Singersongwriter for violin solo

SingerSongwriter for Violin Solo 2014

“SingerSongwriter” is a performance/ game piece.

PresetOn a (hollow) surface/table place the following: Two small vibrate makers, Violin (no bow is needed for the piece), Charango or other small 12 strings Guitar, “Metallic bow”.

An overall amplification is recommended, but not mandatory. In case you do amplify place the mic not on the table, but in a overhead setting, creating an imaginary triangle between the edges of the table to the mic.

Preparation1. The vibrate makers: connect a phone vibrate engine to two AA batteries, creating a closed circuit. The vibration should start once you insert the batteries in their place, and by doing so closing the electrical circle. For the preset of the piece, take one of the batteries slightly out so it's on “off”.

2. The Violin- Slightly detune the strings keeping a consonant interval between the third and the fourth strings. Lay the violin on the surface. Place on a vibrate maker tucked in over the fingerboard and underneath first string, and another one in the same way over the fingerboard and underneath the fourth string, both of them next to the top nut.

3. The Charango- detune slightly the charango, creating quarter tones. You play the Charango with a bow, like a Violin.

4. The “Bow”- this is a made up metallic bow. Using a handle of a small horizontal saw, remove the teeth. Replace the teeth with a metallic, flexible, thin stripe with a spiral pattern engraved to it, so it's not a smooth metallic pipe. You can use a pipe that is used for sewage problems, can vary in size. The result is an instrument that looks like an enlarged bow, with a metallic stripe to it instead of the horse hair.

The performanceAfter the preset, turn on the vibrate makers.

Once you hear a consistent sound/chord, wait 7 seconds at least, and play two full bowed glissandi pulls, up and down the Charango. By doing so, you will be moving the bow on all of the strings together, from the fingerboard, next to the peg, to the bridge and back.

Afterwards you can continue moving the vibrate makers on the fingerboard towards the bridge.

The direction is always towards the saddle, never backwards. The movement is small, about a half centimeter each time. It should be like a two voices counterpoint which in which every engine moves one at a time, creating an overlap.No silences allowed throughout the piece. It is possible to make “knots” or “sewing”- moving one engine over and under the strings, moving from the fourth string to the first string and the opposite.

Continue in that manner until you are at the area between the end of the fingerboard and the bridge, in that area, gradually stop using the charango and start to incorporate the body of the violin as a sound source, you can use the location underneath the fingerboard, and the sound holes.

After a while, start hovering the engines above the strings , creating a real plucking sound.

Continue moving towards the saddle creating more “pure” pitches and less “woody” sounds.

Once you are at the saddle, move gradually to the peg box of the Charango.

The piece should be as long as possible, recommended time- 13 minutes.

A sonoric map of the piece1. humming sound- hum in chords- clear chords- clear chords- bridge soundsless hum woody sounds clear sounds noisy noisy noisy

top nut

angelic plucking sounds- soft plucking sounds - plucking sounds bridge sounds bridge sounds saddle noisy less noisy less noisy

bridge

saddle

2.

*charango peg box -

charango peg box

saddle

Charango

The piece is called “SingerSongwriter” because of the unstable nature of the vibrate makers. So the Violin sings, and also writes the music. Leaving the player as an enabler of the true nature of the instrument.