Returning to the Garden

Today when I was at the community garden watering a stunning five foot tall collard green plant and a variety of other plants (that have all been played Arden Lofi’s philosophicalofi a time or two yielding fascinating results).

I began to wonder, “if plants are alive and are growing why can’t I hear them?

Do plants make sounds? According to what we gather from the field of study that covers this particular question called plant bioacoustics. The simple answer is yes, plants emit sounds.

if this is true then is it reasonable to assert that people exist in a harmonious and at times disharmonious relationship with plants.

We find this clearly obvious yet mind boggling.

These question puzzled me to the point, im still writing and thinking about them right now. Mind you we are a few hours from that internal inquiry while watering the garden.

*EMCCE KEYBOARD PRODUCER HEALTH CHECK*

It is important to spend enough time outdoors. A free way to do this is to simply go to a park, a river if one is near by, or a lake. Walk around get some steps, unplug, and just listen to the sound world around you. We benefit daily lord willing from going to the rivers edge.

Preferably this sort of location is simply  described as somewhere harmonious.  Wherever that place is in your area go there for a little while to listen. We especially enjoy doing this in the garden.

You can even organize this harmonious space where you are right now. Wherever you are. In a busy city, in the middle of a thunderstorm, or even in a state of frustration due to set back.

Right now imagine you’re on a balcony there’s an active storm system projecting tons of bass with crashing amplitude.

The amazing sounds of weather doesn’t get us any closer to unraveling my earlier question about hearing the plants grow however it inspires other questions.

Producers Can Learn A Lot From Plants

How will the sounds from the garden be relevant moving towards the future? Looking forward beyond the Blade Runner styled excitement and fantasy behind the call for ai humanoids that can produce sequences of computations cranking out stream ready pop music like code. Mathematicians know formulas can’t feel. But we do.

Our natural presumably non-sentient green cohabiters of the planet are having a jam session. It’s one of the best shows in town and nobody can hear it. Rough! If the plants are activated in motion then why can’t you or I hear them? This question inspires the inner philosopher king poet. *Starts a verse*

Grey’n’blue clouds in rows.
All ears go to the ground.
Heard from places high’n’low.
The sounds of roots growing.

What meaning does the ever present sound world around us have today?

For those of us with a decent pair of ears the present sound world around us is important as it has every been.

What can we learn from the harmony displayed by plants in a garden that we can apply to our music?

One way to take the experience from harmony in the garden into our apartment studio is to name the instruments of one of our beats by plant.

Take that even further and assign a plant name to the notes on your keyboard and see how it sounds.

What sounds in you d.a.w libraries if any capture the aesthetic of for example mud under a collard green or an entire forest.

Would it be a bass or a drum? How many instruments would it take? The possibilities are there to be discovered and heard. Give it a try. We have already decided out sample loop pack band will be named Mulberry & Fig. Sound pretty interesting. Time will tell.

One of the most important lessons we have learned making music is the stuff we like how it sounds most was produced in a spirit of perfect harmony.

Finding ways to emulate in our production the harmony of plants  is something we are definitely going to spend a considerable amount of time doing. Even if it is as simple as listening in the garden or playing songs that we have produced in the garden for our plants. Thanks a ton for stoping by and reading have a super night in the land of the living peace in.