----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2005 4:25
PM
Subject: The MRI and Looping: For
Ambient & Experimental Music?
I just had a most exhilarating experience: my
first MRI (on my lower back). This was amazing. I laid down on a
sliding table, and they pushed me into a sarcophagus like tube with
mere inches around my entire body. They put large headphones on
my head, and then for the next 30 minutes I was eased into
a seemingly euphoric and meditative state. What I heard were a series
of interesting sounds...from jackhammer-like hammering, to buzzing or
vibrating cycles, bizarre sci-fi industrial like sounds, and so on. It was
delightful. The MRI technician said it was a rarity for someone to
actually enjoy that procedure. At one point in time, I was
in a half waking/dream state and was awoke by my leg twitching. I
could have stayed in there most of the day. And the amazing
thing is that when I asked about the source of the sounds, he said they
were not mechanically generated; rather, around my body, encased in metal,
was a giant electrical coil surrounded by helium, chilled down to a cool
minus 270 degrees. The sounds were a result of changes they were
making in the electrical current and the resulting vibrations to the
machine. Unbelievable...not sure how all that produces an image of my
back, however.
...anyway, I started thinking, I would love
to have that 30 minutes captured on a digital recorder so that I could use
it for looping or as an ambient backdrop to my more experimental
looping.
Are there any MRI technicians on the
list?
Kris
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