Composing with Tape Recorders — Terence Dwyer

Terence Dwyer’s iconic 1971 tutorial Composing with Tape Recorders (originally published by Oxford University Press), re-published by JOAN, includes new texts by Sarah Angliss, Irene Revell, John Hughes and a visual afterword by Mandy Ure.

Dwyer’s message is clear: work with what you have, however basic; experiment, organise, educate your ear and ignore censure – especially from classical musicians who are unfamiliar with the tape music aesthetic. Feel liberated this isn’t conventional, pitch-based music – trust your instincts and use your imagination. Relish your mistakes – they can become part of your composition. An entirely new musical landscape is here for you to enjoy. You’re ready to explore it – and you can start by opening this book.
– Sarah Angliss

An ‘only’ child, I spent hundreds of weekend hours waiting for my parents to awaken, somehow immersed in time-based (home) media, VHS, cassette, early CDs, the devices perhaps stand-ins for the siblings I so longed to play with. For a time, I made my own tape recordings: one morning while the kitchen was still in half-light (too small to draw the curtains, 8 or 9 years old?) I recorded the whole process of making breakfast: beans-on-toast, tea. I recall the very physical challenge of this ambitious orchestration but I was also the narrator, imagining a hybrid format radiophonic cookery show.
– Irene Revell