"Street
Fighting Man" - Rolling Stones Tune -2025 Johnny
Skilsaw
-The
Triphammer Dulcimer -
Over the
last few months I've been messing around with opposing/mirrored fractal harps played in
unison. One of these ideas grew into this
prototype for "The Triphammer Dulcimer". I've explored and
come up with quite a few
melodic MIDI/drum
trigger instruments over the years but this
thing is truly unique while combining and
incorporating a lot of the ideas I've laid out
over the years.
The
Triphammer functions as an
unconventional pair of hammer dulcimers fitted
with my pivoting Fractal Harp slides. This enables the relative tonality of the strings to
shift fluidly to any key together in unison. The right
and left aspects are mirrored, linked together and
synchronized mechanically. The combined relative
pitch of both sets of strings are
controlled by lateral moment of the right wrist
resting in a stirrup on the horizontal bar that
sits opposing atop telescopic extensions.
Yeap,
that's fucking right. Go ahead and read that
shit again.
Anyway, there's a string dampening apparatus
built above each slide allowing dulcimers to be
muted together or independently by pressing down
on either side of a horizontal bar.
All this
shit allows the slide and damper mechanisms to
be manipulated while mallets are hitting
strings.
The
dulcimer(s)
are amplified with a piano pickups (paned in
hard stereo) below each
set of strings along with a pair of conventional
microphones. MIDI is simultaneously generated enabling a computer connection expanding instrument
sounds to virtual instruments. A series of Piezo transducers
(velocity sensitive triggers) pick up sting
vibrations from near the outer bridges on each
side and are
routed into a drum interface where they're converted
to MIDI notes. A sensor locked with the slide
mechanism mirrors the relative pitch across the
range of the instrument to the MIDI notes. The
result is unison analog and digital sounds that
fluidly travel in tandem through tonal-range of the
instruments. Another sensor enables the
string damper to dampen (sustain or stop) MIDI
notes in unison with the strings. A floor foot
pedal allows the ability to toggle MIDI function
on/off leaving the acoustic/analog sounds to be
played independently of the MIDI system.
A
pulley/cable system synchronizes
right and left pivoting slides.
The
instrument's tuning in the video above consists
of roots and fifths on the lower strings while
a big stupid,open ended modal block (with no
little pussy major or
minor third) is spread across the higher strings.
I'm singing pitch to MIDI in the video as a
crude melody. (Ron hates this shit, but.. "huh
-fuck im")
I'm starting work on a
second prototype of this with the hopes of enriching
the acoustic sound by creating one continuous
hollow body chamber that's significantly deeper
with improvements to the slides, dampers MIDI
elements. I'm also planning on implementing a
pedal bending system similar to my Fractal
Harps.
Stay
tuned.
Twin Fractal Harps with voice pitch to MIDI (howling)
improvisation
Flying" -
Fractal Harp Rig - Matt Spencer on Drums"
This piece features some amazing drumming from
Matt Spencer. I'm really honored to have him
lend his talent here and hope to work with him
more in the future.
I don't explain refinements to my crazy Fractal
Harp rig much when I post stuff I do but I
thought I might give it a try. There's a lot
going on here.
The main (attached) harp here features my stock
pivoting slide that controls the relative pitch
of all of the strings on the instrument. The
harp also has a string tension/bend pedal that
independently bends the pitch of certain strings
in varying increments like that of a standard
pedal steel guitar. Each string also has it's
own independent MIDI trigger while sensors
embedded in the slide and bend pedal allow the
MIDI output to mirror the actual pitch of each
string. My right foot is planted on the string
tension pedal that also doubles as a MIDI bend
pedal and locks with the effected strings
outputs mirroring it's function to MIDI. My left
foot simultaneously controls a separate MIDI
sustain pedal that determines all the harp
notes' duration functioning like a piano's
sustain pedal.
My right
foot sits atop a combination wha-wha/cable
driven harp pitch pedal comprised of an extra wide
platform that straddles several MIDI CC and analog
pedals that work in unison. String tension cable
mechanisms extend up to both harps from the same
setup. The copper contacts on the right side of
my right foot are parts of an additional
sub-pedal momentary switch that chooses between
microphone vocal and pitch to MIDI "Howler"
vocals. My left foot is planted on a sustain
pedal that functions for sustain for all
keyboard and harp notes with another nearby
momentary switch pressure zone that switches on
vocal/echo/FXs
I've built
upon these MIDI functions recently and set up
the individual string MIDI outputs into multi-timbrel
and instantly switchable tuning schemes. This
enables multiple harmonized MIDI voices per
string that function across the harps entire
range. These control several instruments sounds
stacked in separate turnings and synchronous
harmony. This setup provides the ability to
spontaneously emit rapid phrases from harp
sweeps utilizing the ability to set various MIDI
voices in legato/mono modes. These are
illustrated with rapid bass, guitar and piano
like phrases created by sweeps across the harp
and demonstrated here in this video.
Above
left: Piezo triggers mounted on the back
side of the pivot slide (non active area )
convert string vibration into MIDI notes that
match or harmonize each individual
strings analog output . A sensor built into the
slide matches the variable pitch of each string
while a the pedal additionally manipulates the
pitch of selective strings to additional
intervals.
Another sleazy development here is that the root
relative tonality of the harp string pitches can
now be dictated from the bass guitar (with and
beyond the pivoting slide). The customized old
Peavey Midibase MIDI capable bass features my
side string thumb clutch system I'm continuing
to develop. When the thumb string is squeezed
and pressed against the metal contact on the
side of the neck, it acts as a clutch expanding
the capability of notes simultaneously played on
other bass strings. In the video here, I'm
triggering simple, big stupid tonic power chords
using the bass clutch WHILE dictating that same
root key tonality to the entire harp. You can
get an idea of what I'm describing by watching
the crazy chromatic sections of the piece or
following it's relatively basic chord structure
and seeing how clutched bass notes cause harp
phrases travel through various root turnings.
The harp on the left used in some sections of
the tune in the video above here is my famous/original/classic
Fractal Harp with a similar hybrid MIDI
expansion added. It functions mostly like the
main harp described above, but it's relative
string pitch is dictated entirely by the
pivoting slide (independently of the bass
guitar). This harp features a solid maple body
and telecaster pickups. It shares the same pedal
system with split pedal functionality
accommodating both harps.
Above &
below My original
Fractal Harp in various stages
of twisted & sick experimentation.
The high pitch melodic/lead sound here is sung
"howled" and performed in tandem with the harp
and bass. The headset mic picks up my vocal and
routed into a real-time pitch to MIDI converter.
This allows me to sing feedback and guitar
sounds that I've developed over the
years on the fly.
All the non-organic (MIDI triggered) sounds you
hear produced by the devices I'm playing in this
video are all coming from custom instruments
I've created in a software program called
Kontakt made by Native Instruments.
Thanks for watching. More about the
FRACTAL HARP
here
"Avalanche"
James Bond Theme.
Sometime
back, I heard from the esteemed film director:
Malcom Gaswell. He was eager for me to have a go
at composing the opening music for the opening
credit sequence for the next James Bond film. I
graciously accepted and got down to work
developing the film's title track "Avalanche"
into an epic theme performed on my Fractal Harp
rig. The logistics and opportunity came together
and I was given access to a full symphony
orchestra to accompany the piece. Arrangements
were made for recording in the orchestra at
their symphony hall location while I simulcast
my Fractal Harp and vocals parts live from the
prestigious Vukelschmitzün Theater in Berlin
Germany. The budget allowed me the ability to
select this ideal separate location for
recording The Fractal Harp with all the precise
humidity and acoustic characteristics. This also
allowed for the use of a special MIDI grand
piano that "The Vuke" is known for.
The orchestra performed admirably and was
recorded live before an eager audience along
with my simulcast Berlin performance. The
orchestra's location was adorned with large
screen displaying the opening credit sequence
for the film and even some pyrotechnics. Outside
of a few ruffles, the evening merited remarkable
results. I'd like to thank everyone who worked
on this from the bottom of my heart. Enjoy!
Thanks/ Cheers!
Jay
Please note: I just made up ALL that shit up.
No one called me to make a Bond theme, BUT you
know those mofos should have.
So I made my own Bond opening sequence anyway,
created and performed all the music credit
sequence along with the new art form of the
"reverse orchestra shredding video" Hope you get
a kick out of it. I had a great time working on
it.
Yoy yoy
yoy yoy yoy yoy
Johnny
Skilsaw - School's Out - Alice Cooper tune
"Treadmill
For Two" Johnny Skilsaw - circa 1996/
A while back, for a
fleeting moment I had the best band in NYC.
Spring 2022:
Quick bow to The Crimson King -
New insane Fractal
Harp MIDI advancements. Refit nearly complete.
Spring 2022
-Deep Dark Red
New Version
of an old Johnny Skilsaw song
New harps in
the works -2022
2022-
Working on new Fractal Harps (like this expanded range)
including a hollowbody version -stay tuned
7/26/21
July 2021 video "We Can Work It Out" Beatles
tune.
Please
share & subscribe
Johnny Skilsaw - Stuffed & Motorized Spruced up -
Remixed & Re-mastered Now available on
Bandcamp
Years back, for a fleeting moment, I had the best band
in NYC with the coolest guys on earth.For real.Nick DiCorato and Mark Hutchins
have both moved on from this world. They each
leave a wake of love and friendship alive in the hearts
of every person they've ever known.
We made this record together. It holds up quite well. I
only hope and wish more people get a chance to hear it.
Johnny
Skilsaw -Stuffed And Motorized (Flash site) Full
LP
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