DEATH BY NUMBERS: Bass guitar experiments

Over the weekend I decided to explore the song in more depth and experiment with different materials. 

In my previous experiments, i generally stick to one medium to explore a subject, so for these experiments i wanted to come up with a range of medias and different outcomes to show a range of developments and experimentation. 

EXPERIMENTATION'S
The first thing i noticed while listening to the song was that the melody was played by the bass guitar, so I focused on this section first.

Using acrylic i created these streaks of colour. It was most interesting to me that they formed these soft yet prominent patterns, which i felt gave a sense of direction. With there being different patterns that forms the square, it conveyed a sense of notes that play at once to form a whole chord.

I created this colour theory while painting these; a smooth change in chords symbolised through the fluent change in colours. I began with red and ended up at purple. It was important that the colours in the individual boxes where very subtle and only consisted of different shades of the same colour, as this represented a sense of harmony. Much like the paintings the bass guitar in the song is like a sequenced harmony which holds the whole song together. This is why each change in colour represented a change in chords. Every streak I had created had its own identity and none of them where the same. This isolated each chord and gave them their own visual design.

These line drawings where based off of each chord. I would listen to the melody and mark make these wave like drawings. I was fascinated by the echoes in each chord, as it was strung the sound travelled though to the next chord. Also using the weight and length of the lines to determine the pitch and volume of each sound. The slimmer and longer lines had much higher pitches, where as the wider yet smaller lines symbolised a softer pitch and more warm, rounded sound. For these designs it was important that there was a sense of correspondence in the visual aspects. I wanted there to be a clear distinction between which instruments where playing what chords. Also to make sure that these designs showed a continuum, and a sense of movement.

I wanted to capture movement in a still image while also creating a sense of swift transitioning, so i got tape and dragged it across the scanner creating different patterns and shapes which looked as if they where notes bouncing off each other. I was very much pleased with this experiment as i was able to identify different notes through the shapes they made. none f the circles came out the same and all looked morphed into each other. Also the grooves show up as lines which relates to having it's own patterns.

For these experiments i decided to paint on a smooth, fragile surface as the bass is played at a subtle tone, just about holding the song together. It was interesting to also see how the paint worked with the fabric surface, as it soaked through it left interesting shapes and colours . I also applied my colour theory while in the process of creating these patterns; Using the brighter colours to represent the higher key notes, and the darker colours representing the lower key notes. This enabled every shape to be more distinctive from the other through its colour.

Overall, i now understand that through creating multiple experiments, it puts you in a better position for development work as there is a range to develop and explore. Also being able to identify experiments strengths and weaknesses is useful to me as a designer as it strengthens the work you produce. My next step will be to develop these experiments through digitalising and putting them into context for my final piece.