Interference

Simon Hellewell

Interference

For Bass Clarinet in Bb Electric Guitar Cello

Performance Directions If possible, all instruments should be amplified. The cello and bass clarinet can be amplified by goose-neck microphones, and the guitar can go through an amplifier that is also fed into the main speakers using a dynamic microphone.

At times, all instruments are playing in individual boxes and repeating for an approximate specified time. When playing in boxes there is no expectation that the players will keep within the same time as each other, and each may move to the next box when they feel it is time. This continues until the clarinet reaches its first multiphonic (this happens on the fourth page), signaling all players to move forward with the piece.

Bass Clarinet: Multiphonic fingerings are specified. Pages 4 and 5 ask for ‘embouchure harmonics’, which have no special fingerings but are achieved instead by moving the lower jaw towards the base of the reed. Underblown multiphoonics are achieved by bringing out undertones from altissimo fingerings.

Higher key clicks should use keys with smaller holes on the instrument, while the steady lower clicks should be more of a ‘pop’ from the bigger holes.

If sung notes are not within the player’s vocal range while playing, they may sing the nearest octave.

Guitar: For much of this piece, the guitar is given two staves. The three-lined upper stave indicates movements of the left hand when it is playing off the fretboard, with lines indicating direction of movement. The space in this stave represents the guitar strings between where the string is being plucked (by the bridge) and the end of the fretboard. The centre line is near the three-octave harmonic. When the line goes beyond the confines of this stave, the motion should extend onto the fretboard without pressing down frets.

If the upper stave is present, the lower stave simply indicates which string is to be played.

The guitar should be set to use the closest pickup to the bridge in order for off-the-fretboard sounds to be heard to fullest effect. Picking should be close to the bridge throughout.

When the marking below appears, the player should heavily mute all strings with the left hand and gradually move the hand down the string in the direction specified by the upper stave, while with the right hand they should pick quickly, slowly moving from the first marked set of strings to the second. In this example, the player should begin on the low E, A, and D strings then over the course of the phrase pick further towards the G, B, and high E strings, bringing a change in timbre and register.

The guitar is fed through a delay pedal. In exploring sounds for this piece I was using a Boss DD-7. This is available for performances of the work, but if it is not preferred I believe the controls should apply on any digital delay pedal with slight changes. The standard (and initial) positioning should be close to this:

Changing the delay time while sound is playing hugely changes the sound. Even a couple of milimetres of movement will create a major change.

Take care when using this effect and keep movements relatively small.

If using a different pedal, these may change. In particular, it is important that the Feedback control is at a level where sound decays over a very long time instead of building louder and louder.

Distortion is also used. This should be a relatively light fuzz rather than a particularly harsh metal sound.

Cello: The cellist is instructed at one point in the piece to use a guitar plectrum.

Due to the nature of the cello, a relatively thick (1mm or more) plectrum is recommended.

Interference Simon Hellewell

Calmly and slowly

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© Simon Hellewell 2018

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