Did I mention I used to do this & take them into the high security prison where I worked as a music therapist. It felt creatively disruptive but just the right side of legal. Sometimes we used to incorporate them into songs the women wrote & recorded. Two I remember particularly were a blackbird & the rush of traffic (the latter working perfectly with the electric guitar she played). Currently staying in a coastal hut with no WiFi, tv or radio & the sound of silence delicious (as even silence can be so LOUD) so love your different prompts & links thank you 🙏
Thanks for this, I’m going to give it a go and will see if I can share something here. It’s when I close my eyes to meditate that I suddenly realise I’m living within a soundscape, but the rest of the time ‘seeing’ is so dominant. Listening is a great way into meditation, listening seems to put me into receptive mode, waiting, receiving.
I love your newsletter. It’s right up my street, as we say. I’m curious if you come from any faith/philosophical place? I practice Buddhism and it’s full of practices for ‘paying attention’.
Rob, thanks so much for sharing my newsletter! I'm never sure if anyone listens to my field recordings so I'm thrilled you did! To me, the way a place sounds is as integral to our experience of it as the way it looks, even if we don't really realize it in the moment.
Love this! I captured sound bites when I visited Ireland a few years ago and paired it with photos I took in the same location. But I haven't done it since. I really should. If you want to check it out, here's the blog post I made for it: https://www.shanileead.com/blog/2018/10/31/sounds-of-ireland
Love this. Thinking about all the common sounds I might someday be nostalgic for, like the way our coffee maker lurches into action, or the sound of our crazy dog bouncing off the front window. Want to start cataloging and saving them in Day One.
Also, LOVED your article re: “clutter” linked at the bottom! Currently moving and getting stuck in throwing away all the memories and experiences lived in this house and how to preserve them.
Just curious as to how you capture your sound only. I videoed the rain today as it gradually got heavier, first outside and then on my roof. It’s such a lovely way to wake up in the morning. And it reminds me of home on the we(s)t coast of Canada. Speaking of sound without image I thought you might be interested in a comedy program last night on Japanese TV that I watched. They selected six Japanese TV personalities and made them wear wrestling masks to completely cover their faces. Each of the six had to try and guess who the other 5 were. It was pretty funny how hard it was to figure them out without the visual cues. I could recognize myself starting to look for other mannerisms to help me guess: the way they moved their hands or the tilt of the head. They were at an amusement park so they had them on roller coasters and eating food trying to get to hear a bit of their voice or get a glimpse of their mouth. Pretty fascinating and deep, beyond just the humor appeal that was intended.
You just gave me an idea to record my Ukulele practice. I have just begun to play and it would be interesting to listen back and hear my growth along with the growth and changes I feel in the strumming, the finger placement to make chords, and the ability to play a song.
And for anyone into birds, the Merlin App has a sound recording that matches the birds you hear. It's a fun way to learn bird songs and on a nice morning when there's a large variety of birds, the app looks like the keys of a piano being pressed. Notes and chords of the bird variety.
Capturing Sounds
Did I mention I used to do this & take them into the high security prison where I worked as a music therapist. It felt creatively disruptive but just the right side of legal. Sometimes we used to incorporate them into songs the women wrote & recorded. Two I remember particularly were a blackbird & the rush of traffic (the latter working perfectly with the electric guitar she played). Currently staying in a coastal hut with no WiFi, tv or radio & the sound of silence delicious (as even silence can be so LOUD) so love your different prompts & links thank you 🙏
Thanks for this, I’m going to give it a go and will see if I can share something here. It’s when I close my eyes to meditate that I suddenly realise I’m living within a soundscape, but the rest of the time ‘seeing’ is so dominant. Listening is a great way into meditation, listening seems to put me into receptive mode, waiting, receiving.
I love your newsletter. It’s right up my street, as we say. I’m curious if you come from any faith/philosophical place? I practice Buddhism and it’s full of practices for ‘paying attention’.
Rob, thanks so much for sharing my newsletter! I'm never sure if anyone listens to my field recordings so I'm thrilled you did! To me, the way a place sounds is as integral to our experience of it as the way it looks, even if we don't really realize it in the moment.
Thanks again for sharing!
Love this! I captured sound bites when I visited Ireland a few years ago and paired it with photos I took in the same location. But I haven't done it since. I really should. If you want to check it out, here's the blog post I made for it: https://www.shanileead.com/blog/2018/10/31/sounds-of-ireland
Love this. Thinking about all the common sounds I might someday be nostalgic for, like the way our coffee maker lurches into action, or the sound of our crazy dog bouncing off the front window. Want to start cataloging and saving them in Day One.
Ffern’s lovely seasonal podcast always features a gorgeous, immersive field recording (https://ffern.co/podcast/)
Really want to give sound snapshots a go!
Also, LOVED your article re: “clutter” linked at the bottom! Currently moving and getting stuck in throwing away all the memories and experiences lived in this house and how to preserve them.
Just curious as to how you capture your sound only. I videoed the rain today as it gradually got heavier, first outside and then on my roof. It’s such a lovely way to wake up in the morning. And it reminds me of home on the we(s)t coast of Canada. Speaking of sound without image I thought you might be interested in a comedy program last night on Japanese TV that I watched. They selected six Japanese TV personalities and made them wear wrestling masks to completely cover their faces. Each of the six had to try and guess who the other 5 were. It was pretty funny how hard it was to figure them out without the visual cues. I could recognize myself starting to look for other mannerisms to help me guess: the way they moved their hands or the tilt of the head. They were at an amusement park so they had them on roller coasters and eating food trying to get to hear a bit of their voice or get a glimpse of their mouth. Pretty fascinating and deep, beyond just the humor appeal that was intended.
You just gave me an idea to record my Ukulele practice. I have just begun to play and it would be interesting to listen back and hear my growth along with the growth and changes I feel in the strumming, the finger placement to make chords, and the ability to play a song.
And for anyone into birds, the Merlin App has a sound recording that matches the birds you hear. It's a fun way to learn bird songs and on a nice morning when there's a large variety of birds, the app looks like the keys of a piano being pressed. Notes and chords of the bird variety.