Ode to Two Sine Waves
Two sine waves were enough to make me realize that everyone can make art.
I'm a sucker for weird, obscure and experimental music. I've been using Rate Your Music (an online release database with user-curated lists, a recommendation system and more) for years now, always on the look for new albums, and it never disappoints.
Today, I decided to listen to Bar さちこ by Japanese Onkyo and EAI artist Sachiko M – and even though the entire album consisted solely of two sine waves, in a way, it turned out to be quite the experience.
I'm not exaggerating: The album has only one hour-long track. That track, in return, immediately starts with the first, high-pitched sine. No fade-in, no introduction, nothing – and it remains that way until the 30 minute mark. The volume increases by a tiny bit after five minutes, but other than that, there is literally no change.
After those 30 minutes, another, lower-pitched sine chimes in which, again, sees no change whatsoever until 55 minutes in, when it, just as abruptly, stops again. The first one continues playing until the very end, where it slightly increases in volume once more before cutting off. The end.
At the beginning, I kind of fiddled with the volume slider a bit, trying to find the perfect balance between "loud enough so that it doesn't fade into the background" and "quiet enough as to not damage my ears", and during listening, I occasionally thought I'd heard a fluctuation in pitch or volume. But I had the visualizer open the entire time. Nothing.
But that's not why I think so highly of this release. While still listening to it, I realized something: This exists. Let me explain: This is a real album with a title and cover art, and you can find it on YouTube and Bandcamp. The artist likely made it in less than an hour, and still, it was released for the entire world to listen to.
If you go onto the album's Rate Your Music page, one of the topmost reviews reads:
This is not music. This is not skill. Anyone (repeat, anyone) could make this high-pitched ring and record it.
But that's the point.
Okay, let's just cut to the chase: It made me realize that art doesn't have to be meaningful. Art doesn't have to be anything. If you want to make music, but you don't have the expertise, or time, or motivation, just do what Sachiko M did. Release two sine waves. It doesn't matter if others will like it or not. What does is that you made art.
I would like to end this post by quoting Hurricanslash's review (which made me tear up a bit, please read it in its entirety):
If absolutely anything, this album is an invitation to make music yourself. Anything is music if you want it to be, so go out there, go crazy and make whatever minimalist or maximalist music you want to. There is no such thing as too much music, and it is enough if you yourself have a positive connection with what you made. No one has to have had the experience but you. This album always sits there and smiles at you if you overthink your own art or feel like you aren't good enough. If Bar さちこ was made, you can make whatever you want to make as well. No strings attached.
I've been entertaining the thought of making music myself for a while now, but I never did, because I always thought I lacked the skillset to do so.
Maybe that was never the case.