Fluvial - Victoria Pham/Danica Hobden
About
fluvial explores the tonal range of pitch bending or shifting available on the electric guitar. Intentionally, the work focuses on the nuances of pitch-bending that require no external implements such as pedals, preparation or guitar hardware. The piece uses techniques from manipulation of vibrato, marked from small width (or referred to as classical) of pitch control through to a wider, warbling effect (whole-step bends). The piece blends such effects with the ongoing rhythm and semitone gesture that represents the movement of water, ripples and droplets. The vibrato technique then extends into further pitch bending textures such as the physical effect of neck bends and bends behind the nut. Each type of pitch-shift carries their own tonal effect and in order to appreciate the details, the more extensive techniques, such as bends integrating harmonics and neck bends, have been composed to allow more time for the nuances of the effect to resonate through the instrument.
View the full score here.
Technique Explanation & Demonstration
A pitch bend or pitch shift on the guitar is usually executed by pushing the string upwards or downwards using the fretting hand to raise the pitch by a semitone or tone. On lower gauge strings, or when the note is fretted on a thinner string, wider intervals such as a tone and a half are achievable.
Further listening
Listed here are some extra methods of pitch shifting, but these require specific guitar hardware or external features. Guitars with whammy bars are somewhat common, whereas B-Benders are rather niche and mainly used inside the country genre. Take a look at the Tremolo or Whammy Bar, B-Bender (mechanism to mimic pedal steel guitar), as well as pedals, most commonly the DigiTech Whammy Pedal .
About Victoria
Victoria Pham (c.1996 - ) is an Australian composer, archaeologist and artist in London. She has been commissioned by and had premieres by institutions and ensembles such as the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Spineless Wonders and Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and has featured in and produced segments of festivals such as VIVID and Newcastle Writers Festival. As an archaeologist specialises in archaeoacoustics. Currently, she is presenting RE:SOUNDING for BLEED Festival and is a recipient of the 2020 Cambridge International Scholarship to pursue her PhD in Biological Anthropology at Cambridge University.
About Danica
Danica Hobden is a graduate and current student of the Sydney Conservatorium, having completed a Bmus (Music Studies) in Classical Guitar, before continuing her studies with a Bachelor of Jazz Performance. Following a keen interest in language learning (musical and otherwise), she is currently completing a year of study at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen in Germany, under the tutelage of Andreas Wahl and Jens Wagner. Danica is currently working on various personal projects such as recording, gigging and composing for modern jazz ensemble Limbless; performing with Celtic Rock band Bread and Seaweed and New Music duo dnka and zil as well as anything else that comes her way...