Raw Sugar

Transforming Words into Musical Pitch © Katarzyna Wiktorski

This concept was created in June 2009 when I was in Poland for a month and lacked access to an instrument. In my frustration, I was eager to create something.
Going back home for the first time was quite significant and in reflection, I aimed to compose an instrumental piano piece. Instead of composing simply for aesthetics, I had the idea of turning my thoughts into musical pitch and using this as a possible building block for finding melodies that would eventually lead into an instrumental piece.

Using:

The 26 letters of the alphabet, assigning these to their number for eg: 1 = A, 2 = B, 3 = C, etc.
Ignoring the beginning of the next octave, there are 12 semitones in a scale (C - B):

You then assign the beginning of the alphabet (number 1) on any note of the scale.

If you start it on C, you then count up each semitone to 26 from this point and this is the parameter that you’ll be working in:

Now you have 26 semitones that are assigned from the alphabet.

Example:

KAT
11, 1, 20,
A#/B flat, C, G

I suggest to notate on score paper once you’ve got all you’re numbers written out.

There is, inevitably, a lot of randomness involved with this kind of transposing but in hindsight, this approach can lead to some lovely discoveries. Going a step further, you can start the 26 numbered scale on any of the 12 available semitones; changing the melodies altogether (although the pattern of the words will remain the same).

The possibilities are endless considering how many words are in the English language. I’ve experimented with a lot of words, including my name which was interesting- plus sentences as well.
We can go a step further and incorporate other languages too!

I have also tried doing all of this in reverse by transposing from music into words. I took a very small part from one of my original compositions and used this method to find words; unfortunately I just got a random selection of letters. Again, the possibilities are endless!

♥ 2
→ 22 Feb 12 at 3 pm

My new sounds:

♥ 1
→ 23 Jan 12 at 12 pm

→ 23 Jan 12 at 11 am

My tumblr got hacked.

How the fuck does one get hacked with Starbucks ads?!

♥ 1
→ 12 Jan 12 at 9 pm

the kindness of strangers

I have gratitude for the old man that came down from his apartment to help me look for my keys as I was walking down my street from the bus stop. He had really long black hair, tied back. Looked like he was a Samurai in a past life or some sort of martial arts expert or just simply, a fucking rad dude. What a kind soul.

♥ 2678
→ 12 Jan 12 at 9 pm (Source: mcusumano, via closemyeyesandthink)

♥ 2
→ 11 Jan 12 at 2 pm

Trying to kill this filthy habit.

During the holiday period beginning on the 24th December, I was thrown out of my regular routine by leaving home to see both mine and Kai’s (the boyfriend) families for Christmas. We stayed at my folks place for one night and then drove to Tungamull (30mins from Rockhampton) for roughly 9 hours on Christmas day. We arrived back in Brisbane on the 30th Decemeber. During this week, we only had one cigarette each. I was shocked at how uneasy and irritable I felt for a few days in Tungamull. Totally normal when you’re having nicotine withdrawals but I realise how intense it would be.

Kai and I knew that going away would give us both an opportunity to break from smoking and it was going well until new years eve came around. And I just used it as an excuse and thought that I HAD to smoke that night because I’ll be partying.

Now, before this holiday period came around, I had cut back on smoking dramatically and was only had 2 or 3 a day but the problem was, I wasn’t buying my own tobacco. I’d scab off some of the girls at work or off my housemate Jamie. It was like I was in heavy denial about no longer being a serious smoker because I didn’t actually buy any cigarettes for myself anymore. Sigh. I did remain positive however and realised how much I had cut back.

Up until last week (after the new years weekend) I went through that hurdle again you experience when you don’t smoke for 4 days. Then Friday came. I was feeling particularly depressed, probably because I had my period and used that as an excuse to buy a pouch of Champion Gold tobacco.

It actually felt strange buying it and casually rolling a smoke. It’s like my body wanted it back again but I knew it wouldn’t do much for me. I had that first smoke and it just made my stomach feel sick. I realised how much it is a physical habitual addiction. I know my brain was begging for it but then I hardly got anything out of it. What a fucking crock for spending $23 on that. I am an idiot. I was doing so fucking well.

Why do I want to stop?

my health
my health
my health
my lungs which are crippled with asthma. i don’t know why i do this. i’m such an idiot.
my health
my health
and of course to save money.
HEALTH.

♥ 6
→ 03 Jan 12 at 8 pm

My new track:

→ 07 Dec 11 at 3 pm

Re-upload. I spent some time improving this one. Enjoy!

♥ 1217
→ 07 Dec 11 at 1 pm npr:

Scientists have discovered a planet not too much bigger than Earth that’s circling a distant star that’s much like our own sun. What’s more, this planet is in the “Goldilocks zone” around that star — a region that’s not too hot and not too cold. That’s the kind of place that could be home to liquid water and maybe even life.

The planet, known as Kepler-22b, is the first near-Earth-sized planet to be found smack dab in the middle of the habitable zone of a twin to our Sun.

The planet is about 2 1/2 times the size of the Earth. It orbits a little closer to its star than our planet does to our sun, and goes around once every 290 days compared with our 365. But its star is a bit cooler than our sun, says William Borucki of NASA Ames Research Center, who heads NASA’s Kepler space telescope mission, which detected this planet.

“That means that that planet, Kepler-22b, has a rather similar temperature to that of the Earth,” Borucki says. “Its surface temperature would be something like 72 Fahrenheit.”

It’s not yet clear what kind of surface the planet might have — researchers don’t know if the planet is made mostly of rock or water or something else. And don’t expect astronauts to climb on a rocket and go there anytime soon.

“The star is some 600 light-years away,” says Borucki, “so it’s not terribly far away, but not terribly close either.”

Read the full story

(via closemyeyesandthink)

npr:

Scientists have discovered a planet not too much bigger than Earth that’s circling a distant star that’s much like our own sun. What’s more, this planet is in the “Goldilocks zone” around that star — a region that’s not too hot and not too cold. That’s the kind of place that could be home to liquid water and maybe even life.
The planet, known as Kepler-22b, is the first near-Earth-sized planet to be found smack dab in the middle of the habitable zone of a twin to our Sun.
The planet is about 2 1/2 times the size of the Earth. It orbits a little closer to its star than our planet does to our sun, and goes around once every 290 days compared with our 365. But its star is a bit cooler than our sun, says William Borucki of NASA Ames Research Center, who heads NASA’s Kepler space telescope mission, which detected this planet.
“That means that that planet, Kepler-22b, has a rather similar temperature to that of the Earth,” Borucki says. “Its surface temperature would be something like 72 Fahrenheit.”
It’s not yet clear what kind of surface the planet might have — researchers don’t know if the planet is made mostly of rock or water or something else. And don’t expect astronauts to climb on a rocket and go there anytime soon.
“The star is some 600 light-years away,” says Borucki, “so it’s not terribly far away, but not terribly close either.”
Read the full story

→ 09 Nov 11 at 12 am

A little creation.

♥ 13146
→ 06 Nov 11 at 10 pm (Source: monstersfuckers, via ao3265-deactivated20121011)

♥ 68
→ 24 Oct 11 at 11 pm (via ao3265-deactivated20121011)

→ 13 Oct 11 at 10 pm

♥ 1
→ 13 Oct 11 at 10 pm