Electric Cello Competition

Hey all again! I haven't been here for a long time... :)

I have a new competition idea for you, but not sure, if anybody would be interested.. At least maybe I start your brain for today :D

In February, I bought my electric cello (yamaha svc-110). I use it mainly in my rock band, and some jazzy stuff, but now I decided to write a piece for electric cello and tape. I would like to write it and perform it during the winter. Of course that wouldn't be the only piece, what I would play on that concert, and that's why I'm writing to you, guys! So if you really feel like you want to write a work for electric cello, please go for it! It's a beautiful instrument, with a very cello-like sound, but with so many possibilities.

About the instrument

I think I need to write some details about the instrument. Using an electric cello without anything else would be quite boring and stupid, so I have 2 pedal systems: Line 6 POD HD500 is my effect processor, and BOSS GT-100 is my loop station.

With the effect processor, I can have plenty of effects like delay, distortion, reverb, transposing, filters, phaser etc etc etc... so what electric guitars have. You can connect 8 effects, so you can have delay and distortion in the same time. I can attach a pedal touching for each effect, so I can turn them on and off individually. It can have stereo sounding too, so you can make different effects on each side. I know that this is not enough information, but if you're interested, you can check the electric guitar effects on the internet, and you will find a lot. You can use them. Or for example you can say in the score that "I would like to have here a mysterious sound" or "Please add here a strange effect, what makes the audience wake up". So trust me, I can help, you just need to make a good question :)

The Boss pedal is a loop station, so I can record there (to 3 separated tracks - we can synchronize them, but that's not a must, they can have independent tempo, timing), and it repeats as long as I want. You can delete the whole track, or you can stop them, fading out, or immediately. Also there is a "stop/start everything" pedal, which is very nice - an immediate silence is always a nice thing. It has some effects too, but very bad ones, I don't use them.

About the pedals (mainly the Line 6 one) you need to know, that pushing a pedal has a noise, so count with that. (on the recording you won't here, but life it can be audible in the first 3-4 rows. You can compose it in the work, if you want! :)

The cello itself is really like a normal acoustic cello, just it doesn't have the body, and works with battery. :D

About the works I would like to play

With the loop station, it's quite easy to write and play 'popish' music. You can also write some meditation music, with the loop station, sustained notes repeated, for example. Check youtube for some ideas, if you don't know, how looping works, there are many videos. Of course I would be very happy to play some contemporary classical music on the electric cello, and that would be the main aim.

I would prefer a work for solo electric cello, or cello with recorded accompaniment, as I don't really have an other musician, to play together with... :/ It may be possible, that I can record the accompaniment, if you want to use the Steve Reich technique.

The most important thing: the work should be for electric cello. You can rewrite your solo acoustic cello works if you want, but changing the title is not enough for me. I would like to see some effects, new ideas, creative things.

One other, but very important thing: I'm still not a professional cello player. You can write complicated things, but not very very complicated, I don't really have time to practice a lot. Please excuse me for it!

What I can give

The works I like the most I will perform (sooner or later). I would like to have some solo concerts until spring, because organizing a solo concert is much easier, than anything else. Also I can make recording in my home studio if you want, is less work, then playing on a concert. :D

If you have any questions, please don't be shy! And you can write it here, to help the others.

Also if you're interested, please write! I would like to know, if anybody is thinking about my idiot ideas :D

My e-mail address: gollam12@gmail.com. Please use the subject option in the mails, because I get many emails during one day, and I don't want to miss any of yours!

Good luck, have fun!

Marcell Magyari

I'm totally in!!! I really liked the possibilities, mainly the loop^^

And about the effects, I really want to use them, but despite your explanation, it's not that simple to understand them all. Would you mind sharing some sounds or videos (or even record one!) with these effect? Am I being too abusive?

EDIT: more direct questions.

- is it possible to play pizzicato on it?

- if you record a loop using a certain effect and play it, can you continue playing but with a different effect? (without needing to record again)

The looping and the effects are two independent things. For example I can loop something with big echo, then it starts to repeat it, and I can change the echo effect to distortion or anything else, and record something with that, while the previous recording remains. Also note, that I can 'overdub' the first recording on the same track, or I can record it to the 2nd one, which can be synchronized with the first, or can be completely independent.

Everything works on the electric cello, which the normal cello has, so pizzicato works.

Maybe I can record some examples with the effects later, that's a good idea :)

Also I will make some pictures about the equipment, and show how it really works, because it may be useful for you.

Also I will make some pictures about the equipment, and show how it really works, because it may be useful for you.

That would be very handy, indeed^^

It's not about the competition but do you have any videos or audio recordings of your performing electric cello?

Next week I will upload something for you guys :)