artists :: Jeph Jerman : excerpts from the sound diary

oct. 5, 99

  these two chimes together sound mighty fine. the insect (cricket) sounds outside are suggesting more music for the animist orchestra. layers of sounds that change subtly w/in their own layer. say:
        layer one- stones alternating palm tumbling/grinding in closed palms/shaking in closed palms
        layer two- pine cone plucking in measured sections, stopping and starting
        layer three- intermittant wood. hung woods sporadic and short
        layer four- rocking shells in large group, starting and stopping independently of other sounds.
each layer played by at least four people, but six or more would be best. what changes in the first layer is texture, not mass, and textures should change uniformly, that is, everyone together, or as close to it as possible.

  so, the stones could represent a river, constant but shifting subtly with several layers w/in (like the layers of sound i heard from the verde river or oak or sycamore creeks, and the other sounds could be representative of insects (cicadas and crickets), and layers of wind sounds, whistling through canyons or moving trees and grasses. a constant, shifting sound mass composed of many different elements, based on nature, using the sounds of natural objects. (then what would happen if this were played in nature, say, one of the canyons we hiked this week.
   {this idea, of the playing of these scores in nature, brings me back to the "plucking of the strands of the web of life" idea, (which is eleanor's interpretation of the phenomenon of all other sounds in a room happening together with what one is playing). the intense listening while interacting with nature may indeed lead one toward ways of interacting mindfully in all aspects of life... for instance, the use of all materials for whatever purpose while wasting nothing and leaving things that the environment can use. }

  i can listen to our hiking as music. the odd rhythms of walking which change character depending on the surface upon which we walk. accidental accents caused by misplaced stones tumbling, or branches cracking etc. this overlayed on the water, wind and insect sound masses, which change according to our position on the trail; how close to or far from the water, (as well as the general character of the stream in that area), how the shape of the canyon walls change, the course of the wind and what plants are around to be moved by it...lizards scurrying away over dead leaves and branches, bees, mosquitos or flies buzzing near our ears. voices of others on the trail.
   at a few points during the oak creek canyon hike, we also heard loud "cracks" coming from farther up the trail. rocks falling? trees breaking? airplane and helicopter noises were only noticable in a few areas. due to the sparse air traffic, or the general (acoustic) character of the canyon

oct. 10, 99

  rode bike to the river to try and do some recording, but was unsuccessful. sat under a shady tree and ate lunch while listening to the cicadas and off in the distance, squeaky swings and autos. dogs barking. a small bird chirped once in the tree, looked around, then flew off.

oct. 11, 99

  rode the bike out of town to the "state trust land" just past the cattle guard (old highway 279), where there is a turn-off and several dirt roads lead off into the desert. i followed one down into a wash, then followed the wash for a short ways, dropping the bike and continuing on foot. i heard: the crack and occasional ringing porcelain-like sounds of different stones under my feet, crunch of gravel & sand, bees & wasps buzzing about my head and body. no wind. rustle of branches against my arms and legs, and airplanes overhead ( i try to listen for how their droning changes due to the landscape as they pass over), and the rush of cars and trucks on the two-lane highway, the loud "brrrappp" as they go over the cattle guard.
   on the way back about ten minutes later, i take another road, which leads to a curious loop of asphalt, in the center of which lies a slowly drying, uprooted agave plant, detritus from some landscaped yard. i resolve to try and return tomorrow to see if i can bring the stalk home.