Fraction Music for Solo Guitar in Approximate 'E'

Fraction Music for Solo guitar in Approximate 'E'
Pete McPartlan & Andrew Quinn, December 2004
Black & White, Sound, 3'20" approx

An algorithmically controlled audiovisual composition, using close-up footage of a strum on a single guitar string which has been fragmented into various fractional harmonic and discordant pitches and rhythms by speeding up different sections of the footage into the necessary fractions (1/1, 7/8, 5/6, 6/8, 4/6, 5/8, 1/2, 3/8, 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, 1/8).

In other words, 12 layers of 24 bars of repeated single string strumming are overlaid on top of each other (and separated on screen into their fractions) and each played at a different speed.

It's difficult to explain, really.

[update]
A .jpg scan of the "storyboard" can be seen here :
http://tinyurl.com/33dtus

Some of Pete McPartlan's work can be found at :
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=urlscruggs

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• experimental
• slackvideo
• guitar
• string
• petemcpartlan
• andrew
• quinn
• videoart
• art
• hull
• composition
• fragments
• fractions

[FungusToes]

The higher part from 2:55 to 3:20 sounds like the rythm at the begining of my school's indoor drumline show.

Did you have and particular tune in mine for this or were you just overlapping different notes in diferent time signatures?

[Slackvideo]

Well, I sort of arranged the calculations from breaking the sequence into fractions, then... let it sound like what it would sound like. Once the system was set, it was just a matter of arranging and manipulating frames in accordance with these rules I had set. I've took a photo of the "storyboard" (added to film info on the right) which may help it make more sense (or perhaps not).

[guyeylon]

Great stuff, really interesting algorithm and execution. Well done!

[HardoGeiFOREVER]

hmm right..

[schizophonicsoundz]

SO cool. Looks kinda like a piano roll in midi first and then when it seperates it looks like a wave form. Nice job.

[Espo09]

Wow!!