While in the previous blog post I was considering the use of Kanji in my practice research, as I sat down at my desk I began to consider that while Kanji/Hanzi has far stronger links to historical methods of graphic notation, attempting the same methodology with English script would perhaps serve as an interesting experiment.

In doing so, the relation to other methodologies that incorporate English language (such as Fluxus text scores) became apparent, and provided useful reference when developing my experiments toward understanding orthography as graphical scores.

The draw of an orthographical method, for me, exists in the ability to convey considerable meaning in a relatively small unit. Often employing brevity in order to encourage open-ended interpretation, Fluxus scores generally reflect the idea that words can convey extended artistic results without the need for over-complication or exhaustive instruction.

Therefore, I began to move toward creating my final sound work , using English script. For the text itself, I chose “ringing in the distance” – a reference to the kind of poetic technique descriptions inscribed in certain guqin notations. As noted in the essay, the culmination of the semantic, aesthetic and physical motion of inscription all provided for an intriguing compositional exercise – and in doing so, further potential experiments within text and sound became apparent.

With a thick marker, I wrote each word of the phrase all in one, without removing my pen from the paper. On reflection, I feel as though this were a subconscious decision to emphasise the natural temporal flow of music, as opposed to segmented elements (by allowing the individual letters to separate).In choosing a thick brush marker, I also felt I were emulating a sense of calligraphy – which in itself necessitates a certain ‘rhythm’.

Once sat down behind my setup (here, an electric guitar processed through pedals and computer software) I began to ‘play’ the phrase I had written before me – considering semantic, aesthetic and physical meaning within the characters and phrase.

Without thinking, my improvisation instinctively followed the rise and falls of the individual letters, with glissandos becoming frequent. I also found myself adding inflections to my sound in response to the dots within ‘i”s and ‘t”s – as though they were functioning as staccato accent marks. I was, in many ways, unconsciously imposing my own musical training on this unfamiliar format.

Additionally, I found that there was a genuine level of unconscious improvisation that was achieved by following the score, considering so many aspects at once.