You may rock but does this guitar?

OK, let's ignore how godawful and cheesy this following video is and just focus on the product it's selling:


This actually seems like a good idea, yes? Forget playing it with Guitar Hero and Rock Band, because it doesn't look like much fun (and doesn't appear to have a whammy bar?!), but what about the idea of using touch sensitive technologies for fret boards? It would save you from tuning your guitar, although there would need to be a way to set alternate tunings. No broken strings during a show, no steel digging into your fingers. I don't know how it would be for finger picking, but for some straight-ahead power chord rock, it could be useful. The You Rock Guitar has a standard guitar input for plugging directly into an amp, as well as a USB input for plugging into a MIDI sequencer or computer, and works with many existing music programs, such as Garage Band. I'd like to see something that's closer to a fully functional guitar, you know, with knobs and a whammy bar and such, but this could be the first step towards a truly digital guitar. And at $150, it's a pricey video game controller, but a great little toy to fiddle with on the music end.


On the other side of the spectrum, it looks like Gibson is also trying to incorporate digital-age technology into their guitars, with the HD.6X, or the HD Les Paul.It uses a Cat5 cable for plugging directly into digital sources. This baby does a ton, including sending out individual data for each of the six strings. It's all very pro-level and the guitar itself is very nice. You can always switch it to analog for some good old fashioned shredding, should you choose. Of course, quality like this doesn't come cheap, so be prepared to spend $4000 or more. While I like the plethora of recording and output options the HD.6X gives you, it isn't any more intuitive to learn or play than a regular guitar, and has all the normal drawbacks of a regular axe. Not that I'm suggesting that a $150 "You Rock" guitar could ever match a Les Paul, just that at least it's incorporating new technologies to add to the music experience.

Now, I wonder what would happen if we took either of those guitars and circuit bent them...hmm...

-Daniel

What's in a lyric?

I've been a writer for most of my life. I'd like to think I'm good at it. But one thing I never focused on was lyrical writing. I've written poems, most short, and most without a rhyming scheme. I did write one epic poem in high school. Maybe it's still sitting on a hard drive somewhere. However, none of this has really prepared me for the task of writing words that will be set to music. I find myself turning back to those artists whose lyrics I really admire--Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Nick Cave, Morrissey, Steely Dan--in an attempt to discern what it is that makes a great line. In addition, I've turned to other popular artists for the art of turning a phrase. Of saying more with less, if you like. All this analysis and dissection has driven me to the point of outright mimicry at times. I'm struggling to find my own voice, which is strange after so many years of knowing what moves me as an artist.

My hope is that when the music begins to take shape, the right lyrics will pop out. That's not going to stop me from working and trying now, but I have a feeling the music itself will have a big influence on what words eventually make the cut.

-Daniel

Bring me the head of the Thummer man

Andy and I have been combing the interwebs for interesting alternative and new music technologies, and our efforts have already turned up something interesting. It's called a Thummer, and it looks like a really interesting, intuitive instrument. Here's a pic:It's a rather ingenious little device, with the keys laid out in such a way that scales are played by a sequential pattern up the face of it. Start at any natural note, and the pattern remains the same for creating its scale. The knobs at the front of it are for controlling pitch and other factors. It even has a motion sensor. It can be laid flat, as shown, or it can also be attached together and played almost like an accordion. You can get more info about it at http://www.thummer.com/

This instrument seems like a perfect fit for H+. The only problem? It's not in production yet. I sent an email to the address at the Thummer website, came back as undeliverable. Tried to join the mailing list, and it only takes me to an error page. I'm worried that the Thummer is in development hell, to use a film term. I really want to get my hands on one. The CEO of the company does have a blog at http://www.thummer.com/blog/, and I'll leave a comment for him there, because at the moment it seems the only way I can get in touch with him. I'm hoping that even if the Thummer is not making it to the commercial sector, we could at least get a chance to work with a prototype. Heck, I'd even commission one, if that were possible.

So James Plamondon, if you're reading, please contact us at h.plus.music@gmail.com. We like what we see and we want to try your instrument.

If anyone else finds any new instruments they think we should use, please let us know!

-Daniel

This is the day

I've been waiting for this my whole life. While film was really the first medium to open my eyes to the power of art, it's music that has had the most profound effect on me. And that's really the nature of music, isn't it? Great music makes a sense memory in your brain. When you hear a piece that truly moves you, you're not quite the same person afterward. Because of that, I've wanted to be involved in music for the longest. To date, I retained my focus on my first love, film, but lately music has become a more and more attractive proposition. And when Andy and I had the first conversations that would eventually lead to H+, the sensation was too exciting to ignore.

I tend to rotate towards artists who push boundaries. In the visual arts, I quickly found and fell in love with the Surrealists and other iconoclast groups. In film, the bizarre worlds of David Lynch and David Cronenberg mesmerized me. I suppose it would have only been a matter of time before I found music that was as adventerous, but I must give credit where credit is due. Despite an abiding love of David Bowie, which was already leading me towards Brian Eno, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, and many more, it was Spencer Owen who introduced me to The Residents. And if it weren't for that, I'm not sure what my musical tastes would be at this point. And The Residents' catalog and commitment to their art are huge inspirations for where I want to go with H+. Their unfailing dedication to experimentation has led to some of the most amazing music I've ever heard. And from them I've learned of so many other fantastic artists, who have only fed my appetite for the new and the experimental. In the same vein, Spencer also gave me my first taste of The Boredoms, the gateway band to Japanese Noise Rock, easily the most interesting musical movement in the world today.

On my end, I can take sole credit for finding out about David Bowie (not too difficult, I know), King Crimson, and Kate Bush. That's not to say these were amazingly obscure artists that no one knew about, simply that I stumbled upon them on my own, and their influence on me has been equally large as those wonderful groups that Spencer still continues to throw my way to this day. I'll admit, I can't remember if I found out about Peter Gabriel all on my lonesome, or if Spencer showed me the way on that one, or if it was something in between.

The main connecting thread between these particular artists is not just that they're great, but they have always pushed their own music forward in unexpected and exciting ways. Too many musicians are content to spend a few years perfecting a style and then working strictly within those limits for the rest of their careers. This does not hold true for the above, who bring something new to the table with every outing. Does that mean everything they touch turns to gold? No, but I'd rather hear their failures from the heart than an immaculately manufactured and packaged success from more comfortable artists.

It would take ten blogs for me to list all the artists I love and who have influenced me, but I specifically chose these because it's this spirit of adventure and innovation that I'm bringing to H+. I get giddy at the thought of working on this project, of turning these ideas swirling in my head into definitive concepts that will have some level of impact on the world. I can't forsee how it will turn out. All I can do is continue to inject the venture with the urge to experiment, to stay restless, never stand still. And, in turn, perhaps I will inspire people as I myself have been inspired.

-Daniel

To all things, a beginning.

Hello! You've reached Humonium, the official blog of H+. I suspect around this point, you're probably asking yourself, "What is this H+ all about?" To put it simply, H+ is the world's first Transhumanist musical group. But then, perhaps the simple definition isn't good enough. Let's dig a little deeper, shall we?

Transhumanism is the school of thought that humans can and should use science to transcend the current limitations of the human condition. Despite the initial science fiction images this statement is bound to conjure in your mind, if you take a moment to think about it, using technology to enhance our physical and mental capacities is something we've been doing for millenia. After all, it is our ability to build and use tools that has made us the dominant race on this planet. For a very simple example, I will point out that anyone who uses eyeglasses or contact lenses to improve their eyesight is being technologically enhanced. Transhumanism takes this basic idea a step further, suggesting that the perfectionist ethical imperative for humans to improve their condition can lead to absolute control of evolution through science and technology. This is not limited to using technology to increase our intelligence, strength, or resistance to disease; but could mean new methods of comprehension and senses. Imagine "listening" to a symphony of quantum strings. Imagine experiencing the emotions and sense memories of a friend. Now try and imagine the art created by and such a person. That is H+.

How does this translate into the world of music? Well, the members of H+ (currently Daniel Hirshleifer on vocals and Andy Robinson on percussion) feel that these philosophies are, at their noblest, an extension of humankind's unending search for transendence. Transhumanism represents a bold leap forward, and we want to bring these elements into the world of music. Our plan is to embrace the new and the old together. We want to take existing forms of musical expression (everything from your basic rock/pop milieu to indigenous music to a multitude of cultures) and meld it with new technologies, new ways of looking at music. H+ (literally "Humanity Plus") as a band would look to synthesize the musicians and their audience in ways yet unseen, including giving the audience the ability to help shape the music in some form or fashion. We're looking towards new experimental instruments and technologies to use at the forefront of our music, while still keeping an eye towards tried and true methods. As great as the new may be, there's always something to be said for what has worked before.

This blog is part of the experiment. We are going to use it to keep our audience informed of what we are doing, and the format of a blog, with comments and an open dialogue, will allow for direct communication between musician and audience member. Let us know what you're thinking and what you would like to see. All that we ask is that you keep your comments constructive and intelligent. We will give you the same courtesy.

And so, with that H+ goes, as Peter Gabriel put it, "Out on the air." Stick around and let's discover where this goes together.

-Daniel and Andy, collectively H+