The Acoustic Origin of Smiles

You can tell when someone is smiling by the change in tone in their voice. When we smile our cheeks are pulled back, reducing the size of the mouth cavity, thereby raising the pitch of vocal track resonances. Once I get a little free time I think it might be a good idea to analyze this shift in spectrum and design a “smiling” filter setting for audio mastering, to make music smile.

The Acoustic Origin of the Smile, by John Ohala.

True Blue

Have started to make tracks available through Bandcamp. Have to work on graphics next.

Young at Heart

A lovely documentary about a choir of senior citizens who delight and warm the hearts of their audiences with covers of tasty pop songs. I get teary at 10% of the movies I see, but Forever Young even got to some of the inmates they entertained at a prison. I normally don’t like to post spoilers, but you’re gonna love the opening—one of the ladies scream to kick off the punk classic Should I Stay Or Should I Go. “What ultimately emerges is a funny and unexpectedly moving testament to friendship, creative inspiration and reaching beyond expectations.” — Rotten Tomatoes

Conlon Nancarrow, player piano composer

Every time Conlon punched a hole, the world got more interesting. If you like something different, and I mean really different, check out Conlon Nancarrow’s player piano music. He spent his lifetime composing radical player piano music in Mexico City. I’m organizing a Symposium for September, 2012, in time to enrich concerts expected to take place the following month in honor of the centennial of his birth (October 27, 2012). The website is under construction, but you can find links to interviews and videos.

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