The title 'blind phase' comes
from an attempt to come up with a word for
what a technique I was using in a number of pieces.
Even though it was meant in the context of 'phasing' I was pleased that it
also comes out as a pun on 'phase' of life. Ian's blind phase, the same as
Ian's acoustic phase maybe...
What is phase?
I’ll be brief, as many excellent words have already been written (not least by
Reich himself) on the history of phasing. It begins with Steve Reich and his
experiments with phasing. Reich explored the phasing of two tape loops
mechanically using tape machines (It's Gonna Rain, Come out). Later he
discovered that a human being could play out of phase with a tape loop (Violin
Phase) and two human beings even, could play out of phase together (Piano
Phase).
The most important element for me was that Reich, adhering strictly to his
'gradual process' vision of music, enforces a strict progression of the phasing
(usually shifting one beat at a time).
Initial Experiments
Like Reich I started to play with phasing using a tape recorder. I recorded the
song 'Up North Girl' on a Sony cassette machine. I then overdubbed the same
recording twice starting the second version slightly later than the first. I put
my finger on the tape reel to slow it down and change the phase relationship.
Right at the end of the relationship is so far out it produces something more
like a delay.
When I switched to computer recording recently, phasing became a lot easier. You
can 'see' the sounds you are working with and shift them around, playing with
the phase relationship.
Blind phase
In the summer of 2003 I went to Liverpool to visit my friend Paul. We sat in
Sefton park on a blazing hot day playing acoustic guitars. I explained 'piano
phase' to him - the idea of going one beat out of phase. We started playing the
opening theme of Sweet Child of Mine by Guns and Roses (a guitar players classic
and one of the first things we and learnt together). Paul shifted one beat back
then two then three then back in phase. We jammed this for a long time,
delighted with the result.
Back home when I recorded 'phase song' the intention was to do a Reich styled
one beat shift throughout the piece. As I was recording myself the only option
was to overdub the phase part. In typical fashion I laid down the first part
first take and wound the tape back (ah the days of cassette multi-track, winding
the tape…) I proceeded to overdub the second part, only to find that I had no
idea how I had played the first take. Now the initial instinct here would be to
stop the tape, listen and try and learn what I did in the first take then try
again. I just carried on playing. The was a still phasing but the setting up of
the phase was random (well, nearly random). I would be a full bar out, then back
in, then 1 beat out and so on. Unlike my loop work, which also produces random
relationships of notes, I was part of the process as I was actually playing.
‘Blind Phase’ is therefore in this piece is more like ‘random phase’. I decided to try another experiment whereby I would overdub blind (or deaf really) so the relationship was completely uncontrolled. The result was not as satisfactory. The relationships between the identical phrases were too loose to constitute actual phasing.
Eventually I used the technique of ‘blind phasing’ on several of the tracks for the album ‘Blind Phase’
Sheffield, April 2004