Jean-Francois Charles

Remember: in the Fall, I invited you to solve a science of sound problem. In Rico Loop's video, the aim is to find out how much he drinks in between the moments when he blows different pitches in the bottle.A first step toward solving the problem consists in getting a sound file out of the youtube video ; then you will be ready to analyze the sound.Of course, you can use any kind of "youtube to mp3" software, but I want to show you a more general approach: using audio routing software. Although it requires a little more effort, you will then be able to record any audio coming out of any piece of software in your computer into a sound file. Here is the idea: Internal audio routing softwareThe two open source options most used by musicians are:Jack, a flexible audio connection kit, available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and more operating systems!Soundflower, only available for Mac.There are plenty of resources online to learn how to use these tools, so I'm just going to sh…

Clarinetist Donald Oehler just contacted me to ask a few details about my composition for clarinet & string quartet Nigritella nigra. As I said in my 2007 blog post, this piece was really my first "classical music" composition.
Here is the manuscript of the quiet first page. It reminds me of the small room I was living in at the time, in Annecy. Donald Oehler is a Professor of Music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is building a catalog of works for clarinet and string quartet: I am looking forward to seeing this catalog released!Speaking of catalogs, I was surprised to see Nigritella nigra mentioned in the International Clarinet Association score collection at the University of Maryland. A surprise, and an honor!

Colin, a composer from Tours in France, just left a question on the French version of this blog. He is asking how I would notate clarinet multiphonics, especially the clarinet multiphonic & glissando documented with a clarinet multiphonic sonogram video and related fingerings. For the record, Colin posted the question on the French page: Multiphonique en série & glissando : les doigtés.First, Colin, thank you for your interest and for the question. Let's look at the first two parts of the video.Multiphonic seriesThe part from 0:00 to 0:16 in the video was inspired by a series in E. Michael Richards’s book The clarinet of the twenty-first century, page 158. It corresponds to excerpt #2 on this page from E. Michael Richard's web site. Note that for the youtube video, I did not choose the exact same fingerings: you'll have to check the pitches, but you get the idea for the notation.Multiphonic & glissandoThis one, starting at 0:19, is a personal creation, triggere…

Duo Descofar is made of Nikolaz Cadoret (one of the founders of the RRRR jam sessions) and Alice Sori, two great harpists. After touring with their show Finis Terrae, they are ready to record a 1st album.Support creative artistsThese artists are bringing electricity to the harp: they use a carefully chosen set of guitar pedals to realize their musical ideas. Support creative artists, and do what I just did: buy the upcoming Descofar Duo 1st album on KissKissBankBank!In case you don't know this service, KissKissBankBank is the French Kickstarter.

After the September improv session Saint-Malo street, you are invited: tomorrow, jam at the Au Coin d’la Rue solidarity space in Recouvrance, Brest, France. More info on Au coin d'la Rue's web site.
Friends will be playing sax, electric harp, voice, and unexpected sound objects; I might play contrabass clarinet & basset horn, we shall see.Hope to see you there - with your instrument / dancers, actors & other artists welcome too!