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Very nice! Chaos is always information rich. J ----- Original Message ----- From: "Art Simon" <simart@gmail.com> To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com> Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2008 12:38 AM Subject: Re: distortion, overdrive,fuzz,crunch,special sauce, secret goo > Amen Rick! > > The harmonic content of a distorted sound is vastly more complex than > a clean one. So a single boring clean note can be a dancing symphony > of harmonics with distortion. You can't play jazz chords or complex > phrasing through distortion, it's too jumbled. But you can play simple > stuff, and with distortion it becomes complex. It all depends on what > you are listening for. There are no chops in Alvin Lucier's "I am > sitting in a room," it's all about what distortion (and looping to > stay on topic) introduces to the sound. The line between noise and > music I think is the dominant post Cage stream in modern music. That > doesn't mean I think all distortion is good, but I think it becomes a > medium much like the guitar in itself. > > On Fri, Dec 19, 2008 at 8:53 PM, Rick Walker <looppool@cruzio.com> wrote: >> I've been following this thread avidly because I am currently in love >> with distortion, fuzz and overdrives in my own work lately >> (and have spend stupid money that I didn't really have buying >> up stomp box pedals in the vein). >> >> I totally hear what both Krispen and Bill are saying, viz a vis, the >fact >> that >> heavily distorted guitars over heavily overdriven amps at high volume >can >> cause >> a compression of both volume and a compression of timbre that can really >> both limit nuance and dynamics and also, potentially, hide poor >> technique. >> >> At the same time, I'm not a guitarist (though I own several) and I >> don't >> tend to think like a >> guitarist. >> >> I have neither skill or nuance in my 6 string playing, but I do think >> like a >> multi-instrumentalist >> and a composer and I love the timbral range that is available with all >> kinds >> of different distortions, overdrives, >> feedbackers and fuzzes. >> >> If I was only playing guitar in my peformances, then I think I would >> probably avoid the kind of >> tones that can potentially put Krispen and Bill off of Nels Clines' >> sound. >> >> As a composer, though, I find his sound absolutely fascinating, >> sometimes, >> specifically because >> it IS linear and non dynamic. I've also found that it is >efficacious >> in >> some composing to >> juxtapose musical lines that are very uni-dynamic against things that >are >> much more so.........the >> resultant contrast makes for interesting and very musical results. >> >> Trent Reznor has been really good at this: using very monolithic >sounds >> (compressed to hell >> frequently) and then using a ton of dynamics in his vocals or in the >rest >> of >> his arrangements >> (even just controlling the volume of his heavily distorted sounds in his >> mix) >> >> Lately, I'm most attracted to sounds that are ridiculously >> overdistorted........almost to the point >> of obscuring the melody being played. >> >> I recently produced a very small Noise Festival and used my Olympus >> recorder >> to record my sets >> and the set of Bryan of Rape Shower fame. >> I wasn't able to check my settings and the entire thing clipped horribly >> with digital >> distortion................arguably the ugliest distortion found. >> >> To my delight, I went back and listened to some of Bryan's tracks >which, >> in >> a digital sound editor >> looked like solid black. He had started his set out in a cool way , >> just >> playing an old blues >> song, fairly straightforward before launching into a very loud and >> aggressive noise set. >> >> The blues tune, distorted to square wave clipping sounded really cool >to >> my >> ears. >> >> Again, as my brother so wisely said, everyone has their own aesthetic >> and >> it's valid. >> >> I just wanted to put it out there that there is a lover on this list of >> stupid overly distorted sound. >> >> A student of mine who I just turned on to the My Bloody Valentine body >of >> work said, >> "...............I'm also rethinking distortion now; I've never heard so >> much >> color in distortion before!....." >> >> Noise and the noise-esque sounds you can get with radical combinations >of >> distortion >> are the equivalent of White light. They contain hundres of sine waves. >> To me the after the effect processing of such sounds can yield really >> subtle >> and even >> quite melodic work. >> >> Yeah verily! >> >> > > > > -- > Art Simon > simart@null.net > myspace [dot] com/artsimon > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.9.19/1856 - Release Date: 12/18/2008 8:06 PM