prepared guitar techniques/electronics (a la Keith Rowe)

[none.friendly]

for anyone who is unfamiliar:
"A prepared guitar is a guitar that has had its timbre altered by placing various objects on or between the instrument's strings, including other extended techniques. This practice is sometimes called tabletop guitar, because many prepared guitarists do not hold the instrument in the usual manner, but instead place the guitar on a table to manipulate it. The idea of altering an instrument's timbre through the use of external objects has been applied to other instruments as well, most notably John Cage's prepared piano, which preceded the prepared guitar." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prepared_guitar)

I've been experimenting with this technique for quite some time now - manipulating the guitar's pickups (with a radio or perhaps a motor) create some of my favorite kinds of textures. scraping the strings with various scrap metal, as well as processing the signal with a feedback-loop mixer or other effects, generate some otherworldly sounds as well.

for any others here who play their electric guitar in this style, what are your favorite techniques for manipulating the strings/pickups, and what kinds of effects/other gear do you use to process the sound?

[Leewar]

We have been trying out some ideas recently, not at the recording stage yet but heading there.

Best set up so far has been small crocodile clips on the strings and a magic wand taped to the body run through its various settings.

[Volcano Queen]

Something I know from Keith's recent works is that he is quite fond of interference, so look for objects that can interfere with the pickup. Digital electronic devices are especially useful, things like cameras, smartphones etc; you can for example hear these sounds in the first disc of "The Room Extended".

[none.friendly]

Something I know from Keith's recent works is that he is quite fond of interference, so look for objects that can interfere with the pickup. Digital electronic devices are especially useful, things like cameras, smartphones etc; you can for example hear these sounds in the first disc of "The Room Extended".

yeah! he's been doing that kind of thing with radio signals since the beginning of AMM. i've manipulated radio signals before, as well as holding things with motors (such as a drill) near pickups (creates a very nice drone), but i don't exactly understand how cameras and smartphones would affect the signal, do you know how exactly he incorporates these sounds?

[Volcano Queen]

Something I know from Keith's recent works is that he is quite fond of interference, so look for objects that can interfere with the pickup. Digital electronic devices are especially useful, things like cameras, smartphones etc; you can for example hear these sounds in the first disc of "The Room Extended".

yeah! he's been doing that kind of thing with radio signals since the beginning of AMM. i've manipulated radio signals before, as well as holding things with motors (such as a drill) near pickups (creates a very nice drone), but i don't exactly understand how cameras and smartphones would affect the signal, do you know how exactly he incorporates these sounds?

Check 02:40. That's the sound of a digital device interfering with the pickups. Analogue devices and lamps often just hum. I have an electromagnetic microphone that is made to pick up this "species" of sound so I recognize it.

https://erstwhilerecords.bandcamp.com/track/1-4

[PuddysJacket]

We have been trying out some ideas recently, not at the recording stage yet but heading there.

Best set up so far has been small crocodile clips on the strings and a magic wand taped to the body run through its various settings.

you mean the vo wand?

[Leewar]

We have been trying out some ideas recently, not at the recording stage yet but heading there.

Best set up so far has been small crocodile clips on the strings and a magic wand taped to the body run through its various settings.

you mean the vo wand?

No, the Hitachi wand.

[PuddysJacket]

Lmao