I'm on Facebook!

Hi all,
In an attempt to get the word of this project out there, I've started a Facebook page.  You can find it here.

Also, if you want to discuss the project on twitter, use the hashtag #soundofstreets.

I've got a site now!

Hey all,
I've decided to move most of the Sound of the City Streets work to a Google Sites website.  This forum will still be used for documenting the project, but most of the media will be on this site.

You can find my site here!

Sound of the City Streets 10/11

I was walking through the Union Square subway station, where I saw these two musicians performing.  One was playing a violin, and the other a djembe.  They graciously agreed to let me take these photos of them performing (of course, I gave them a donation for their troubles).  In performance, the djembe player often started with a beat, while the violin player followed with a graceful melody.

That's the beauty about busking.  You don't have to have a huge amp system, you don't need twenty other musicians, you don't even need an actual venue.  You just play.  Of course, these two most likely practiced their routine repeatedly beforehand, but the fact that they are willing to put themselves out there and play in front of millions of traveling New Yorkers is really inspiring.

As for my busking experience, I'm still working out all the variables.  I'm hoping to get a guitarist and maybe a few other percussionists to accompany me, and of course someone has to document the performance via video or photos.  When I do, I hope you'll check us out!

Sound of the City Streets Update 10/7

 

Here are a couple of hand drummers playing djembe at Washington Square Park.  The djembe is a traditional West African drum with animal hide stretched over a wooden barrel-like body.  The trademark hourglass shape contributes to a deep sound when hit.  It produces a variety of sounds depending on how and where on the drum head you hit it.  For instance, striking it with your palm hitting the rim creates a deep bass sound, while tapping the rim with your fingertips creates a lighter, less sustained tone.

There was also a little kid who was really into the sound of the drums playing.  I often see kids marveling at someone playing a drum in a park or on the street.  I guess it's something in the beat that appeals to hyperactive minds of youngsters.  I should know; it was seeing drummers perform on the street that inspired me to learn percussion!

This is an older photo I took at the Atlantic Antic last Sunday.  It was a huge street fair on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, with vendors, food carts, and performers dotting the entire length of the street.  This percussionist here in particular was really interesting.  You can see the drum under his arm that he's playing, but if you look closely at the bottom of the frame, there's also pieces of a drum set.  He used the foot pedal on the bass drum while he was playing the drum he was holding, providing an interesting variety of sounds.

 

I also found a few great places for information about street performers.  The first is a little more official:

http://www.buskersadvocates.org/saaNewYorkCity.html

The next one is a similar project.  It is a little more fleshed-out, though:

http://undercoverny.com/

The MTA has a bit of information about performers.  It's a lot more official, with auditions and licenses:

http://www.mta.info/mta/aft/muny/musicians.html

There's even a few documentaries out there, like this one:

http://www.downtownlocals.com/

In the next few weeks, I will be documenting some of the performers I see around New York, either through video or photos.  As I am also a percussionist, I will attempt to do a little busking of my own as well.  If anyone knows of any good places in Brooklyn where I can play, let me know!   

CLASS ENTRY 3

1. Music, street, subways, creativity, rhythm, environment, soul
2. It will involve live performance, video, and web
3. People: Jane Jacobs, Book: The Ultimate Busker Book, Article: Britain's street musicians get some respect: [Early Edition]  Rosen, Laurel. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [Milwaukee, Wis] 02 Sep 2001: 18., Writer: John Vanek, Thinker/Theorist: Wayne Myers, Project: Playing For Change, Organization: MTA Arts For Transit, TV: Treme,
4. "Sound of the City Streets"
5. See Photos and Video

Street Performers

I saw these two perform in the middle of Washington Square Park!  one was playing on a traditional drum set, while the other was playing on a paint bucket. 
As a drummer, I was immediately impressed by their skill!  They were perfectly in sync, each one following the other, almost in unison!

So, by now you're probably asking, "What's this have to do with anything"?  Well, I've decided to do this little project that explores the difficult world of busking (performing music in public places).

I have already incorporated a survey form on this blog.  It would be a big help if you completed it so I can get a bit of insight on the public opinion of buskers.

Thanks for your help!

CLASS ENTRY 1 (Part 2)

Radiolab - What Does Technology Want?- Post a short response to this(about one paragraph) to your digital sketchbook.

This podcast discusses the evolution of technology.  It is an interesting discussion of how technology advances, whether or not it advances on its own, and whether or not it's advance should be likened to biological evolution.  

One interesting concept that they tackle is the idea of preparing for new technology.  There is no way to tell what we will need in the future or what we will build to answer that need.  However, it is our duty to prepare for it, and to invent different kinds of thinking to comprehend the known universe in ways that evolution cannot prepare us for. 


The main thing I find challenging here is the idea that technology can be compared to biology.  In some ways, there are slight similarities, but the one thing that every religion, cult, belief, scientific thought, and opinion can agree on is that life is unpredictable.  We may be able to predict what MIGHT appear in the future, but we can't predict what WILL appear.  Some might say that technology is the same way, but the truth is, there are several people who are indeed predicting what path technology will take.  

CLASS ENTRY 1

1.  What was your first memory of the internet?

My first memory of the internet was when I was seven years old.  We had an old Gateway PC, running Windows 95.  My Dad was looking up a few things (e-mail mainly), and he showed me how to set up an AOL account.  He also signed me up for a few interesting newsletters, and introduced me to internet games.  It wasn't until much later that I used it for school research and video streaming (video streaming being a very new concept at the time).

2.  What is your favorite book, painting, story, movie, or otherwise about a high-tech future?

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.  It introduced the concept of the internet years before it was mainstream.  It introduced a world where the creation of this super-immersive cyber-world, or "Metaverse", caused the decline of the US, paving the way for corporations to take over.  It's a fun, hyper-active story that combines Science Fiction, Computer Programming, and Sumerian Mythology!

3.  What do you like about the internet?

I love how the internet enables you to obtain vast amounts of information from the comfort of your own home.  It brings the world closer.

4.  What do you not like about the internet?

I don't like how the internet seems to be in the process of being taken over my corporate interests.

5.  What is your favorite interaction that uses technology? 

 That would definitely be this laptop.  It's a notepad, a tv, a DVR, a typewriter, and a videophone all in one, and it is so simple to use.

6.  What is your favorite interaction that does not use technology?

Sound.  I mean general sound, the sound you hear every day when you walk down the street or tap your pencil on your desk.  As a percussionist (i.e., drummer), I seem to find a song take shape in nearly every sound I hear.

7.  What does the internet look like? 

This