Stories, biography, new projects

This main Stories page has biography and background, influences and interests, plus projects

'Stories' also links to:
australian aboriginal music;
contemplations;
tips, tricks & ideas;
names

Biogs and background

I was born in Melbourne, Australia, August 1943 and have lived in the country and various cities; have toured, looked and listened to Indonesia, Japan, UK ..

Current interests and projects lie in the areas of sound environment depiction, sonic exploring, music composition, Indigenous traditional song cycles (good stories!)

I like to assist in developing people's confidence in hearing, seeing and adopting our own sounds, images, songs and stories as expressive and fun parts of everyday life

‘My earliest childhood (musical) memories are of playing a pub piano; of dropping stones and yelling into (reverberant) rain water tanks; becoming aware of the magpies (birds), eucalypt and pepper trees, the smell of the earth and rain in rural Australia .. have tried to make sounds and musics that portray these early impressions ever since ‘

Have created works for cd, radio, dance, installation, film and commercial presentations over many years, winning a few awards along the way ..

Sounds becoming music; painting with sounds; sound pictures ..

Environmental sounds are often used musically in my pieces; they may be ‘simple’ bird song recordings, composed responses to special places, or they may be combinations of both.

Music is drawn from the ‘everyday’ sounds I hear; always available, they make the pieces approachable, friendly ..

I see and hear music and ‘art’ as parts of everyday life, not separated away from self, but as being the expressive and (fun) aspects that celebrate the connectedness of people, spirit and earth

Many pieces and sound environment recordings are called ‘sound pictures’; these fit in between nature's musics and people's musics, drawing on both worlds for inspiration and sounds

My compositional techniques seem similar to those of painting .. painting with sound

I use the terms colour, layer, mood and sketching to describe the music and pieces being created ..
the term comes from when, as a child, I used to make up piano pieces whilst looking at picture books ..

'.. I think you are a unique talent with a wonderful ear for things and sounds that touch me deeply. I grew up in the bush and what I hear in your music is very special.
Don’t ever get a ‘real’ job.' .. from John

Environmental sounds change, as does their location and the time of day and night.
Places affect sounds through their geographic features; the shape, size, and make-up influencing their sounds to such a degree that they become intrinsic to each other; it is no longer possible to consider (or worry about) which 'comes first'

Individual (bird, wind, water) sounds may be perceived as being universal, but they’re not really.
They change from place to place; each particular combination (which is what we hear and respond to) being unique

Music making is an all inclusive activity .. at least it is for me; everything is influential - people, place, environment, mood, time of day and night ..

It has proved to be a 'short' step (spread over a long time !) in realizing that our nature sounds and musics really do form the bases of much of our music and, if we care to add the locating factors of particular sounds into the mix, we will almost end up in a particular place

Further, if we start to really listen to the 'old' traditional songs of the Earth, we will hear not only 'locating' information but also peoples 'relationship' information (with the place)

We have a (just surviving) Indigenous culture here in the 'top' (north) 'end' of Australia; songs - and stories - about totemic objects (birds, animals, stars) added to an aeons old knowledge system of Earth and people in it ..

Projects

New - ‘Sound pictures’ - spectacular sound environment recordings from around Australia, some combined with new textural music pieces; several are available now as ‘track downloads’, a new cd is to follow ..

'Installations' are public 'sound sculptures'; they have become popular over the past 15 years or so
Maybe they add qualities other than merely 'more noise' to seemingly overburdened city sound environments ..
I have made a few

Cairn’s (north Queensland) airport ‘sound experience’; this incorporates many sound snippets all playing different sounds of the daintree, great barrier reef and local areas; the sounds change as does the time of day and night - a giant musical mosiac

More details here

The platypus house at Healesville sanctuary - in Victoria - has a nice sounds environment; you can’t tell where the real and recorded sounds begin and end ..

Tips, tricks & thinks

Production and composition, thinking and listening .. tips and tricks
Go here for this page
These ideas and tips that may prove useful in finding new ways to produce new pieces .. or to just enjoy old ones

We have a soundtrack section too; this contains a selection of 'simple' music sketches, plus a selection of (slightly odd) sounds ..
You will be able to 'mix n match' a few - with a view to stimulating a few ideas for soundtracks ..
This is here

Contemplations
Essays on music, influences and thoughts
Go here

Names

'Musicing' may not be a 'real job' anymore; I do like collecting real job 'names' though, either making them up - or noting the more spectacular as uttered (especially) by children, sportspeople, economystics, governments and 'think-tanks'

Some are used as titles for pieces; there are so many that we are starting a 'naming rites' page; some samples ..

'Re-incarnation is not permitted without government approval' !
(Chinese news report)

'Dreams - are what personal loans are made of' ! (sign in bank)

'Flying sorcerers' (Emily, aged three)

Go to the 'corporate rhetorical aphorism pages' here ! ..

Sounds and Musics - uses

Feel free to download any of the audio files that you like; you may use them for listening, wondering, thinking, planning .. if you wish to use them commercially, perhaps you might ask, first .. more here

Contacts

Us, here - mail, phone
Email us, here

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