PODCASTS

by BonsaiBabe Productions © 2010

Third Mode Melody

Music by Thomas Tallis

Third Mode Melody/Music by Thomas Tallis from Cheryl Petty on Vimeo.

In this piece modeled off the soundtrack of Thomas Tallis Third Mode Melody, four video tracks of bamboo, freeway, pine and water correspond to note arrangements. Pine represents a 4-note combination using B, E, G. Water is a 4-note combination using A, C, E. Freeway is C, E, G. Every other combination of notes is bamboo clip.

This scheme was based on the frequency of 4-note combinations occurring in Third Mode Melody, with BEGE being the most used chord, occurring 14 times. This strength was associated with the pine, a long lived and evergreen tree. The water combination occurred four times as CEAA.

The audio track is divided into bars and measures corresponding to sheet music. On the bars with more than one note, opacity is adjusted on each track to reflect note percentage.

Gordon Deeg 2 problems 4 trees

Gordon Deeg 2 problems 4 trees from Cheryl Petty on Vimeo.

The day we filmed Gordon Deeg at his home in Atherton, a small community on the peninsula in the Bay Area, it was threatening to rain all morning. Of course that didn’t dampen our enthusiasm while giving us great indirect light for filming. I asked Deeg to be prepared to show us a bonsai chore that is usually done this time of year and a challenge tree, showing us what he did to solve a problem. In between Deeg shows us a few trees of his extensive collection. The complete version of the clip is 20 minutes long and includes many tips and lots of inner knowledge gathered by Deeg in his 40 years of involvement with bonsai.

New Podcast

'Lights, Fog, Wind, Grasses'

by BonsaiBabe Productions © 2010

Lights, Fog, Winds, Grasses from Cheryl Petty on Vimeo.

Raindrops fell on heads as singers plucked strings, unlocking emotions and stirring quiet memories. 'Lights, Fog, Winds, Grasses' by Gabriella Smith and performed by the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra June 19,2010 at the stage in the Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens, inspired by the beaches in Northern California, inspired me to grab my camcorder and attempt my own minimalist version in video.
The main audio track recorded live at the concert provides cues for the addition of cutaway overlays of golden California poppies for lights; for fog white and gray cerastium flower clouds, wind caresses ceanothus and grasses complete the palette.
Nothing is as it seems--
Surface appearances pierced--
Slide into the audio envelope--
Submerge in the currents of the mighty Sacramento River.
Repeating motifs predominate. The primary track is occupied by the string orchestra playing Smith's composition.
Smith's theme rides above the wave swells of James Johnson's 'Phased Piano' sets and ambient river white sound in the troughs. Building the wave mass flows exerpts from John Koch-Northrup's 'Living Room 2' and Subterminal Leonardo Rosado's 'For The First Time.'

Nine Trees with Bob Gould

Nine Trees with Bob Gould from Cheryl Petty on Vimeo.

In a break between storms we sat on Bob's terrace in the brisk sunshine. He took me on a tour of his, mainly, shohin sized collection. In 14 minutes you will meet and get to know nine trees: Cork bark Elm, Ulmus neri; Zelkova serrata; Seiju Elm, Ulmus parviflora var. ‘Seiju;’ Potentilla, bush cinquefoil; California juniper, juniperus californica; Camellia transarinsis, Juniperus chinensis ‘Shimpaku;’ Korean Hornbeam, Carpinus turczaniowii; Japanese White Pine, pinus parviflora.