the sound of athletes and traffic

the sound of athletes: grunting of tennis, weightlifters dropped weights, splashing of divers etc. – athletes and their environment create sound. all sports have rules – length of game, number of players, type of space – they can therefore be considered musical because they are organised, linear in time, and they use and create sound.

shadow sound: a by-product of something else, not deliberate or intentional.

grunting: in tennis the by-product also has the effect of focusing the player, adding rhythm to the playing and is used tactically to imply a particular shot or not – deception!

martial arts: the kiai is a ritualised shout to greet, do a particular move etc. like commas and full stops in a sentence or sequence of moves.

the haka: a ritualised and choreographed sequence to intimidate – a stylised form of communication. consider how sound and movement expression come together often. in the haka’s case – the body is the instrument to the sound.

the car as instrument: as the body, the car is also an instrument of sound with carried meaning. e.g. the car parade – honking horns, celebratory. or rush hour can be particular to a place and culture, is orchestrated in that it happens at a particular time of day with particular agents of sound, some freewill, some not. or the traffic jam – the material frame is not only what you hear but also what you see. no freewill, stuck.