Revolution 1

Revolution 1 is a short song I composed and performed. Download it in Ogg Vorbis (2.1 MB) or FLAC (7.8 MB). The song is in the public domain.

Something unique about this song is that it was performed on a ceiling fan. The fan is a Hunter, but I don't know the model number. At medium speed, in the counter-clockwise (summer) direction, I allowed the undersides of the blades (not the leading edges) to bang against the knuckles and fingernails of my first and middle fingers.

Each of the five blades is slightly different from the others, which accounts for the varying pitch within each measure. One blade hangs lower than the others, making it more likely to be struck and creating a kind of rhythm.

As far as I know, I am the first to use a ceiling fan in this way. If you can produce some interesting music in a similar way, I'll be happy to link to it here. If anyone asks why your knuckles are all bloody, just tell him you were punching a wall.

There is a music group called Ceiling Fan, to which I have no relation. I just found it while searching the web to see if anyone else had done this yet.

Revolution 1 is also the name of a song by The Beatles. I use the word ``revolution'' in a different sense, of course.


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