12 Tone City: A Chromatic Scale

By observing our surroundings we can notice a number of consistencies in the spontaneous sounds of our environment. Train engines, motor bikes, birds, telephones, cats, tree leaves, thunder. Choosing from these sounds and ordering them in varying pitches, we are able to create a musical scale, hence changing the city into an instrument. The city becomes our piano. Of course, we can use this idea to create our own compositions. Steve Reich used a similar idea for his piece Different Trains, in which he took audio recordings of speeches and translated them into the nearest possible musical notation (12-pitch European), which was then played by traditional instruments (strings - played by the Kronos Quartet). However, if we assume a passive position, if we remain the observer, we can experience the city's transformation into the composer. Having limited the number of sound possibilities by creating a set scale, we create a more tangible listening experience for ourselves, the audience. A walk in the park, a train ride to work, waiting for the bus, etc. all become movements of a symphony.