I always liked bonsai trees, and I was curious to try the approach I used for "Music from a Tree" on a smaller scale, so I bought a bonsai and recorded this little experimental piece.
To determine the key I used the lowest note I could play and recorded the rest around it.
Besides playing the leaves, I used bows of different sizes, a piano hammer and a paint brush.
As far as microphones I used my Røde NT6, a customized stethoscope and tiny MEAS piezo transducers.
I played all the sounds and rhythms only with the bonsai, I didn't use any synthesizer or samplers to create or modify the sounds. I hope you'll like it.
Below you can see the video and some pictures with more detailed descriptions.
To determine the key I used the lowest note I could play and recorded the rest around it.
Besides playing the leaves, I used bows of different sizes, a piano hammer and a paint brush.
As far as microphones I used my Røde NT6, a customized stethoscope and tiny MEAS piezo transducers.
I played all the sounds and rhythms only with the bonsai, I didn't use any synthesizer or samplers to create or modify the sounds. I hope you'll like it.
Below you can see the video and some pictures with more detailed descriptions.
Video
Pictures
Here I was recording a deep sound that I used as the kick drum.
I used this leaf to create different notes.
Here I was practicing the two notes I was playing on the leaf, the tricky part is that the pitch was
determined not just from the position of my finger but also by the pressure I was applying.
Coffee break : )
This is the MEAS piezo transducer attached to one of the twigs.
I got this mini-bow one along with a cello miniature, I modified it to actually make it work.
Here you can see my other work "Music from a Tree".
