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Re: New Guitar/Cello/Koto trio



If I could just track down that CD with Kaiser on guitar! I just sent him, 
Danielle, and Miya email to request it, or some MP3s.  This is exciting.

Kris

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Charlie Milkey" <pilotcp@gmail.com>
To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2006 3:15 PM
Subject: Re: New Guitar/Cello/Koto trio


> you definitly have to record that. I really want to hear it!
>
> Charlie
>
> On 9/10/06, Krispen Hartung <khartung@cableone.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>> I can't wait to talk about the new ambient/experimental/free improv 
>trio 
>> I'm
>> playing in now.  It is with two women that I met, and who played at the
>> Boise Experimental Music festival, both music students/graduates.  The
>> instrumentation is me on guitar, Gretchen on Koto (a really cool 
>sounding
>> Japanese instrument -
>> http://home.san.rr.com/koto/instru.htm), and Jesse on
>> cello.  We had our first rehearsal last week and our first gig is on 
>> October
>> 8.
>>
>> The instrumentation and contrast of the different instruments is really
>> interesting, and I was wondering if anyone else on the list had played 
>> with
>> a koto player - because I'd like to hear what has been done to leverage 
>> some
>> ideas.  I found one reference to such a trio, with Henry Kaiser 
>(guitar),
>> Miya Masaoka (koto), and Danielle DeGruttola (cello), and the CD is 
>> called
>> Seance by Vex Records...but I can't find the thing for sale anywere.  
>Any
>> clues?   Gretchen lived in Japan for 10 years and knows a fair amount 
>> about
>> the music and instrument.  At our first jam session, I didn't do any
>> looping, because I wanted to just focus on the sound of my guitar and 
>how 
>> it
>> worked with the cello and koto.  I used my nylon string, but 
>> surprisingly,
>> both of them requested that I play my jazz electric next time, because 
>> they
>> think the contrast of acoustic instruments with my electric will be more
>> unique.
>>
>> Our basic approach for playing is that Gretchen can tune the Koto to any
>> scale....we start with a traditional Japanese harmonic structure (D Eb 
>G 
>> A
>> Bb D) and play with that...and then after that point, she tunes it to
>> various modes (mixolydian, lydian, pentatonic, etc), and we play modally
>> over a tonal center, which is great for me with my jazz background.  
>You 
>> can
>> do some great things with the koto, such as scraping the plectra over 
>the
>> strings, bending the strings for other tones, etc. The fun one is where 
>> she
>> tunes the koto to the chromatic scale and we play atonally...the three 
>of 
>> us
>> end up sounding like we're playing a 12 tone piece, though there are no 
>> rows
>> or permutations involved.
>>
>> Next rehearsal I'll be bringing my notebook system and looping. My plan 
>> is
>> to loop some ambient textures of basic melodic motifs based on the 
>tuning 
>> of
>> the koto..and then we'll improvise over that...afterwhich I'll continue
>> manipulating the loops to evolve with the performance. It should be 
>fun. 
>> I
>> hope to record the Oct. 8 performance.
>>
>> Kris
>>
>>
>> 
>**************************************************************************
>> Krispen Hartung / Improvisational Looping Guitar
>> www.krispenhartung.com / www.myspace.com/krispenhartung
>> My Tribe: http://people.tribe.net/krispen-hartung
>> info@krispenhartung.com / 1.208.724.5603
>> Discography - http://www.krispenhartung.com/catalogue.htm
>> CD Baby Discography (CDs for only $5): http://cdbaby.com/all/khartung
>
>