BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Musicians are often cursed with finding rhythm and pitch in every sound. From car horns to clocks — or in the case of Kaylie Melville, hairdryers — the world presents endless opportunities to hear and make music.
Kaylie, along with fellow percussionists Zela Papageorgiou and Louise Devenish, will take this idea to the extreme in Melbourne Recital Centre concert Speak Percussion – Filament. These highly skilled instrumentalists will pick up household items, from the humble hairdryer to the houseplant; from pieces of ribbon to rigged-up foam.
It’s a concept called post-instrumental practice, and Kaylie is here to tell you all about it.
Kaylie, this concert is unusual because there are basically no instruments in the show. Simultaneously, it is filled with instruments! And this brings us to the concept: post-instrumental practice. What’s that, in a nutshell?
Post-instrumental practice is a relatively new term in new music. Essentially, it’s the idea that all imaginable sound-producing objects can be used as instruments. It’s a hugely exciting field of music because the possibilities are genuinely endless!
Although it’s a fairly new term, the idea isn’t quite so new in percussion world. Looking back, we find several composers in the 20th Century introducing ‘non-musical objects’ into their works alongside recognisable instruments: typewriters and milk bottles in the Erik Satie’s Parade, airplane propellers in George Antheil’s Ballet Mécanique, and all kinds of junkyard materials in the percussion works of John Cage.
In Filament, we’re looking at works that take these ideas even further. There’s barely anything on stage you’d recognise as a traditional instrument; instead, we’re giving centrestage to these unexpected objects, revealing the surprising and mysterious sound worlds they can create.
So how does one play a piece of twine, or a foam board connected to a motor? Do you apply “traditional” instrumental techniques to these objects?
The exciting thing about post-instrumental practice is really that it’s an expansion of the idea of what an instrument can be. It’s also a chance to take all of the musical skills we’ve spent years developing – understanding how to coax different dynamics, timbres, sonic qualities from an instrument – and to apply them in new contexts.
A great example is Marianthi Papalexandri-Alexandri’s Duo for Motor and Sound Panels. The instrument is built from unassuming items that you’d likely pick up from hardware and stationary stores — foam boards, twine, a small motor – but in the hands of the performers, it becomes a kind of drone machine, where every adjustment of angle, pressure, body position can and will shape the sound.
There’s a real sense of discovery in learning how these objects respond, and how we can bring out their full range of sounds.
What’s it like to grow familiar with these unusual objects, and find the sound you’re after? How do you know what sound you want when there aren’t any traditions to draw from?
As with any instrument, I think that the more you listen, the more you hear! We spent time with each object experimenting with different techniques and approaches to build a vocabulary. It’s not only about initially finding interesting sounds, but being able to consistently find them again. Although we’re working with unusual sound sources, there’s still a lot of rigour and discipline in the rehearsal process.
Sometimes, achieving a sound you’re really happy with can be dependent on something relatively straightforward, like finding the right placement and balance for a contact microphone on a table. Sometimes, it’s a question about the actual selection of the object itself. We auditioned four types of plants for Cathy Van Eck’s Groene Ruis before we found one that could give us the full range of sounds the piece required!
The composers give quite clear explanations of the desired sounds in their scores, and often suggest performance techniques, so we’re not entirely in the dark as to what sounds we’re looking for.
We’ve also been very lucky to work directly with Josephine Macken on her new piece Vessel Song. Having the composer in the room and being able to collaborate so directly is one of my favourite things about making new music. It’s always a great joy to be finding new sounds together.
Your selection of works in this show appears to send a very strong message: everything is music. How can post-instrumental practice broaden the minds of those who feel locked into the box of traditional music-making?
One of the fascinating things about post-instrumental practice is that it’s been most widely embraced by percussionists, but it could really be for any musician. When it comes to finding ways to make music from everyday objects, none of us are likely to consider ourselves a virtuoso at playing a potplant – but any one of us could be!
Post-instrumental practice is really an invitation, not only to consider any object as an instrument but also to engage really deeply with materials. For me, post-instrumental practice is quite connected to the Zen Buddhism concept of shoshin, or beginner’s mind. There are no traditions, so we’re invited into a real process of exploration. It’s up to us and our imaginations to bring out the musical potential of these object-instruments.
So how should we listen? Should concertgoers look out for rhythmic or pitch-related patterns? Or is it more about ensembleship?
Although the instruments look different, post-instrumental practice still draws on a lot of traditional musical knowledge and skills. For example, in Andreas Frank’s Table Talk for buzzers, pedals, transducers and amplified table, the performers are working with very tightly coordinated rhythms that are highlighted by a synchronised lighting design. Another work on the program, Josephine Macken’s Vessel Song, explores shifting textures and approaches to sculpting sound.
In all of these works, the visual and the sonic are closely intertwined. Keeping an eye on the ways that the objects are presented, the way the performers move their bodies, and the way that they interact with the objects will all help to shape your listening experience.
What did you learn through the experience of preparing for this show, and how will that affect the way you look at instruments in the future?
Filament has asked me to play a lot of objects that I’ve not considered as instruments before, and that’s actually made me reconsider my relationship with existing instruments. When learning to play a plant or a hairdryer, all bets are off. I don’t have any pre-conceived ideas about what that object can or can’t do musically. It’s all an experiment!
I’m excited to keep thinking about how we can bring that spirit of curiosity to our instruments that are more connected to traditions, techniques, and performance practices, or to building brand new instruments. It’s been a beautiful reminder to keep looking for new possibilities, even in the familiar.
Before we go: weirdest object you’ve ever played?
I think an entire work based around amplified matches takes the cake for me, in Juliana Hodkinson’s Lightness. There was something extremely satisfying about the sound and visual of the match bursting into flame with each note!
Experience Speak Percussion – Filament this 9 February in the Melbourne Recital Centre.
Images supplied.
