sparql is ryan woodhall

programmed and composed fall 2023
recorded jan 10th 2024 at the goatshed germantown, ny

in august of 2023 I started experimenting with the process of digitally converting the analog output of my bass guitar.
the initial idea was that the range of the bass guitar combined with monophonic performance would provide fundamental frequencies
that could be easily read and converted. I was wrong.
In the programming environment, I experimented with multiple methods and discovered a shared failure to properly track the pitch and velocity. eventually I landed on a few methods with varying degrees of success and accuracy.
using these tracking objects I programmed six distinct performance patches using an array of triggering techniques, while simultaneously developing compositions inspired by scattered ideas around highway junctions, zoomorphism, and unsettling frequency arrangements. sometimes when playing it felt like my bass was fighting the software.
after a few overhauls in between bicoastal performances, I recorded the pieces live in upstate ny the winter of 2024.