Sonic Art & Sound Design- P16:Sonic art is a new art form, or rather, forms. As we shall see, it can encompass a wide range of activities, perhaps wider than almost any other art form. It is an unusual case, based upon a medium that has traditionally been regarded as inferior and subservient to other creative or expressive forms. | STUDIO OR LABORATORY 74 75 PROCESS AND PRACTICE Above Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix s playing shows some of the most outstanding examples of the creative and dramatic use of feedback processes. Photo Kim Gottlieb-Walker all rights reserved . persuaded to feed back3 - however the conventional view is that it is something to be avoided Feedback can be used to dramatic effect as a creative process and the work of Jimi Hendrix provides one of the most outstanding It has been said that Hendrix did not simply play his guitar but also his amplifiers and speakers -what we would nowadays call a M hyper-instrument .The core principle of his sound was simple the guitar string is plucked and vibrates and this is turned into an electrical amplifier boosts this signal and the loudspeaker replays it. Normally the vibration slowly dies away but if amplified enough the vibration from the loudspeaker will cause the string to vibrate in sympathy. Below a certain level the sound will still die away although more slowly - giving rise to what guitarists term sustain but beyond that the vibration will build up as the feedback process takes will dramatically alter harmonic content and hence the overall sound providing the STUDIO OR LABORATORY player with a whole new range of tonal possibilities. The uses of iteration are not limited to sustain and tonal enrichment it can also provide both rhythm and structure and this has been exploited by a number of artists. Early tape works by Steve Reich see used the repetition of prerecorded material to create complex shifting interactions and this same complexity of structure and texture became a signature part of performances and recordings by Terry Riley. Riley uses delays and repeats as part of his compositional process allowing him to play a new musical part against one played previously but still cycling through the delayed feedback structure of his system. This originally used tape .
