In early 2023 I was resident composer at the Elektronmusikstudion (EMS) in Stockholm. During this time I had access to the Halldorophone, a cello-like string instrument with a set of sympathetic strings and an inbuilt feedback mechanism.
I was able to spend a lot of focused time with the Halldorophone, exploring various techniques and improvising with it. Its feedback system is capable of delivering anything from subtle reinforcement of the overtones in a played note to a more volatile state where the instrument actively resists control, revealing its inherently chaotic nature. It is in this volatile state that the Halldorophone truly comes into its own and playing it becomes a uniquely musical experience: trying to guide an instrument that has a mind of its own.
Studies for Halldorophone is a suite of small miniatures I developed at EMS together with the cellist Elis Hakola.
I was able to spend a lot of focused time with the Halldorophone, exploring various techniques and improvising with it. Its feedback system is capable of delivering anything from subtle reinforcement of the overtones in a played note to a more volatile state where the instrument actively resists control, revealing its inherently chaotic nature. It is in this volatile state that the Halldorophone truly comes into its own and playing it becomes a uniquely musical experience: trying to guide an instrument that has a mind of its own.
Studies for Halldorophone is a suite of small miniatures I developed at EMS together with the cellist Elis Hakola.