Does anyone know what the term for the sounds that an instrument makes as it is being played that are beyond the musical sounds made? For example, on some jazz albums, I can hear the keys of a clarinet or a sax being pressed over (under?) the music being produced from the instrument. I don’t know if it is just better microphoning or what, but I like it. I imagine all instruments have sounds like that, but I hear it mostly in jazz albums. A friend of mine offered the term ghost notes, but I don’t think that is exactly what I mean (but I’m not exactly sure).
Alternatively, does anyone know some good examples of it on recorded music?
One final thing: it may not be strictly related, but it seems like it to me. Tango music especially has elements where the performers will hit or scratch or make other percussive noises with their bandoneons, violins, etc. that is really cool. Like I said, it seems related to me. Does anyone have other examples of that (I am familiar with tango examples, but feel free to share some tango examples too if you have them, because I love tango).
There’s a P.D.Q. Bach album (can’t remember which…) where the oboists and clarineters and saxophonies have fun doing “percussion” bits with the keys of their instruments.
Somewhat more seriously, there are pieces for classical guitar where the guitarist taps the sides or front of his guitar to produce a drumming sound.
It would be delightful if someone could formalize the squeak of fingers along wrapped guitar strings as an intentional part of the music.
Guitarists practice hours and hours to get rid of those finger squeaks, then the keyboardists put the squeaks back in over the guitar “patch.” You can’t win.
This was one of the irritating things about studying to be a classical musician: We spent all that time to play with an even tone, in tune, and get a good, solid sound out of the instrument, and then some modern composer comes along who can’t come up with any decent ideas for that and wants us to use our wind instruments as percussion and percussion as wind. I played one piece in high school in which someone who had never picked up the instrument before could have done just as good a job as I did. Utter waste of time.
