As part of the twelve tone series produced at the NeoKitsch studio, and presented here on the ‘online multi-arts centre’, I explore different idioms and instrumentation to use with this composition technique.
The first recording to start the series is a short improvisation in a ‘blues’ style, where the bass guitar, woodwind and the Haken Continuum Fingerboard are used.
The Continuum is a soft surface instrument in the style of a keyboard. I was very impressed by the design when I first heard of it, as I could immediately see the great potential this tool possessed. The main interest I had was in continuous pitch capabilities. Since I am a Theremin player and have collaborated with Lydia Kavina and the Ether Festival at the London Southbank, I was familiar with pitch and volume controls in this manner, and I learned a great deal from other musicians dealing with these kinds of instruments. The Continuum has brought many new possibilities to my compositions, as it allows much more flexibility with musical articulations than a conventional keyboard. Only sophisticated instruments such as the violin allows a rich and free platform for texture and expression similar to the Continuum Fingerboard. Unlike the piano for example, the Continuum can play quarter tones and glissandos, but most importantly, it allows you to use vibrato and varying dynamics on a single note. While the attack of a note determines the volume on a piano, the soft surface Continuum responds to pressure, so you can have crescendos and diminuendos.
There are many more examples of the Continuum featured on NeoKitsch, so please do check them out!
This particular piece of music is featured in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari as the leitmotiv for Dr. Caligari in the silent classic german expressionist horror film. The full version of the movie, with original music composed by myself, is available to watch here, exclusively on NeoKitsch for free.
Written by Danny Hahn ©
Please click on the play button below to listen to ‘twelve-tone blues’:
Twelve Tone Blues – By Danny Hahn by NeoKitsch
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