"Restless Drive" by Wil Smith
for amplified banjo and electronics (2007)
"Restless Drive" by Wil Smith is my most recent foray into the saturated world of experimental banjo performance. It represents a close collaboration, which evolved from an improv set that Wil and I performed at Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn. We experimented with electronic processing of the instrument, as well as extended acoustic techniques. Our discoveries included the bowing of the banjo strings to create a haunting viol-like sound, and the manipulation of the banjo head to control amplifier feedback. Needless to say, there is very little in the piece that actually resembles traditional banjo playing. What was created, however, was a uniquely banjoistic piece, full of exciting musical and theatrical gestures.
Equipment: Using a contact pickup, I put my 5-string banjo through a Fender Princeton guitar amp (absolute sacrilege!) The first section of the piece is physically difficult and ritualistic. Positioning myself with the amp so that the base feedback is a fundamental G, I attempt to control the pitch by pushing against the banjo head, increasing its tension at specific pressure points. As the electronic track increases in volume, the head becomes more volatile with the sympathetic vibrations from the track, and achieving the correct pitch becomes a true battle. The second section is more violent, as I percussively hit the instrument and play bursts of pitch-bent arpeggios, all sent through an extreme gate reverb to create a malfunctioning effect. In the final section, I am alternating between a pinched mechanical pizzicato and beautiful scratchy long tones created with a violin bow.
