Thursday, February 7, 2008

Bowed Piano

I wish that I could get down to the American Composers Festival in Orange County. There is bound to be some interesting music. NPR profiled the work of one group slated to perform, the Bowed Piano Ensemble Colorado College lead by composer Stephen Scott.
I've been listening to Scott's bowed piano music this morning. It requires several musicians gathered around an open piano playing the strings: "The primary sound is produced by a bow of nylon fish-line, which is rosined, and that's just threaded under the piano string and across it. There's another kind of bow, which is a stick of wood which has horse hair affixed to it, and that's rubbed against the strings to produce a short, percussive sound."

The effect is truly weird. I dig it and hope you do too. (The cat however seems distressed by the sustained notes.)
-R
Some links:
NPR story
mp3: Rainbows, I (watch out, it is a loop)
mp3: Tears of Niobe

Local News Story:

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