The Glissando Guitar Orchestra (with Daevid Allen) - ’7 Drones’ (excerpt) - MAC - 18/5/13

8 guitarists assembled at the Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) to participate in the only performance anywhere in the world this year of ’7 Drones’ - based on the idea of a ’glissando’ guitar ensemble first conceived by Daevid Allen and Steve Hillage in the mid-70s. ’7 Drones’ is a continuous slide up the heptatonic scale starting at C and ending with B - each note played for 7 minutes. In an interesting introductory prologue, Daevid Allen explained the concept of linking each note to the Hindu Yogic chakras. This excerpt (the entire performance takes 49 minutes!) shows the transition from F (heart chakra) into G (throat chakra) and briefly into A (3rd eye). Performance poet Jackie Juno timed the intervals. The Glissando Guitar Orchestra were: Daevid Allen (Gong); Brian ’Zero’ Abbot (The Invisible Opera Company of Tibet); Andy Bole (Tang); Steve Pond (Krankshaft); Steve Bemand (The Timelords); Dani Speakman (The Timelords); Will Greenwood (Kaputniks); Kev Hegan (Nukli