Thanks John. To my ears, in general, soundscapes in which individual sounds
can be heard clearly are more attractive than their opposite. It's what I
understand from Murray Shafers talk of hi-fi and lo-fi sonic environments.
The only qualification perhaps is that some natural (however you wish to
define that) soundscapes could be thought of as lo-fi. A river in spate. Or
rain. But then, on paying attention, I find beautiful variations within the
grain of falling rain, its different intensities.
On Sat, Oct 19, 2013 at 3:23 PM, John Crockett <> wrote:
> **
>
>
> These are very thoughtful and interesting comments. I wonder if it is fair
> to say that part of the attraction to soundscapes, whether rural or "wild"
> or even urban, is a high degree of silence, or spaciousness, in which the
> particular sounds, whatever they may be, can be heard clearly and
> sonourously. The more space around the sound, the more the full shape and
> texture of the sound can be heard, and the more fully the sense of the
> space we are in is communicated, which probably appeals to a very old part
> of our brains.
>
> I think about being on the coast of New Brunswick with no sound but the
> fog horn - not a natural sound by any means - and when the near deafening
> sound of the horn stops, every reflection of that sound off of every bit of
> coastline can be clearly heard for many seconds and many miles, until the
> horn sounds again. The shape of the space is communicated vividly. Without
> the "silence," (the space in which to hear the shape and texture of the
> sound) it would just be noise with no sense of place communicated.
>
> Does that make any sense? That this spaciousness is being filled with
> noise of every kind is a terrible loss to our sense of who and where we
> are, I believe. Very disorienting and probably driving us crazy whether we
> know it or not.
>
> John
>
> John Crockett
> Westminster, VT
>
> Let us live in harmony with Earth
> And all creatures
> That our lives may be a blessing
>
> On Oct 19, 2013, at 3:46 AM, Tony Whitehead wrote:
>
>
>
> Thank you Bernie, much appreciated. I read with interest your interview
> with the Dark Mountain Project (
> http://dark-mountain.net/repairing-the-silent-spring-a-conversation-with-bernie-krause/)
> this week. In particular your thoughts on what you describe as an atavistic
> attraction to natural soundscapes. Here in the UK, a small crowded island,
> we have very little wilderness.
>
> Everything has been touched in some way by our hand. We have few pristine
> old growth forests for instance. Our moorlands and heaths are the products
> of grazing. Our farmed landscape a patchwork of fields and hedgerows that
> although ancient are as man made as tower block. And it's been like this
> since not long after the ice retreated. I wonder if this results in
> differences about the soundscapes we are attracted to?
>
> I wonder if here in Olde England, for some of us, our preferred
> soundscapes would be more "rural" than wild. A conditioned wild that
> alongside bird song and the crackle of leaves in the breeze, would also
> contain peel of medieval church bells and the clip clopping of horse hooves
> (that's a crass example, but you get what I mean). In other words, that in
> a land long devoid of wild, I personally show a cultural bias to
> soundscapes that reflect some romantic dream of a rural idyll.
>
> But, here's the rub, - the bad news for those of us who's "natural" is
> defined by Samuel Palmer and John Clare - that rural idyll doesn't exist.
> Everywhere in the English countryside is noise. Last weekend I was trying
> to record the interior of what I hoped would be a quiet, remote rural
> church. You know the story, we all do. What I recorded was motorcross,
> strimmers, tractors, cars and planes. I've been recording long enough to
> know this would be the case ... but it still gets to me!
>
> So, yes, I have an atavistic attraction to natural soundscapes ... but my
> notion of "natural" is possibly very different to yours? But, ironically,
> it amounts to the same, because neither exists, neither conforms to our
> dreams. This is the tension of living in a noisy world.
>
> Hope that makes some sort of sense?
>
> Tony
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Fri, Oct 18, 2013 at 11:32 PM, Bernie Krause <>
> wrote:
>
>> **
>>
>>
>> Thanks, Tony. Yes. I do know about your label and love what you're doing
>> and how the subject is being approached. Keep up the fine work.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Bernie
>>
>>
>> On Oct 18, 2013, at 3:21 PM, Tony Whitehead <>
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> Hi Bernie and all
>>
>> Last year I started a label called Very Quiet Records to offer field
>> recordists and sound artists the opportunity to share what they considered
>> quiet places or quiet situations. The definition I left open.
>>
>> The responses have been wonderful and you can if you wish hear and read
>> about them here http://veryquietrecords.blogspot.co.uk/
>>
>> I also offered some thoughts on quiet for this blog on the British
>> Library website
>> http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/sound-and-vision/2013/10/recording-the-sounds-of-nature-six-questions-with-tony-whitehead.html
>>
>> all the best
>>
>> Tony
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Oct 18, 2013 at 6:33 PM, Bernie Krause <>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> **
>>>
>>>
>>> This came thru today from Barry Truax, at Simon Fraser Univ. and the
>>> World Forum for Acoustic Ecology. http://i.sfu.ca/CDzFCm
>>>
>>> Bernie
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Wild Sanctuary
>>> POB 536
>>> Glen Ellen, CA 95442
>>> 707-996-6677
>>> http://www.wildsanctuary.com
>>>
>>> SKYPE: biophony
>>> FaceBook:
>>> http://www.facebook.com/TheGreatAnimalOrchestra
>>> http://www.facebook.com/BernieKrauseAuthor
>>> Twitter:
>>> http://www.twitter.com/berniekrause
>>> TED Global talk (12Jun13):
>>> http://www.ted.com/talks/bernie_krause_the_voice_of_the_natural_world.html
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> http://veryquietrecords.blogspot.co.uk/
>> http://veryquietrecords.bandcamp.com/
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Wild Sanctuary
>> POB 536
>> Glen Ellen, CA 95442
>> 707-996-6677
>> http://www.wildsanctuary.com
>>
>> SKYPE: biophony
>> FaceBook:
>> http://www.facebook.com/TheGreatAnimalOrchestra
>> http://www.facebook.com/BernieKrauseAuthor
>> Twitter:
>> http://www.twitter.com/berniekrause
>> TED Global talk (12Jun13):
>> http://www.ted.com/talks/bernie_krause_the_voice_of_the_natural_world.html
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> http://veryquietrecords.blogspot.co.uk/
> http://veryquietrecords.bandcamp.com/
>
>
>
>
>
>
--
http://veryquietrecords.blogspot.co.uk/
http://veryquietrecords.bandcamp.com/
|