Bianqingᵐᵒᵈᵉˡ⁶, ᵠⁱⁿᵍ, Cellophane, etc.
August 2022
Research on the mysterious entity known as "Hui" (迴) has lurked behind the soundscape studies proposed by scholars since the 1960s and later by musicians in their approach to environmental music. Although we have continued to study the subject without the public's knowledge, the complex ecology and technological limitations of "Hui" have prevented us from unraveling the many mysteries surrounding the entities, and have left us foggy in our research. Over the past year, we have been collecting and organizing old research materials and thanks to today's advanced digital technology and environment, we have been able to conduct new research. We plan to archive all kinds of data, including research materials, history, and field recordings, on this site.
『research•clip•ᵠⁱⁿᵍ』 © the Research Center of Hui, 2022
This instrument, used by ancient Chinese feng shui masters, seems to have been lost for centuries, a tangled maze of folklore, geology, sound technology, and constantly rewritten historical descriptions of mutantexture forever shrouding the continent. Fortunately, we found a collection of instruments known as bianqingᵐᵒᵈᵉˡ⁶ still in use in a secret community in the northern plains of northern China. Although copied a thousand years later, this group of instruments is believed to be a fairly accurate replica of the qing of the Sui and Tang heyday. There is no way to know their authenticity, but these instruments remain the only clues within our reach. bianqingᵐᵒᵈᵉˡ⁶ features a streamlined circular design with irregularly raised and flowing traces of surfaces corresponding to flowing Qi and Fengshui structures. The plectrum parts are made of light stones or alloys. These instruments are considered heritage and are worshiped and protected.
qingᵃˡᵖʰᵃ ᵇᵘⁱˡᵈ is our first attempt. It is based on bianqingᵐᵒᵈᵉˡ⁶, a truly faithful instrument to the original design, but qingᵃˡᵖʰᵃ ᵇᵘⁱˡᵈ did not seem to be able to be used in the emerging environment we are building nowadays. We changed the plectrum material to glass to get a crisper tone and reduce the raspy low-frequency noise, but usually, only a few fragments of hui can be heard within 10-20 seconds of starting to play, sliding across the top of the room like a crash and disappearing into space.
qingᵃˡᵖʰᵃ ᵇᵘⁱˡᵈ, based on bianqingᵐᵒᵈᵉˡ⁶, © the Research Center of Hui, 2021
Another model worth mentioning is the experimental prototype named "ᵠⁱⁿᵍ". Although our earliest intention was to develop open-source instruments that reproduce the remains of ancient instruments as closely as possible with modern technology, our efforts soon deviated from our main goal ——the Mechanically cut new-generation alloy structures with sharp tips and angles gave up stable control and fluidity of qing, but instead delivered a harsh, drastic style of randomness. Although controversial to some conservatives, the irregular vibrations of ᵠⁱⁿᵍ and the sonic feedback resulting from the shape of the alloy have led to the discovery of brand-new patterns of hui morphology and interaction we have never seen before.
ᵠⁱⁿᵍ, Photo = Naoki Takehisa,
© the Research Center of Hui, 2022
ᵠⁱⁿᵍ's alloy body and sharp shape results in random and aggressive sounds,
Photo = Naoki Takehisa,
© the Research Center of Hui, 2022
『research•clip•ᶜᵉˡˡᵒᵖʰᵃⁿᵉ』 © the Research Center of Hui, 2022
Originating in the heart of the ᏗᎷᏰᎥᎥᏋᏁᏖ music and hui research field, this type of vibra-string instruments from Europe, collectively known as "Aui" is widely sought after for its versatility and stability of frequencies, and has been modified and used around the world to this day. In this project, our main goal was to develop a new type of Aui that minimizes the magnetic track interference caused by the electroacoustics of Aui instruments and highly accentuates the individual characteristics of hui ——ᶜᵉˡˡᵒᵖʰᵃⁿᵉ (based on the most popular Aui²⁰⁰⁰).
ᶜᵉˡˡᵒᵖʰᵃⁿᵉ, Photo = Naoki Takehisa,
© the Research Center of Hui, 2022
Interestingly, despite the fact that European ᏗᎷᏰᎥᎥᏋᏁᏖ music is the only example of ᏗᎷᏰᎥᎥᏋᏁᏖ music that possesses a notation and has been continuously changed and used till today(all the scores we have found so far are from different branches of this ancient method), the notes of Aui have never changed. At the same time, the Aui is unanimously considered to be the most difficult instrument to master...the player is given the greatest possible spectral width and tonal control but is required to focus on subtle adjustments to his playing and breathing in response to the gestures and frequency feedback of the entity. Even with the same score, the playing of any two Aui players is different. An experienced instrumentalist will tend to construct a stable even-flowing, symmetrical frequency range as ᏗᎷᏰᎥᎥᏋᏁᏖ music's bottom layer to settle down the summoning and prolong the duration of emerging. A small group of avant-garde radicals, on the other hand, are obsessed with exploiting the potential and nature of the Aui as much as possible, with expressive, sharp-edged tones distorted to the point of fracture in a torrent of high and medium frequencies that jump at high speed.
A page of Aui's notations, Unknown Author, c.1970,
Restored by Yak Yak, © the Research Center of Hui, 2022
A new piece for ᶜᵉˡˡᵒᵖʰᵃⁿᵉ, used in an emerging test,
Composed by Yak Yak, © the Research Center of Hui, 2022
On ᶜᵉˡˡᵒᵖʰᵃⁿᵉ we tried to create different playing modes that could be switched to cope with various emerging situations as much as possible, and the different colors on the control panel corresponded to the different modes. By shunting the collider output of the fengshui engine to ᶜᵉˡˡᵒᵖʰᵃⁿᵉ on the pulse modulator so that it can act as an external building block for the chang² suite and automatically adjust to the appropriate state with the feedback read from the emerging, thus reducing the difficulty and burden on the Aui player. In the coming weeks, we will publish the source code of this approach to support more open-source development.
Alternative modes on ᶜᵉˡˡᵒᵖʰᵃⁿᵉ, Photo = Naoki Takehisa,
© the Research Center of Hui, 2022
Notes patterns of ᶜᵉˡˡᵒᵖʰᵃⁿᵉ, Transcribed by Yak Yak,
© the Research Center of Hui, 2022
ᶜᵉˡˡᵒᵖʰᵃⁿᵉ, Photo = Naoki Takehisa,
© the Research Center of Hui, 2022
『research•clip•ˡⁱⁱᵗʰᵒ⋰ᵍʳᵃᵖʰ』 © the Research Center of Hui, 2022
The outlying areas of the rainforest basin in western Africa, where the moomoo tribe mentioned in ARCHIVE 03 is located, are vast rugged Guoyane highlands marked by flat floodplains of Diluvium, towering weathered granite, numerous caverns created by crustal shifts, and the wet swamps that surround them. For most people, this area is considered off-limits. The seemingly infinite planes swallow up the scent of human activities, crumbling boulders and the poor soil prevent the full growth of crops; the vegetation is monotonous and low, but the yon yon, used by the moomoo tribesmen, grows in abundance. For the inhabitants of the moomoo tribe, the Guoyane highlands symbolize sacred nature and are the site of their rituals (emerging). Theoretically, emerging can be done anywhere, but in this area, hui relaxes in the unique landscapes and travels without any signal interference.
Years of tectonic movement have distorted and porous the structure of these gray rocks in the caves widely distributed in the highlands, mixing them with various metals and minerals to create a unique magnetic field. in the hands of the moomoo tribal artisans, these stones become material for ritual instruments, which are used in the rituals of the moomoo tribe. The ᏗᎷᏰᎥᎥᏋᏁᏖ music played in rituals is mainly composed of " liithophonᵉ," a percussion instrument made by artisans who cut stones into various shapes to create a variety of sounds.
Landscape of the Guoyane Highlands, Photo=Olu 'Okhai Ojeikere, c.1998
Relics of liithophonᵉ, found by Yak Yak,
© the Research Center of Hui, 2021
The liithophonᵉ has no fixed instrumental structure or rhythmic pattern. The priests found that arranging the stones in different styles of circles led to very different invocations, and the gravitational field created by the constantly changing circles during this ritual is called liithoᶜⁱʳᶜˡᵉˢ. At the same time, the entity responds to and interacts with the subtle emotions of the performers and the crowd participating in the ritual ——from a gentle, soft whisper ——to a thickening layer of rhythm, a prying open of space ——excitement, a sudden explosion ——pulses from the impact of the rocks piercing the crowd like a ray of light. The crisp percussive tones of liithophonᵉ are filtered under the dense air of the Guoyane highland, giving it an almost rubbery texture. The connection between natives and entity is very Inspired, constantly switching between rumbling, roaring hiss and delicate, grinding rhythmic sequences that harmonize and cooperate with the entity, ultimately succeeding in maintaining uninterrupted communication.
A measuring tool for liithoᶜⁱʳᶜˡᵉˢ, used by the moomoo,
from © the Research Center of Hui collections, 1800s
A rare photo of Western researchers attempting an emerging on the Guoyane Highlands, from © the Research Center of Hui collections, 1970-1980
The isolated moomoo tribe maintains its mystery, and their music is different from other ᏗᎷᏰᎥᎥᏋᏁᏖ music. Instead of experiencing a tangled interfusion of influences, it maintains its authenticity and requires a high degree of intuition and physicality. Although still unable to understand its non-fixed tempo of changing beats, we tried to construct our own liithophonᵉ, which we called "ˡⁱⁱᵗʰᵒ⋰ᵍʳᵃᵖʰ.”
ˡⁱⁱᵗʰᵒ⋰ᵍʳᵃᵖʰ, Photo = Naoki Takehisa,
© the Research Center of Hui, 2022
This is a group of instruments made of rocks and yon net collected in the caves of the Guoyane Highlands. These rocks of unique composition are electrically conductive, and we connected them to the system of chang² suite to capture and interfere with the signals flowing through the surface, which allows outsiders like us who are not proficient in playing liithophonᵉ can have some controls on ˡⁱⁱᵗʰᵒ⋰ᵍʳᵃᵖʰ to some extent ——Obviously, this new type of instrument needs more control test, but we have tried it in emerging with some success.
In this module, we create virtual liithoᶜⁱʳᶜˡᵉˢ in cyberspace and disrupt the chang² suite's MIDI sequences by the electric-gravitational field it generates to achieve an automatic playing function that approaches close to the nonlinear practice of the ᏗᎷᏰᎥᎥᏋᏁᏖ musicians. Linear one-direction MIDI notes gradually begin to reverse half-integer spin and are eventually torn and extended into the unknowable realm. The strings detached from the time axis are split into tentacles, and the distorted signals repeat the duality mutation of succession and severance until a kind of grid-like structure is formed ——one might even say an almost rhizomatic form...
Research note of liithoᶜⁱʳᶜˡᵉˢ, during the first field study of the Guoyane Highlands, from © the Research Center of Hui collections, c.1970