Reading Response #1 The Art of Noises: Russolo

1. I chose Luigi Russolo's article entitled "The Art of Noises" because it seemed like a very unique and in-depth writing on how noise and sounds have graduated through time into what we now call music. Russolo also had in my opinion, a very interesting title to his article which also helped attract me to it.

2. First Russolo talks about how noises have been appreciated since the beginning of time. He talks about how with the invention of the machine in the nineteenth century noise was created. He explains that primitive races at the beginning of time considered noises to be in the same realm as the Gods. Sound was considered sacred and attributed with the highest of holy men long ago. Russolo goes on to talk about The Middle Ages and how music became more real, with the development of the Greek tetrachordal system. I noticed that Russolo really talked about machines and how they have been the main contirbution to sound, for instance he says "the musical evolution is paralleled by the multiplication of machines,..." Overall I found this to be one of the most interesting articles I have ever read in relation to the idea of sound, noise and the overall tone of music.

3. I personally feel that Russolo hit many points in relation to sound and how I use it in my practice as a media artist. For instance his point about machines was by far the most spot on point that he made. Without machines (cars, boats, planes, weed-whackers etc.) We would not be able to collect any urban noises on our sound walks. I found many of his points to be in direct correlation with what I do as a media artist.
-Connor Murray

Soundwalk

Soundwalk response Q & A:

• Were you able to find places and spaces where you could really listen?

yes, Joe Sacco decided the best place that we could get true sounds would be in the woods. We went about a fourth of a mile into the woods before we stopped and started to listen and look around at our environment.

• Was it possible to move without making a sound?

It was actually pretty difficult to move in the woods without making a sound, because the ground is covered with branches and leaves and other things that make noise. Joe decided our best chance to really hear all the sounds going on would be for everyone to simply sit down or stand still and make absolutely no movement.

• What happened when you plugged your ears, and then unplugged them?

When I first plugged my ears, I noticed that I was able to cut out just about every outside noise except for planes that were occasionally flying overhead and some kind of power tool that was being used just outside the woods. When I unplugged my ears, I noticed that I was concentrating more on the sounds directly around me rather than noises further away and outside the woods.

• In your sound log exercise, what types of sounds were you able to hear? List them.

1. Wind, and it made a soft but constant "swooshing" noise through the canopy of the woods.
2. I heard the sounds of basketballs constantly pounding against asphalt in the distance.
3. I heard traffic in the distance and the car tires made a thumping noise as they went over the streets.
4. I could faintly hear music from someone's dorm room in the distance and it sounded like an acoustic guitar.
5. To my left, in the distance I could hear the piercing sound of what sounded like a weed-whacker.
6. Further in the woods I could hear the mumble of birds softly chirping and echoing in the woods.
7. In my more immediate space I could hear certain insects buzzing and what sounded like crickets.
8. I heard a bee buzz right by my left ear, and it was a very annoying and deep sound.
9. Lastly, I heard a dragonfly or some type of large winged insect hum about a foot away from me for a long period of time.

• Were you able to differentiate between sounds that had a recognizable source and those sounds you could not place?

Most of the sounds that I heard I recognized right away, such as an airplane taking off or a basketball pounding against pavement. But there were some fainter sounds off in the distance of the woods that I wasn't able to distinctly pick out.

• Human sounds? Mechanical sounds? Natural sounds?

The only human sounds that I heard were people yelling on the basketball courts, as well as the squeaking of shoes on the blacktop. The mechanical sounds I heard included planes flying overhead, cars thumping along on the streets and the piercing drone of a weed-whacker in the distance. Natural sounds that I heard included: The wind gusting through the tops of tree, birds chirping and different insects buzzing or humming through the woods.

• Were you able to detect subtleties in the everpresent drone?

The only subtleties that I noticed in the overall drone of noises was the sound of the occasional branch snapping in half. That was the one sound that really cut through everything else.

• Extremely close sounds? Sounds coming from very far away?

Close sounds included many different bugs or insects flying by as well as the swooshing sound of wind constantly flowing through the trees. Sounds that were further in the distance included construction tools, traffic, birds chirping, music and basketball games.

• What kinds of wind effects were you able to detect (for example, the leaves of trees don't make sounds until they are activated by the wind)?

One of the first things I noticed was the sound of leaves swaying back and forth in the wind, it is a distinct noise that anyone from the Midwest knows and it is a sign that fall is coming. I also noticed that the sound of birds chirping or insects buzzing is dampened when a large gust of wind comes through the woods.

• Were you able to intervene in the urban landscape and create your own sounds by knocking on a resonant piece of metal, activating wind chimes, etc.?

Our group did do some of this but not much. The only two things that I did to create my own sound was knock my hand against a large air conditioner and a drain hole cover. The air conditioner made a very low and resonating "thud" and the the drain hole cover simply made a very short "ping" type of sound.

• Do you feel you have a new understanding or appreciation of the sounds of our contemporary landscape/cityscape?

Before the soundwalk, I honestly didn't think I would notice much of a difference in the sounds that I heard around me. But after doing the two exercises for sound and sight that our group did in the woods I found that I actually did pick up on a lot of natural sounds that I don't normally notice. I think from now on I am going to make an effort to listen a little bit closer to everything around me when I walk to class everyday.

• How do you think your soundwalk experience will affect your practice as a media artist, if at all?

I feel that the soundwalk was an experience that will help me in the long run. When I am thinking of certain sounds to pick up with my microphone I will have a better idea of how to pick them up, and I also think that I will have a better idea of picking out specific sounds when I hear them in an everyday type of circumstance. After having done this exercise I noticed that if you just stop and only concentrate on listening for a period of time, you hear and notice different things that you never would've noticed or heard before.