Mar 2020 9:07 am

Very cool.

Thanks for posting this, Andy!

Kirk Francis · Post by **Kirk Francis** » 12 Mar 2020 9:39 am

it's the john cage/karlheinz stockhausen memorial barbeque!

David Knutson · Post by **David Knutson** » 12 Mar 2020 10:26 am

WOW!

Andy, I think you should take this on as a transcription project.

Larry Carlson · Post by **Larry Carlson** » 12 Mar 2020 1:10 pm

Well, noise art is a good way to describe it I guess.
My oldest grandson got a hold of my old Electromuse yesterday.
This sounded a bit familiar.

David Matzenik · Post by **David Matzenik** » 12 Mar 2020 3:51 pm

I suppose its terribly unhip to say that stuff is a bloody dreadful pose by someone trying to be artistic.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 13 Mar 2020 1:56 am

David Knutson: how's this? The tuning is Db, Bb, E#, G, R, Q

I only did a spot listen to the steel record posted above but it reminds me of an Archie Shep free jazz concert I saw 40 years ago ....2 hours of my life I'll never get back!

But when this kind of music is played by excellent musicians, the results can be very much worth a listen. Susan Alcorn is one artist who plays free whose music I find mostly always interesting and often very compelling. The same goes for guitarist Mary Halvorson whose latest CD "Seed Triangular" has many passages that feel surprisingly tonal and thoughtful despite being played in a completely free context.

Another fascinating record of composed music and improv is "The Legend of Vernon McAlilster" by Richard Leo Johnston where he took an old National standard guitar and played it in all kinds of ways from traditional sounds to eBow and even blowing in the sound holes.

All these are music I would never want to play myself or even spend a huge amount of time consuming but I understand that there are more ways to create sounds that others will listen to than playing Sleepwalk for the 1 millionth time.

David Matzenik · Post by **David Matzenik** » 13 Mar 2020 4:40 am

Music is not just a matter of making sounds. Are we supposed to be polite about this to prove how broad minded we are?

David DeLoach · Post by **David DeLoach** » 13 Mar 2020 4:53 am

The 2nd note in the 73rd bar just seemed wrong to me.

Jon Zimmerman · Post by **Jon Zimmerman** » 13 Mar 2020 6:25 am

I dunno. My ear sensibilities still PREFER the melodious and harmonious. Not MALodious. Just the way they were trained from childhood, like most of us. I know I will never hear these passages while on an elevator. ( unless a mechanical failure interrupts the ride) Might hear elements of it while a player tortures a bent 2 man saw with a bass bow. Or an Ebow on an Ebola infected elbow.
Just my jumbled opinion.

Rick Barnhart · Post by **Rick Barnhart** » 13 Mar 2020 6:38 am

I was kinda partial to track 5. The wave pattern reminded me of a swordfish. I like swordfish.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 13 Mar 2020 7:34 am

I was once told that bagpipes were the missing link between noise and noise and music, but I think that I've just found another.

Erv

Mike Harris · Post by **Mike Harris** » 14 Mar 2020 6:45 am

I think it's at least as enjoyable as Frank Zappa's "Jazz from Hell," which many people thought was soooo wonderful. I was not among them.

Actually, I tend to feel I would enjoy this more overall since the sounds are produced by humans with stringed instruments rather than the programmed Synclavier which Frank used.

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 14 Mar 2020 8:04 am

Listening to avant garde music requires a new way of listening. I was fortunate to have met John Cage a number of times over the course of my life and really got interested in his ideas and music.

when I was deep into Cage, I remember walking around the city listening to the sounds like a symphony: enjoying the sounds for their own sake.

I discovered if you let it wash over you, if you don't judge what you are hearing and think of it as organized sound, it can be thrilling.
But again, you can't listen to it the same way you listen to regular music.

Imagine listening to a thunderstorm coming on: Let the sounds of the storm, the wind, the entire range of sounds and just let yourself hear it without any judgement of what is good or bad, it is amazing how beautiful it can be.

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 14 Mar 2020 8:04 am

Listening to avant garde music requires a new way of listening. I was fortunate to have met John Cage a number of times over the course of my life and really got interested in his ideas and music.

when I was deep into Cage, I remember walking around the city listening to the sounds like a symphony: enjoying the sounds for their own sake.

I discovered if you let it wash over you, if you don't judge what you are hearing and think of it as organized sound, it can be thrilling.
But again, you can't listen to it the same way you listen to regular music.

Imagine listening to a thunderstorm coming on: Let the sounds of the storm, the wind, the entire range of sounds and just let yourself hear it without any judgement of what is good or bad, it is amazing how beautiful it can be.

Allan Revich · Post by **Allan Revich** » 14 Mar 2020 7:36 pm

Bill McCloskey wrote:Listening to avant garde music requires a new way of listening. I was fortunate to have met John Cage a number of times over the course of my life and really got interested in his ideas and music.

when I was deep into Cage, I remember walking around the city listening to the sounds like a symphony: enjoying the sounds for their own sake.

I discovered if you let it wash over you, if you don't judge what you are hearing and think of it as organized sound, it can be thrilling.
But again, you can't listen to it the same way you listen to regular music.

Imagine listening to a thunderstorm coming on: Let the sounds of the storm, the wind, the entire range of sounds and just let yourself hear it without any judgement of what is good or bad, it is amazing how beautiful it can be.

Darn you’re a lucky man Bill! Cage was one of the most important and influential artists of the 20th century.

I think that taking the time to learn about and understand Cage, Free Improvisation, Serialism, etc, is the best way to truly become a musician. What kind of music we eventually enjoy listening to and creating is nobody’s choice but our own of course. Still, it is really important to understand as many ideas about music as possible. Otherwise it is nearly impossible to become more than just a competent technician.

The greatest artists and musicians are those with the finest technical chops AND the most interesting and creative ideas.

Steve Cunningham · Post by **Steve Cunningham** » 16 Mar 2020 7:35 am

Yikes! A bold post Andy. I would've enjoyed some of the pieces more if they were much, much shorter, using some of the stronger phrases as motifs. But hey, that's just me...to each their own.

Mark Evans · Post by **Mark Evans** » 17 Mar 2020 8:22 am

I appreciate the broad implication of this post and replies. Sure, that atonal stuff is different, alien, cacophonous, challenging and mildly annoying to some ears... but another citizen of spaceship earth chose to explore that very obscure path. And history is full of wonderful adventurous Astro weirdos (pharaoh Sanders, Sun Ra, Frank Zappa, John Cage, Jackson Pollock, Christo, Italo Calvino, et al ) blazing trails.

As I age I find I’m more open to these folks... helps me to be less negative, prejudiced. Just me...

Richard Leo Johnston is a hoot. Recordings “Celeste” (with a theremin installed in his dreadnaught guitar!) and “The Poetry of Appliance” are worthy.

(Having said that... I’m basically a 3 major chords with a minor thrown in, folk/blues player *shrugs*)

Steve Cunningham · Post by **Steve Cunningham** » 17 Mar 2020 12:12 pm

Mark Evans, thanks for turning me on to Richard Leo Johnston...interesting music. Kinda "avant-Americana".

Michael Castellana · Post by **Michael Castellana** » 17 Mar 2020 2:46 pm

You gotta watch out for the border patrol.
More non-music ..

https://theblueribbons2.bandcamp.com/tr ... erent-ways

Allan Revich · Post by **Allan Revich** » 17 Mar 2020 8:10 pm

Michael Castellana wrote:You gotta watch out for the border patrol.
More non-music ..

https://theblueribbons2.bandcamp.com/tr ... erent-ways

Great stuff there!

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 17 Mar 2020 8:19 pm

noise-art, atonal, ambient sonic landscape

Fancy words for can't play, can't tune, can't get a gig!

Allan Revich · Post by **Allan Revich** » 18 Mar 2020 6:59 pm

Doug Beaumier wrote:
noise-art, atonal, ambient sonic landscape
Fancy words for can't play, can't tune, can't get a gig!

Perhaps sometimes, but the musicians I know personally that play this stuff are at the other end of the spectrum. So competent on their instruments that they’ve become bored with playing “normal” music.

Today’s Lesson:
Don’t be quick to judge.
It’s a big lo’ world with enough room in it for everyone.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 18 Mar 2020 9:08 pm

Thanks for the lesson, but I hope I never become that competent on my instrument!

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Atonal, ambient, noise-art Weissenborn

Atonal, ambient, noise-art Weissenborn

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