October’s reading (see Reading list) focused on two main areas. These areas keep bubbling to the top as areas of interest. They are mechanical musical instruments and acoustic feedback systems.

My reading of Instruments for New Music: Sound, Technology, and Modernism (Patteson) focused mainly on the chapter about mechanical musical instruments (thought I am reading it all now) to try to identify the extent to which mechanical musical instruments were used for the creation of experimental music before they fell out of fashion in the first half of the 20th century.

Miraculous Agitations: On the Uses of Chaotic, Non-Linear and Emergent Behavior in Acoustic Vibrating Physical Systems (Wilson) is a journal paper dealing with the sonic possibilities presented by vibrating physical systems. It was suggested I should read it following these experiments with transducers and gongs I published via Twitter. This paper goes into significant technical detail. More than I am used to when trying to describe the vagaries of such chaotic physical manifestations of sound. I am reflecting on this for my own writing.

Between Air and Electricity: Microphones and Loudspeakers as Musical Instruments (van Eck) deals with Microphones and Loudspeakers as Musical Instruments. Once again, this relates to the above activated gong work and to work I have been doing with feedback and surface transducers. The book contains many examples of technologies, artworks and instruments in this realm, which is really useful in indicating the possibilities afforded. The accompanying website has many links to the featured works…and others beyond.