(no subject)

[acts_of_gord]

Gordon's starting to think that there'll never come a time when he won't smell of fire and metal and burning things. Between the cordite stink from the target range and the reek of working with the acetylene torch in Ryan's workshop, the soap he uses to wash up afterward just can't seem to wipe out all the hints of furnace. It's a little disheartening.

Still, today he did really well at the range. And his skill with the torch is getting to the point where he's going to talk to Fury about maybe bringing a small welding rig the next time they go on a raid; he might just be able to melt through locked doors with one at this point. So that's something- furnace reek or no. He figures it's enough to reward himself with just a little irrelevant entertainment, which is why he's setting up about a dozen glass bowls on his table and carefully tipping a different level of water into each one.

He could be interrupted, but he'll get cranky if the bowls get broken. Fair warning.



[tinytag: Gordon Freeman]

Comments

[a1enzo]

And here's a green kid with an awfully strong resemblance to another acquaintance of Gordon's, peering at the array.

Curious sprite is curious!

[acts_of_gord]

Gordon won't look up too sharply unless the green kid gets closer. The patch of color at the edge of his vision matches well enough with a known encounter in the relatively recent past that he's assuming it's the same individual as last time. Gordon's therefore just going to wet the rim of each of the bowls and start testing them for sound by dragging his finger around the rim, then adjusting the water levels in each one to ensure the appropriate note sounds. Then he'll look up.



"... you're not Matrix."

[a1enzo]

"Actually, I am," he replies cheerfully. "What're you doing?"

[acts_of_gord]

The kid's got one too many eyes to be the guy from the target range, but whatever. "Setting up a musical instrument," he says. "Ever had a glass that'd make noise if you ran a finger around the edge?"

[a1enzo]

Also, he's a foot and a half too short. Hair's right, though!

"Sure! But Sis always told me to stop."

[acts_of_gord]

Gordon nods. Adding one last touch of water to the smallest bowl, he tests the edge; it sounds about right.

He hasn't done this in ages, but he remembers just enough of having learned to fiddle with glasses and water in college to begin playing, very slowly and very carefully, a recognizable version of Pachelbel's Canon in D on the bowls in front of him.

(The mun has an MP3 file of this, and about twelve other songs, being done in a similar fashion with a little guitar accompaniment.)

[a1enzo]

:-D!

"Dude! Alphanumeric! You get the notes from how much you put in each?"

[acts_of_gord]

Gordon nods. "The more water and the thicker the glass, the lower the tone," he says. "It has to do with how fast the glass can vibrate under your fingers. Used to be a musical instrument called an 'armonica', hundreds of years ago."

[a1enzo]

"You mean a harmonica? I have one!"

In his belt, as it happens. (Convenient, isn't it?) He pulls it out and blows a random chord.

[acts_of_gord]

"No. I mean an armonica. It's a different word altogether." Gordon eyes the instrument. "I don't know how the names wound up so similar."

[a1enzo]

"Weeeeird. What's an armonica, then?"

[acts_of_gord]

"It's when about thirty of these bowls are mounted on a spindle, one inside another, and turned by a foot pedal," Gordon says. "They pass through water and get played by touching the rims as they move past. Less chance of tipping it over and breaking something."

[a1enzo]

Enzo tries to picture this. "They're inside each other?"

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

"Hello, Freeman." Ryan tends to drop to one name usage after having instructed someone, even if only for a very short time. The bowls get a curious look and a questioning eyebrow.


[OOC: Um, I'm off to work now, but if you don't mind waiting till tomorrow to thread, I'd feel mighty thankful. :D?]

[acts_of_gord]

Gordon's used to it. Most of the other doctorates at Black Mesa just called him 'Freeman' anyway. He looks up and nods a greeting. "Trying something I did in college," he answers. "Improvised musical instrument."


[ooc: Sure thing!]

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

"Was this for a course or for fun then?" Ryan asks, looking a bit more interestedly at the bowls.

[acts_of_gord]

"The latter. Ben Franklin invented an actual musical instrument made from thirty-two nested glass bowls, which was played by a finger around the edge of individual bowls, but his was mounted sideways on a spindle. I just taught myself to play a couple of tunes in my off hours."

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

Ryan looks a shade amused. "It seems it wasn't a very popular instrument."

Americans. What will they think of next?

[acts_of_gord]

"Actually, it was pretty popular for a couple of decades," Gordon says mildly. "Mozart composed a couple of pieces for it. So did Beethoven and Strauss. So it was popular, just in a faddish sort of way."

He's got the bowls tuned to his liking, so he wets his fingertip again and thinks a moment. The rendition he produces of Pachelbel's Canon in D is really quite creditable.

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

Ryan tilts his head, thoughtful expression on his face.

"That's not bad," he admits after a bit. "I'm not certain it's something I'd listen to on my own, but I don't object to hearing it."

[acts_of_gord]

"Thanks," says Gordon. "It's been years since I really played it in earnest. I've practiced a few times since coming here, though. Just to pass the time."

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

"Speaking of which, how's the bicycle coming?" Ryan assumes it is coming, seeing how often Gordon's been in the workshop.

The smell grows on you.

[acts_of_gord]

"Just about done, actually," says Gordon. "I, uh... I don't sleep much."

And he's got to be somewhere, right? The range isn't a good place to go after dark, so...

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

Not unless you can see at night anyway.

Hey, that be a useful helmet upgrade.

"And here I was thinking you were just nocturnal." Ryan seems to find that amusing for some reason.

[acts_of_gord]

"Working underground the way I used to does disrupt your circadian rhythm pretty badly," Gordon says, "but no. This was something else. It's just easier to do something else with my time than try to sleep."