The title track from the forthcoming album, “Mecca,” is now available for preview via MySpace and Facebook. “Mecca” is due for release at the end of September.

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Polyphonic Audio and MIDI box for Polyphonic Electric Guitar

The premise of this project was to build a hardware unit which provides polyphonic audio (separate audio signal for each string) as well as MIDI data (pitch and velocity) for each note executed which could be utilised for mapping purposes. Such a hardware unit would allow the user to maximize CPU power for signal processing. Following on from a previous “break-out box” project, I purchased the Axon AX-50 board from Terratec (Germany) to allow for MIDI data for each note. The tracking is excellent in combination with Graphtech’s “Hexpander” MIDI interface.

Initially, I wanted to hack the board so it supported polyphonic audio and MIDI concurrently, however, the Axon board is inherently noisy and a series of the DIN pins carry a rather unfortunate mains noise rendering the board unusable for audio. So, I devised a separate power supply (9v battery) acting as a piezo amplifier, powering the Axon unit  separately with an adapter. I devised a DIN splitter cable so that the Axon board is able to receive the audio derived from the guitar, whilst maintaining separate power sources, ergo eliminating the ground noise issue. My thanks to Jun Kwon for his assistance with installing a series of isolator transformer to improve the quality of Audio/MIDI data translation.

In separating the ground of the piezo amplifier from the Axon AX-50 board, one is presented with a different noise problem, whereby noise generated by MIDI data is present in the audio signals.  A separate MIDI interface was tested, which reduced the noise but it did not eliminate the noise altogether. To eliminate the ground noise completely, a USB isolator may be required. This project is on-going.

Mapping Strategies

The premise of this project was to reflect pitch structure in my chosen DSP during real-time performance. I built the following patch in PD (Pure Data), in an attempt to reflect pitch structure in pre-programmed signal processing during real-time performance, which can be dictated by the chosen pitches executed by the performer while maintaining an element of improvisation. The electric guitar is inherently a multi-parameter mapped instrument. For the most part, it maintains a many to one relationship, concerning many attributes of a physical instrumental technique utilised by the performer to produce a desired sonority. It is important to maintain an approach which is conceptually clear, one that maintains musical meaning versus technical mapping.

The patch collects pitches played by the performer, then generates random index via a counter. The random index is then re-called from the [coll]. In this example MIDI note 60 (C3) is mapped to an automation clip in Ableton Live. The automation clip triggers a series of signal processes specified by the user.  This example is using the built in mic on my laptop.

PD to Live - Phase 2 from Ricky Graham on Vimeo.

“Killing your Darling”

After some discussion, there is further potential to develop the patch into a more modular, versatile, and interactive performance system, which may allow the patch to operate with a greater degree of independence, encouraging the performer to engage with the system via a new performance approach, versus a learned or repetitive performance practice. I intend to develop the patch to further accommodate statistical analysis of pitch class development and additional string information, such as velocity, and note onset and offset. Thus, temporal phrasing will become an interactive part of the mapping and performance process. Other approaches include the utilisation of pick position data to trigger appropriate timbral processing, resizing the [coll] size in real-time to vary the rate at which a signal process is triggered, and the real-time drawing of automation values.

My thanks to Daniel Schorno for his feedback on this project.

Performance in Antwerp

This was a great opportunity to improvise with themes I have been developing for the forthcoming album by signalsundertests. I scored some motives to work with during the performance, but I am still developing an appropriate method of scoring pitch, timbral, and spatial attributes of each theme. I would like to work with a stave per string in future, and it is my hope that the score will also be applicable to acoustic instrumentation. All in all, an excellent experience.

signalsundertests performing at the Live Looping festival at Arenberg, Antwerp.

Thank you to those who provided photography on the night, including Ingrid, Sjugge, and Benjamin. My thanks to Sjaak and Ingrid for their hospitality, and to the amazing musicians which were a part of this wonderful event. And of course, thank you to all the staff at STEIM for their support. It was a very productive and enjoyable residency.

“Beautiful Beginning” was released in August 2009 to help raise money for the Motor Neurones Disease Association Northern Ireland. Thank you to all those who have made a donation. If you have not made a donation yet, you can do so by purchasing the release from Bandcamp or iTunes. Please continue to donate generously.

“Beautiful Beginning” is now available on Spotify and iTunes. More information on the MNDANI can be found at www.mndani.com

New recordings are available following on from a series of recent performances by signalsundertests at the Black Box in Belfast, N.Ireland.

signalsundertests - Live at the Black Box, Belfast - 31.08.09 - Test 1

signalsundertests - Live at the Black Box, Belfast - 31.08.09 - Test 2

New Audio available on MySpace

*this release has been revised

Beautiful Beginning (Self Released Single 2009)

1) Beautiful Beginning (2009 Edit)

2) Music Box (DJ Elemental Remix)

Buy “Beautiful Beginning” here

Listen to “Beautiful Beginning” here

All music by Ricky Graham. Music Box (DJ Elemental Remix) By Colin Cathcart. Vocals by Robbie Reid and Louise Sands on “Beautiful Beginning.” Trumpet by Andrew Kitchen on “Beautiful Beginning.” Mastered by Bernard Flanagan. Original Artwork by Ryan Locke. This release is dedicated to the memory of Patrick McGreevy.

The proceeds of this release will be donated to the Motor Neurones Disease Association of Northern Ireland. Due to the few cases of MND every year in the U.K, the research is underfunded and the care services are understaffed. To date, there is no known cure. By giving generously, you are helping researchers and carers for MND throughout the UK. There is more information on the organisation at www.mndani.com. You can make your own donations here! Thanks to everyone who have been involved in these releases over the last few years. Please share this blog entry via email, facebook, twitter, myspace, etc. and help spread awareness of MND.

Thank you,

Ricky

“According to some scientists, aesthetic perception is a combination of memory and neural interference - the mind being simultaneously massaged with images from the past and confronted with confounding new sensations. If this theory were indeed true, Signals under Tests have all the potential of turning into one of the top newcomers in the Sound Art category this year. Their debut album “Live at Verbal Arts” (released as a free download on the Hippocamp Netlabel) presents a style that is at the same time recognisable and refreshing. Performing with utmost delicacy, their freely drifting, warmly grooving soundscapes are both meditative and stimulating, precisely organised and propelled by a surreal kind of dream logic. Fans of the drone genre will love how their minimal Guitar motives coalesce into shimmering impulse-textures, with the band basing their technique on the observation that “the relatively short sustain of plucked notes on an Electric Guitar can present limited scope in multiple speaker array performances”. Friends of Ambient works and Soundscapes should fall head over heels for the sonorous qualities and organic breath of these up to twelve minute long compositions. Jazz aficionados, meanwhile, are bound to applaud as the band infuse their dizzying mood streams with tender licks of bluesy timbres. As if that weren’t enough, this colourful combination is bound together by a conceptual foundation based - at least partially - on Arnold Schoenberg’s “Klangfarbenmelodie” (”Melody of sound-colours”). Even though Signals under Tests were only formed late last year, they already sound as confident and mature as any established act. Which is probably because two experienced players from the Northern Irish scene are hiding behind this moniker: Ricky Graham has built a career as a solo artist and a curator, while John King has excelled as a DJ. The juxtaposition of their distinct ideas and musical visions has yielded the purest of aesthetic propositions: Prepare yourself to be thoroughly moved and pleasantly confounded.” Review by Tobias Fischer Click here to read the Interview at Tokafi.com>>

My track, “Refraction”, is being considered for the new Rock Band Network. I wrote “Refraction” back in 2005, and performed an arrangement of it with Irish metal band, Shiro from 2007 to 2008. You can hear a sample of the track below.

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And here is a video of me playing a few extracts about 3 years ago. Fun times.

Friend and fellow Musician, Jay Dickson, performed “Refraction” at a recent drum clinic with drum kit legend, Thomas Lang. Check out the clinic video on Jay’s website.

2 May 2009 21:00
Ottorisha - “Con Tempo” - Kita-Senjyu, Tokyo

Set List: 3 Pieces for Polyphonic Guitar: I (E Major), II (E Major), & III (Ab Minor)

Tonight was the first show of the tour upon invitation from recent acquaintance, Wataru Shoji. The venue was an old Japanese house that had been converted into a performance space by Shoji and his colleagues from the Tokyo National University of the Fine Arts and Music. It reminded me of my time at STEIM in April, which is where I made Shoji’s acquaintance. It had a lot of character.

Regardless of how bad my jet lag had been since my arrival in Tokyo, I had been anticipating this performance with a great deal of enthusiasm. I had put together a short set in a more experimental vein that I hoped would be more appropriate for the venue.

Shoji and Odawara commenced proceedings with a laptop set that utilised a series of customised controllers. It was an interesting sound world that I very much enjoyed.  The next performance was given by a Japanese Irish Traditional trio whose standard would challenge traditional musicians from home.

You can view the Harpist’s blog here

After what had been a relatively successful sound check, I began to prepare for my set. To my dismay my break out box for my polyphonic guitar had become inoperable. Some ‘off the cuff’ live soldering was required. Once rectified, I began my set.

Samples of the sounds prepared for this set can be heard below.

Polyphonic Guitar Sample 1

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Polyphonic Guitar Sample 2

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View Waturu Shoji’s Flickr Page

Download the poster for this event

3 May 2009 20:00
Pink Cow - Shibuya, Tokyo

Set List: Improvisation I, Without, Music Box, 1314, Rain Down Fire, Pilate, & Improvisation II

I played the Pink Cow the last time I was in Tokyo and had enjoyed it thoroughly. It is a very relaxed affair. The performance started off a little slow, but by the second track momentum built and the crowd engaged. My execution of each track was good overall, although some moments could have been a little more together. This event was a concept that had been put together by the owner to serve as an opportunity for indie musicians to network with one another.

The Pink Cow streamed this performance via UStream

5 May 2009 20:00
Ruby Room - Shibuya, Tokyo

Set List: 1314, Music Box, Pilate, & Improvisation II

I went cycling around Tokyo today before a meeting with Dave and Ross from the label. It was a good experience, regardless of nearly falling off the bike a few times. We made our way to the Ruby Room around 6pm. The Ruby Room is a small club located in Shibuya that I had played twice before in 2007. I enjoyed it then, and tonight was no exception. It was great to hear my set through a bigger sound system. All was well received by the audience and management. There were some interesting performances from punk right through to a man with a didgeridoo. I love this venue. It has great character. After the gig, I gave a workshop on my equipment to a few local musicians. This was a good opportunity to network contact information and music.

6 May 2009 22:00
Daisy Bar - Shimokitazawa, Tokyo

Set List: Improvisation I,  1314, Without, Music Box, Rain Down Fire, Pilate, & Improvisation II

A brilliant gig tonight. The Daisy Bar is a highly established venue in the artist district of Tokyo. I was accompanied by two other acts by the name of Miracle Works and This Is A Pen. The latter are an impressive female electronic duo from Tokyo. Do give them a minute of your time.

I received a recording of the gig on MD, a popular but obsolete format still in circulation in Japan. They still use VHS at this particular venue, which I find interesting. The recording will be available shortly, once I find an MD player.

The gig was listed in Tokyo’s Juice magazine, a magazine similar to NME

The gig listing can be viewed here

7 May 2009 22:30
Seco Lounge (EP Launch) - Shibuya, Tokyo

Set List: Improvisation I,  1314, Without, Music Box, Rain Down Fire, Pilate, & Improvisation II

Despite extremely poor weather, the turn out was O.K. and the performances went very well. I received a recording of the event in full, and on listening back I am very happy with my live mix. The label intends to book Seco Lounge again on my return as it is an established venue with an unusually large venue capacity for Tokyo. My thanks to those who attended the show and to Noe, Odawara, and Shoji for providing their support.

You can listen to the recordings below. Thanks to Taro for the recordings.

Pilate (Live at Seco Lounge, Tokyo)

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Rain Down Fire (Live at Seco Lounge, Tokyo)

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1314 (Live at Seco Lounge, Tokyo)

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The gig listing can be viewed here

8 May 2009 19:00
Encore - Shibuya, Tokyo

Set List: Without, & Music Box

Encore served as an opportunity to perform a shorter set in a relaxed club environment as part of their ‘Platinum Live’ event. Encore has an interesting concept allowing customers to select live concerts via a touch screen that are then displayed on a screen on stage. The tables in the venue seated one person per table. It was if I was performing in front of a classroom of school pupils. It was an interesting but unfamiliar concept.

A DVD recording was made by the staff, which is available here.  My thanks to the Encore staff for their welcome, professionalism, and accommodation.

9 May 2009 17:00
Koido House (Workshop) - Warabi, Tokyo

Materials: Technical Exercises, Major Modes, & CAGED System

The workshop was organised by the Koido family in the Warabi area of Tokyo. The workshop covered rudimentary guitar techniques, CAGED system,  modes of the major scale, relative minor theory, and other soloing concepts. The workshop lasted 2 hours in total.

Workshop Materials (Available for Download)

Please download Power Tab

Major Modes

CAGED System

Technical Exercises (Legato, Alternate Picking, & Sweep Picking)

http://www.artscouncil-ni.org/

My extended thanks to the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and to Dave and Ross at KR-International and CD Lunch for all your hard work in booking and promoting this tour. My thanks to the Koido household and to the students at Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music. Thank you to all who attended the shows and to Laura, my family, and friends for your continued support. Mata ne.

Tour dates for Japan during May 2009 are now available. Thanks again to Dave & Ross at CD Lunch and KR-International, and to the Arts Council of Northern Ireland for making this possible.

Tour Dates

2 May 2009 20:00
Ottorisha Tokyo
3 May 2009 20:00
Pink Cow Tokyo
5 May 2009 20:00
Ruby Room Tokyo
6 May 2009 20:00
Daisy bar Tokyo
7 May 2009 20:00
Seco Lounge (EP Launch) Tokyo
8 May 2009 13:00
Encore Tokyo
9 May 2009 20:00
Koido House (Workshop) Tokyo

More info: ross@kr-international.com

“Rain Down Fire” has been released on Japanese Record Label, CD Lunch. It includes 4 studio tracks and 1 live track courtesy of Steven McCauley at BBC Radio Foyle, Northern Ireland.

Artwork by David Wilson. David is currently a London based designer working for BBC Audio & Music Interactive. Recently, David has been working on the new blog design for Adam and Joe show on 6music. David is also my cousin.

“Rain Down Fire” is available to purchase from iTunes, Amazon, & eMusic