This is a really interesting site http://ericarcher.net/devices/electric-gongs/ where Eric Archer discusses his electric gong project. It's currently on display at the Austin Children's Museum (Austin, Texas) and is a hands on instrument. I think I'll drive up there next week and try it out. It's only about an hour drive from here. Harry
how are you Harry!
Me too I love gong sounds; I recently discovered Sheila Whittaker that plays continuum gong drones she call "Cosmic Ocean of Sound", see:
http://www.myspace.com/healingsound Premising that I enjoyed so much Eric Archer's device-projects (reading his web site),
I think the electric gong is a beatiful idea to show childrens some "different" sounds we have in Earth a part digital noises ;-)
What I do not love so much ... is just that touchscreen interface showing "all available notes" ... and guides users to consonant pitch relationships with a network of white lines...
That's ... in my particular perspective ... is a bit a paradox: Gongs and al metallic resonances objects are interesting because they produce vibrations in the frequency spectrum continuum ... creating these beatiful "out-of-tune" (in respect of equal temperament) drones,
so on one hand, is great that a museum show the possibilities of gongs;
on the other hand, is wrong the emphasis on the "computer control" ....
isn't much better for a children (and for an adult musician more) hit the gongs directly with mallets, with ears 20 cms from the gong ?
The point is that I'm against the ideology of "control" so much common nowadays in our societies...
An this concept come also in music making .. where electronic music instruments are so powerful on control the sound parameters ... and often so faint on sound sources ...
Gongs are probably the "symbol" of the out-of-control sound devices (in terms of equal temperament music); so I'm a bit perplex in front of a project that show how to play Gershwin’s Summertime on 22″ electric gong ...
What do you think about ? ;-)
Anyway thanks for posting!
giorgio
