In the Pursuit of Pretty Shoes

INSTRUMENTS
Here it is, the first instrument to be finished (well as near as damn it),
#5 - The Texture Harp. (Tim)

Texture Harp
post by Meghann Welsh

I've discovered it's hard to describe the sounds of textures. "Talking about music is like dancing about architecture" as they say. So, I've used the generic "white noise", although technically incorrect, as my base sound descriptor, and applied modifiers to that. Let me know if you can hear the textures or describe the textures differently!

Currently, the strings have four different textures:

Waxed: Twine coated with bee's wax. Sound when rubbed is a sticky-smooth "white noise", or a squeal and squawk when more pressure is applied.
Grit: Twine coated with wood glue and sawdust. Sound when rubbed is a rough "white noise".
Fiber: Unaltered twine. Sound when rubbed is a soft-smooth "white noise".
Metal: Unaltered metal twine. Sound when rubbed is a hard-smooth "white noise", or a zipper-like noise if fingernails are used.

The strings hang from a frame that I made out of 1/2" EMT. Wye (Y) fittings at the top allow for the frame to be expanded to make room for more strings. The threaded pipe allows for the frame to be broken down and reconstructed pretty easily. I may still add a soundboard, but cans at the end of each string, acting as resonance chambers, are doing a pretty good job. Experimentation with piezo mics in process...

In addition to being rubbed, each string can be plucked.
In both rubbing and plucking techniques, the pitch of each string can be altered by changing the tension of the string (by applying pressure to the can).

Hopefully you can get an idea of the various sound possibilities with this late night demonstration:

CHARCOT MARIE TOOTH
I met Jessica through her blog and have very much enjoyed her writing, so I'm very happy that she has offered to contribute to this project! Our 1st New Yorker (though originally from California...) highlights the common fact that most people with CMT are not diagnosed for a long time, because even the medical world is not very clued in to this syndrome. (Tim)

My Story
post by Jessica Wells, a.k.a. Miss Pretty Shoes

Originally a So-Cal girl, I quit everything I knew in the Spring of 2008 to come to the Big Apple to chase my dreams! After a year of "pounding the pavement" of The City That Never Sleeps, I started experiencing unshakable pain and swelling in my left foot and ankle. I tried for 6 months to identify the cause of the pain, visiting podiatrists, chiropractors, orthopedic surgeons, and neurologists along the way--all to no avail! Finally, after a visit to an unrelenting and dedicated sports medicine doctor, we discovered a multitude of issues, including a torn peroneal ligament, severe arthritis, and a bone bruise.

After failed attempts at using natural healing methods like physical therapy and reduced strenuous activity, I was referred to a surgeon for a consultation. Immediately upon taking one look at my feet, he diagnosed me with Charcot Marie Tooth Syndrome, a progressively degenerative neuro-muscular disorder. Through my own extensive research, I learned I had most of the classic symptoms of CMT, though no other physician had ever taken notice to them (including an inexplicable propensity for broken bones, sprains, and other joint injuries; painful arches; an overwhelming dislike for running; a lifelong remorse for never fulfilling my potential as a professional ballerina; and a general sense of crabbiness without at least 8 hours of sleep every night).

Over the next few months, my surgeon (a.k.a. the mad scientist) and I formulated a treatment plan centered around progressive surgeries to strengthen my ankles, re-construct my feet, and to hopefully reverse the progression of this rare disease, beginning with the left foot first. And, in the midst of these physical challenges, I have also been forced to come to grips emotionally and mentally with the new found diagnosis of this debilitating, lifelong disease.

I am determined to overcome the challenges of CMT, all with the hope of someday again finding and putting on that perfect pair of pretty shoes . . .

The Tale of a Comet

INSTRUMENTS (#5)
The newest instrument maker (#5) has skills. She's currently working on a Doctorate of Musical Arts and has a host of experience and imagination behind her. This is a link to a group she's in:http://www.paulhembree.com/ucsd_summer_tour/, this is the beginnings of her instrument...

(Tim)

The Textureharp
post by Meghann Welsh

I'm interested in creating new instruments with old technology as well as using modern technology to manipulate old sounds in new ways.

The Textureharp (working name):

The idea behind this instrument is to use amplification to capture and control the subtle sounds that are elusive to our ears. Amplification possibilities will include both old and new technologies: the resonance chamber, the sounding board, and the electromagnetic pickup.

The structure of this instrument will be a composite of a washtub bass and a frame harp. Instead of standard strings, I will use lengths of rope that have interesting textures or lengths of rope that have been fixed with textural material. So far, the string material includes rough hemp rope, twisted metal wire, spray foam, and sand paper of different grits. At the end of each string, a can acting as a resonance chamber will amplify the sound of the string. The strings can be plucked like a harp or washtub bass, but the idea is to run the fingers along the length of string to produce the sound of each material's texture.

More on brain storming, trial and error, and prototypes to come.

Other possible names: Touch-Tone-O-Phone, RopeRub, ?



CHARCOT MARIE TOOTH
The next post is by Donna Rennie who is doing a great job at running a CMT support group in the East Bay. She is definitely a motivational force behind this project - but I'm very happy she has joined us on the ground by opening up with the following piece, it changes some of my perspectives. (Tim)

The Tale of a Comet
post by Donna Rennie

It happened while I was getting a massage. My massage therapist, a nurse, asked me why I wasn't using a little transport chair. I had no idea what she was talking about. "Do you mean a wheelchair?" I asked with a scrunched up menace. "Yes." she offered. "They're small, lightweight and you can put them in your car. You can have full mobility anytime you want it. Anybody can push you and it will be fun. All you have to do is ask. People use them all the time."

Everything shifted.

At age 59 I was diagnosed with Charcot Marie Tooth Disease. After four years of not being able to walk more than about 10 minutes without starting to jump from pain, I imagined a way out. Could it be true? Would it be possible to go to a museum again?…take long walks with family and friends?….shop for hours with my daughter?…and, most of all, get rid of all the anxiety about how long I would be stuck on my feet!

So, off I went into the local orthopedic store. They pulled down a little chair, called a Nova Comet (no advertising here.) I sat in it, lifted it, folded it, loved it. Bought it.

Now, I have complete confidence in my "feet." I don't use it all the time, but when I need it, the Comet is there for me.

What's the big deal anyway? So what if my feet have wheels? So what if my feet need hands to push? So what if people look at me a little differently? I always smile and wave. They all wave back. I actually think I've helped them out a little bit. Wheelchairs get a bad rap. They are just another mode of transportation….with human energy.

All I had to do was accept what works, shift my thinking a little bit and ask for a push. Voila. My life came back. I have since found out that my friends and family want to help me. They love me. Everyone has always wanted to push me around anyway.