matter
Next came some melodies. I liked the hypnotic effect of the repeated harmonies, but I felt there was still room to roam within this new immaterial, what else could I describe with the sound of my voice? I had initially thought of using other people's voices to gain some distance from the project. But it proved easier to use my own since I could move through tonal and compositional ideas more quickly. I tried one with my boyfriend.
Next came the daunting task of making sounds by myself. I began by making harmonies because I think these were the most beautiful when happening organically in a group. I chose to approach sound as an amateur, using the free Garageband and just the mic on my computer. I wanted to imagine playing with sound as I would material, - color, composition, texture. Once I made some sounds, I imagined how I would present them. Do they embody color? Should they be paired with light and color, these other immaterial experiences? Do they need some intermediary environment or object to transmit their tender parts?
I think both of us created too much pressure and stress. Meanwhile, when I was recording tones by myself, it became more natural and relaxing. I listen to music constantly and whistle or sing when I'm by myself. I used to also whistle or hum on my bike at night, partly to pass the time and partly to let other speedy bikers know I was there at crossings.
These melodies just have small variations, one is the original, then switching the key, almost like changing the temperature of a color, and after figuring out the melody by singing, finding out the corresponding keys of the keyboard-piano.
Once I started figuring out the keyboard-piano, I wanted to play with some more sounds and tools for rhythm and percussion. I was working on this piece when I accidentally recorded my breath before singing on a take. I started repeating the sound and felt it was more interesting as a rhythmic tool than the synthesized instruments in the program and entirely more personal. With the breath as the beginning, I made some breath recordings with different tempos and then made a small melody to be paired with those and the kind of mood or feeling I wanted to create. This is the longer, unedited version of what became the final piece to fit with the length of the video recording.