Chen Shih-Ho (JC)

Reflection of Mirror I  Program note:        Reflection of Mirror   I  is a duet for double bass and electronics, exploring the complex relationship between acoustic sound and digital sound. The piece deals with the concept of reflection, using the mirror as a tool.      The double bass served as the main voice. The electronics, acting as both the counterpart and a distorted “reflection“, respond to double bass with effects such as delay, freeze, and granulator. These effects blur the line between the double bass and its reflections.      The sound played by the double bass is picked up with a contact microphone, which is used for amplification and live processing in a Max patch. The amplified double bass sound is sent to both channels, mix with electronics sound. In the performance space, the double bassist is positioned in the center of the stage, with speakers on the side. Audio: https://on.soundcloud.com/b5oNgvtLR445QN...

Unterminated 端 Program note:      This work is a co-creation with one of my classmates in high school, Sz-chian Wang. This work is for six performers of piano, flute, cello, electric guitar, percussion and live electronics. The piece starts with sounds of water, followed by a steady 16th-note rhythm made with electronics. The electronics part is generated in Ableton Live. The Ableton Live patch is created by me (Chen Shih-Ho). The live processing was controlled by me also.      The concept of the piece explores the idea of endless circulation; therefore, the beginning of the piece corresponds to the ending of the piece, in which it starts and ends with water sounds. This piece is structured in four sections. In each sections have different circulations, for example at the second section it start from percussion solo for 16 seconds and following each instruments has their own solo for 16 seconds.      All performers wear h...

Thoughts 思路  Program note:      This work is for five performers of cello, flute, Chinese flutes (Di and Xiao), percussion, and live  electronics. It was a structured improvisation consisting of three sections. It was my first time to be  part of the creators, as I was only able to be a performer before. In fact, all of our team members  are first-timers when it comes to improvising and composing.           The concept of the work began by thinking about two kinds of flutes we had in our class (Chinese flute and a regular Western flute). It led us to think about Silk Road (a network of Eurasian trade routes that played an important role in cultural exchanges between East and West). We started with lots of discussions and tryouts. Eventually, we decided on a few keywords associated with performance (intimidate, conflict, converge), and these three words became sectional styles.       In the live electron...

Fireworks Program note:      Fireworks is for computer with synth sounds generated in Max8. It has a simple graphical user  interface to play sounds live. It consists of four voices with sounds made out of sine, triangle, and sawtooth waveforms, as well as white noise. It was my first approach to compose with Max8. It  started with a few repeated minimalistic patterns and gradually added more notes into the  rhythmic patterns. Then, a very short white noise sound is generated with a random volumes  ranging from 20 to 60 milliseconds to imitate an imagined sound of setting the fire fuse. Following  that, it comes with multiple glissandos made out of 8-second pitch gliding sounds, which make a  similar sound to my childhood experience of watching fireworks at a local temple ceremony. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flQN3_pUB44