Stephen Crawford: Difference between revisions

'''Stephen Crawford (under construction)'''

; What was your path to discovering alternate tunings?

: The first step was my introduction to [[Xenakis]], [[Stockhausen]], and [[Laurie Anderson]] and the record library in Interlochen Summer Music Camp in the mid-1980's. Those artists me possibilities in music and performance art that I had never encountered before. Then I discovered [[Stuart Dempster]] and the [[Deep Listening Band]] in the early 1990's. I even remember doing a little dance when I found his book I was so excited. I often spent hours browsing the lonely, dusty shelves of the Music Library where the experimental music was kept. I devoured scores and recordings and joined the [[New Music Ensemble]]. Some composer friends of mine and I formed an experimental improvisational music/performance art ensemble, and we often accompanied dance performances and had some "happenings" around campus. I got to meet [[Stuart Dempster]] and [[Ellen Fullman]] when she was in Austin. When I got to Houston, I found [[Nameless Sound]] (formerly the [[Pauline Oliveros]] Foundation). I saw [[Jacob Barton]], [[Dan Sedgwick]], [[Marji Gere]] and [[Ben Grow]] perform as An Exciting Event at the Artery in Houston in 2008, and met the udderbot for the first time. After a hiatus of a couple of years, I somehow heard of the [[Xenharmonic Praxis Summer Camp]] in 2011, and after looking at all the implications that explored, I was hooked. (I think I was actually looking for The School for Designing a Society, and stumbled upon XPSC.)

; What are your current/past/future particular interests?

: I am the band director at a performing arts magnet high school. Because of the format of our school's music program, I have some freedom to introduce more diverse music to my students. I would like to show my students the possibilities that can open up to them by exploring outside traditional Western music. I want to compose as well.

; What instruments or means have you had/do you have now/do you want for the making of microtonal music?

: Trombone, 2 autoharps, jaw harps; I also have some software: microsynth, ScalaVista, Garage Band, Cubase LE, and I'm trying out Ableton Live to see if it's worth the money to me (I'm disappointed that its soft-synths don't re-tune easily); I'd really like to not get too dependent on electronics, I seem to be a bigger fan of using live instruments; I would really like to get a dan bau and/or a sanxian but also get better at doing these intervals on trombone

; What instruments or means have you successfully used in the making of microtonal music? Recommendations?

: Trombone, autoharp, jaw harp. Jaw harp is excellent for hearing the harmonic series. H-Pi Software's microsynth is very handy and easy to use. I wish it had more sounds. XENHARMONIC PRAXIS SUMMER CAMP 2012 was AWESOME!

 

; Any good microtonal anecdotes?

: There once was a composer from Nantucket...