Zipper Music

Zipper Music is scored for 2 amplified zipper players with interactive electronics performed by a MIDI controller operator. It forms part of my Quotidian Music series, embodying the musicality afforded by everyday sounds, and performable by ‘everyday’ people, without requiring traditional musical training. Each zipper has a distinctive timbre, depending on material and length, as well as the fabric to which it is sewn. The zipper players are amplified and the sound of each is sent to a laptop. Next, their sound is either transformed using a MIDI controller, or sent through untouched, to stereo speakers. Coomposer Max Tfirm developed the original Max patch in consultation with me, with some additional changes by Alex Christie. The piece can be thought of as a dialogue, where the actors may be in sync or not; may try to convince one another, interrupt one another, or even talk over one another. Ultimately, they agree.