CHILD OF TREE - John Cage

Found Instruments. Important to use the I Ching to determine the number of instruments, order, and length of performance.

Category:

People & Blogs

[kevindufford]

some sort of barcus berry microphone. get a cactus with big prickers and a lot of surface area so you can get the microphone on there with sticky two way tape. they certainly have new models so check out what they have and see what might work with your cactus. customer service was good so call them if you have any questions. be well and good luck!

[kevindufford]

i don't consider this minimalism. there's no real repetition of a theme or rhythm or melody. i consider this to be chance music. music based on a chance operation - in this case the i ching.

[HxHenry]

you have to kno this is not music. i mean, there's avant-garde, but this, this is grinding stones together. it's not even rhythmic.very lame. although i did like the dried gourd. very stupid. stupid people clapping for this.

[kevindufford]

John Cage is arguably one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. But that's beside the point. The point was to question what music is. You just didn't get it. Just like you didn't get your guitar strings tuned on your guitar on the piece you are playing near what seems to be candles by a campfire. Post again and I'll block for good.

[JoeSiren]

Where can I acquire this score? I am absolutely fascinated by this piece after seeing the three recordings of it uploaded here. Great performance, by the way!

[kevindufford]

Hi Joe,

Thanks for your comments! It's really nice to get positive feedback. I believe I ordered the piece through one of two online percussion stores.

1. steve weiss

2. percussion source

One of these stores will certainly have a score. Don't be afraid when you see the score because it is just basically written out instructions. I would start to do some research on the I Ching. That will give you a good foundation once the score arrives.

Good Luck!

[iamthegirlfriend]

seriously fucking genius. the tones he gets from that cactus are phenomenal. its the kinds of tones i wish i could get from the conventional equipment i have. i really need to buy more plants.

[leandrobern]

Fail: 4:20

[TheEdgarvarese12]

the idea of this kind of music isn't to express some ideas through "musical sounds", but to recreate everyday real sounds in a different manner than in daily life. Listening process in this case is a pure auditory experience, but the difference from day to day experience is that the emphasis is on the sounds, when in real life we never just hear sounds of things, but we also touch, see, may be taste and smell things.

[Hidalgos81]

@kevindufford mmmm I think it's frequnze emphasized during post production, or a scenic microphone very close to cactus

[neurochris]

beautiful

[nobodady1]

@420jaymac Perhaps this piece, as well as many others of Cage, serve as invitations to do exactly as you propose. I sympathize with the notion that experiencing these sounds in a natural environment is more effective. However, importing natural objects, and more "natural" listening behavior (as opposed to the listening behavior associated with being an "audience" member consuming an artistic production) may add something new to the artificial environment, and may suggest other additions.

[420jaymac]

@nobodady1 True, most people probably dont get close enough to a cactus to listen, me included :) I am a fan of alot of John Cage's work, he has explored sound like no other, and shows people what can be found in common or uncommon environments. I guess what I meant in terms of defeating the purpose is people can go and expierence this on their own, (minus the cactus) in a natural environment which gives a much stronger effect on many levels.

[nobodady1]

@420jaymac Indeed why not go for that walk? I am glad that you do not disrespect what he is doing. I just don't understand how his way of investigating the world in this way defeats the purpose. The purpose is not merely for Cage to have a private experience but a shared one. I am sure most people do not get close enough to a cactus to listen. The microphone shares and magnifies this little secret about them.

[420jaymac]

@nobodady1 looking for a special expierence, or to get to know the world better? whynot go for a walk in the wilderness off a beaten path. Listen to the wind in the branches, the leaves under your feet, close your eyes and breath in the air, touch the plant life as you walk by. I mean no disrespect to this man, but to take some of natures objects and put it in a performance setting with a microphone and try to explore sound and feeling seems to be defeating the purpose he is trying to achieve

[BigSizzle100]

I'll admit, the cactus was pretty interesting, but after that I'm sorry... but no.. and it just doesn't sound like music to me, it just sounds like him just hitting random objects together half the time.

[artman40]

This song is damn catchy.