The sounds I recorded on a 5000 mile bike trip | Paul Cheese | TEDxRoyal Tunbridge Wells

Key Concepts

• Sonic discovery in everyday sounds
• Using everyday sounds to create music
• Cycling as inspiration for songwriting
• Rhythm and tempo in nature, industry, and daily life
• Sound collection and cataloging
• Creating music from collected sounds
• The kindness of people encountered during the journey
• Finding musical elements (bass, drums, melody) in unexpected places
• The Big Record UK project: a 5,000-mile bike ride to capture the sounds of the UK

The Hunt for Sound and Inspiration

Paul Cheese, a musician, sound producer, and cyclist, describes his passion for finding music in everyday sounds. He has cycled over 32,000 miles, recording sounds from various environments, including mountains, underground locations, and underwater. He notes the presence of common sounds and tempos across nature, industry, and human activities. Cycling slows down his perception, allowing him to appreciate sound more deeply and ponder rhythm and tempo.

The Big Record UK Project

Paul conceived the idea to cycle to every region of the UK, collecting sounds to create a piece of music. Over three months, he cycled over 5,000 miles, collected over 11,000 sounds, consumed approximately 150 bananas and 180 pints of milk, and discovered that three out of four UK builders render walls at around 98 beats per minute.

Sound Cataloging and Analysis

The next stage involved organizing the collected sounds. Paul listened to each sound and categorized them by nearest note and tempo. He found that certain sounds, like mowers and strimmers, often hum the note of F. Common tempos emerged, such as a motorbike idling, a fireman retracting a ladder, and a section of a Blackbird call, all at approximately 98 beats per minute. This cataloging process took three months.

Creating Music from Everyday Sounds

Paul shares a story about arriving late at a pub after a long day of cycling and recording. Despite the pub being closed, locals offered him food, showcasing the kindness he experienced throughout his journey. The sound of the pub's front door became a valuable addition to his sound collection.

He explains how he combined various sounds to create drum elements:

• Bass Drum: The sound of a pub front door, a basketball bounce in Huddersfield, kicking a bar in Aberiswith, and a nail gun near Wermit in Dundee.
• Hi-Hat: The pattern of seagulls.
• Rhythm: Crop sprinklers from Suffukk and Shropshire, panned left and right respectively, create a bouncing rhythm.
• Snare Drum: Melvin's bramble clippers, the thack of a cricket ball near Nottingham, the hammer clank of hot metal at a blacksmith's in Devon, and the slam of a red postbox door.
• Crash Symbol: The sound of a boat being deflated on Loch Ness.

He recounts an experience on T-side where he recorded the sounds of industry, including a skip being dropped in a car park at the request of a radioed lorry driver named Roy. He also used the sound of girders being dropped at a reclamation yard near Truro in Cornwall as kettle drums.

Bass and Melody

Paul discovered bass sounds in electric substations (the note of G), a passing helicopter in Cheshire, Neil's opera note in Abedine, and the vibration of a lifeboat base on the Scrabster to Ornne Ferry. He notes that mixing these bass sounds resulted in some notes being emphasized while others were suppressed, creating unique baselines.

He found melodies in the sounds of mowers and strimmers, a machinery transporter bridge in Stockton, Kent bees in Lavender, and the winding of lockgates on canal paths. Combining these sounds created interesting chords and melodies.

The Ice Cream Van Story

While cycling on the edge of a storm, Paul encountered an ice cream van. He spoke with Lucas Serafichi, a fourth-generation ice cream man, and recorded the ice cream van song as the storm changed direction. He rearranged the notes of the ice cream van song and incorporated it into his music.

Synthesis/Conclusion

Paul concludes that sound has taken him to unexpected places. He believes that anyone can find music in everyday sounds by stopping and listening. He considers his sound collection to be audio photographs, representing the soundtrack to his adventure. The presentation ends with a musical piece created from the collected sounds, showcasing the culmination of his 5,000-mile bike ride and sonic discoveries. He encourages the audience to consider the soundtrack to their own day.