Whilst planning for my Unit 1 assessment I had the idea of creating melodies with sounds found in nature – specifically, a call and response between my sound piece and the surrounding birdsong at the Chiswick Eyot. Further research into this lead me to Bird Vocalisation. While humans may percieve bird calls as mere melodies, orthinology reveals the complexity of its nature. Longer, detailed songs are associated with territory, courtship and mating, whilst less complicated calls act as alarms or simple instructions for a flock. When incorporating these calls in my sound piece it may be interesting to think of the context they were sung in and how that could affect the theme I decide with upon deeper introspection.
In order to gain more understanding in techniques used in wildlife recording I came upon a sound recordist called Chris Watson whose work spans many programmes including, David Attenborough ‘Life’ series and the BBC series ‘Frozen Planet.’ In a short clip describing his process, he commented on how there is no equivalent of a telephoto or zoom lens for sound. Other ways in which we can amplify sound include an apparatus called a Parabolic Reflector. It effectively works as a mirror telescope for sound. upon striking its surface of its dish, sound is partially reflected. This reflection redirects the sound-waves inward creating a clearer sonic image of a distant sound source, too far away to hear with the naked ear.
References
Bloomfield, Lou. “How Does a Parabolic Microphone Work?” Howeverythingworks.org, Bloomfield Media LLC, 15 May 1997, howeverythingworks.org/1997/05/15/question-1157/. Accessed 21 Jan. 2021.
“Chris Watson.” Chriswatson.net, 2021, chriswatson.net/. Accessed 21 Jan. 2021.
“Sounds of Nature: Making a Soundtrack for Wildlife Films.” Bbc.co.uk, 2016, www.bbc.co.uk/earth/story/20160314-sounds-of-nature-for-wildlife-films. Accessed 21 Jan. 2021.
Wikipedia Contributors. “Bird Vocalization.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_vocalization. Accessed 21 Jan. 2021.