Menu
LivePushLinkShopPacksHelpMoreTry Live for freeLog in or register

More on Ableton.com:

  • Blog
  • Ableton in Education
  • Certified Training
  • About Ableton
  • Jobs

More from Ableton:

Loop

Watch Talks, Performances and Features from Ableton's Summit for Music Makers

Learning Music

Learn the fundamentals of music making right in your browser.

Learning Synths

Get started with synthesis using a web-based synth and accompanying lessons.

Making Music

Some tips from 74 Creative Strategies for Electronic Producers.

All postsArtistsNewsDownloadsTutorialsVideosLoopOne Thing

Artists

Christopher Tignor: Bronx Science

Christopher Tignor

The cold snap has arrived here in the Bronx. Feral cats huddle together for warmth beneath old Chevys. It was on such a winter's day that I began experimenting with the violin loops that I record live while playing the song "Wood, Metal, Bone" off the new Wires.Under.Tension record Light Science. This violin technique, known as bariolage, makes use of high-energy string crossings to create melodic arcs which convey the very essence of the instrument. That song gets a lot of practice because the technique is challenging, but more importantly, all that bowing is a great way to keep warm down here in my underground studio.

We're always looking to get the instrumentally idiomatic to speak in new tongues. By taking these samples and subjecting them to some automated transformations, a sort of neo hip-hop flavor fell out. Using drum samples taken off another track, "Mnemonics in Motion" played by Wires.Under.Tension's better half, Theo Metz, these fantastic, off-kilter hi-hat grooves arrived. The core sounds of the band then all found their way in: digitally extended glockenspiel melodies, punchy brass hits and even some overdriven clavinet. Theo and I were impressed at how the whole thing uncannily expressed the vibe of my newfound neighborhood and in a nod to the public high school of the same name, "Bronx Science" was born.

I've divided the song up into many finely grained scenes. In each scene name, you'll see the number of bars that I let each last before moving on. Of course, feel free to linger or hurry as you like or skip the script entirely.

So season's greetings and enjoy. Maybe take a break between meals to reinvent what you can do with strings, drums and the rest. You've earned it. And if living as a musician has taught me anything, it's that to keep pushing what excites you is to keep warm.

Always,

Christopher Tignor

Download Christopher Tignor's Livepack here

Filesize: 19 MB, Requires Live 8.2 or higher

Posted on Dec. 18, 2010 in Artists, Downloads
Strings

Share this: Ableton on FacebookAbleton on Twitter

Ableton

Sign up to our newsletter

Enter your email address to stay up to date with the latest offers, tutorials, downloads, surveys and more.
  • Register Live or Push
  • About Ableton
  • Jobs

Education

  • Offers for students and teachers
  • Offers for institutions
  • Push 1 trade-in initiative

Community

  • Find Ableton User Groups
  • Find Certified Training
  • Become a Certified Trainer

Distributors

  • Find Distributors
  • Try Push in-store

Language and Location

ArchiveContact UsPress ResourcesLegal InfoPrivacy PolicyCookie SettingsImprint
Made in Berlin