Creating rhythm out of sound

Sep 2 2008

SOUND artist Mat Beckett is used to some interesting work within the grand setting of Symphony Hall.

As one of the main workshop leaders within the classical concert venue, he frequently rubs shoulders with musicians from resident 'house band', the world famous City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

But Mat would rarely have been called on to help coax and shape sounds from so-called instruments as diverse as electronic circuitry and a broom handle.

It all smacks of a recent television car advert which involved an orchestra performing on no less than 31 'instruments' made from a stripped down Ford Focus.

Mat says: "I do a lot of the big performances in Symphony Hall with young people and also compose pieces. "The interesting thing about this project is that the young people are making music from non-traditional objects - from very basic things like broom handles to really technical things like circuit bending.

"This circuit bending is a new thing for us. It's all about performing sounds in a different way, but hopefully the young people don't think it's just like a science lesson.

"The whole premise of Symphony Hall is that people expect it to produce very traditional music in traditional means, but what we are trying to say is that yes, Symphony Hall is a great classical venue, but we want to encourage something that is totally different - a new way of doing things."

Mat ack nowledges that the project posed quite a challenge for youngsters who had been schooled in the traditional music way, just like 13-year-old Laura Gray who already plays three instruments including flute.

"Lots of these kids play in various school orchestras so it's quite challenging for them because they are not used to putting down their instruments and making different sounds," he adds.

"They get to do something that has a random outcome. You kind of know what a violin is going to sound like, but you are not going to know what it's going to sound like when you put all the circuitry together.

"It is all about turning them into a symphony orchestra without orchestral instruments - creating rhythm out of sound.

"In fact, there's a very similar element to that car ad."