The Junto reminded me of the musical squeaks of my drum stool, so I set about loading up a bunch of samples and then put a bassline to it.
Then I got cold feet and re-read the instructions and wondered if it really considered other studio furniture.
Anyway, I woke up in the morning and wanted to honour the squeaky stool.
Apparently these tress have been introduced in the last 30 years, but require more rainfall a better quality soil than is generally available in our landscape.
However, I know the peachy quality of morning light and often appreciate it in the bathroom, so I made a track to give a sense of that ambience.
The Junto assignment this week is to "Interpret a routine public sign as a musical instruction.
Step 1: Think about signs you see near where you live or work, the sort of routine public signage one generally takes for granted. Consider in particular signs that, unintentionally, are open to broader interpretation than might have been intended.
Step 2: Choose a sign from Step 1.
Step 3: Willfully interpret the sign you selected in Step 2 as a musical instruction of some sort.
Step 4: Record a track in which you follow the musical instruction you inferred in Step 3.
I thought about my drive to work and remembered the sign for ducks near the McCaughey Park in Yanco.
This ducks crossing sign is one that I remember first seeing when I went to university in Canberra and later incorporated into this video I made after becoming a parent.
The ducks suggested a delay, as they lined up with smaller ducklings as the decay.
So I took the track that I'd been playing with and edited the ukulele part to a series of snippets, making it the mother duck.
Then I found a delay after looking around in my effects.
Most of those I have at hand emulate analogue tape-based delays and this called for an effect more like a digital delay.
The Junto assignment is to "Record a piece of music that explores physiological and behavioral techniques."
Last week I had a lesson in playing djembe and the teacher introduced a rhythm based on a heartbeat with two hits and a rest, so I thought to use that in this track.
The behavioural aspect is how I can't help but make a dance track with a steady rhythm like that.
Video from a recent project at the Leeton Pool, which addresses many needs for me.
I know that probably looks vague, but the results are still developing and won't be known for a little while yet.
I'd misread the poem and planned to film myself blowing bubbles at the pool, then my camera wouldn't record.
It wasn't until I decided to read the poem again that I realised it said "hand" and not "head" as I first thought.
