Taruffi [Disquiet0321] by Suss Müsik

With all due respect to Dr. Taruffi, Suss Müsik isn’t entirely convinced that meta-awareness leads to greater happiness. Then again, Suss Müsik has never tested this theory on 216 participants using neuronal magnetic resonance. Suss Müsik has enough trouble changing the battery on a smoke alarm, let alone investigating the effect of delayed gratification on the prefrontal cortex.

What Suss Müsik does know, however, is that music definitely has some impact on the mind’s natural ability to wander. What might be worth discussion is whether hyper-awareness and emotional balance can be achieved by listening to “happy” sounding music. What sonic attributes make us happy?

This is where accounting for personal taste comes into play. For some, major scales and stick-to-your-ribs melodies evoke feelings of happiness, such as listening to Davy Jones sing “Daydream Believer.” Then there is the drum music of Babatunde Olatunji, which compels players to lock into a single pulse rhythm, generating a deeply hypnotic (some would say euphoric) state of bliss.

Anyway ... for this short piece, Suss Müsik attempted to create a sonic environment to serve both goals of distraction and focus. Phrases were written at 154 BPM and played on fake banjo, xylophone, glockenspiel, toy piano and tambourine. Two baritone saxophone parts were played in real time in a single take, hoping to capture variability in pitch contour. Finally, an EWI with a piccolo voice was played through a Red Panda Tensor pedal to randomize the high-end.

The piece is titled Taruffi. The image is magnified grounds of coffee, Suss Müsik’s preferred method of ratiocination.

More on this 321st weekly Disquiet Junto project (Let’s Active: Make a short piece of music that decreases the mind’s tendency to wander, based on research by Dr. Liila Taruffi, PhD, and her colleagues) at:

https://disquiet.com/0321/

More on Taruffi, music, and mind-wandering at:

http://liilataruffi.com/

More on the Disquiet Junto at:

https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements here:

http://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co:

https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0321-lets-active/

There’s also on a Junto Slack. Send your email address to twitter.com/disquiet for Slack inclusion.