Welcome to the first post in our new series, where we introduce you to some of the incredible ambassadors who have embraced the Glissotar. In this series, you’ll meet musicians, composers, and artists who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with this unique instrument. In this edition, we feature Etienne Rolin, a creative and thoughtful musician with a distinct approach to sound and composition. As you read on, you’ll learn about Etienne’s journey with the Glissotar and how he’s incorporating it into his music. Stay tuned for more stories from others in the Glissotar community!
Etienne Rolin, a French-American musician born in Berkeley, California in 1952, has worn many hats throughout his illustrious career. A versatile artist, he has made his mark as a composer, a soundpainter, a woodwind performer, a recording artist, a teacher, an author, an editor, a painter, and concert programmer. His musical journey has traversed a diverse array of genres, including rock, jazz, baroque, contemporary, and electronic music, as well as collaborations in art installations.
Over the course of five decades, Etienne’s work has taken him across the globe, sharing his experimental creations in Europe, the USA, Canada, and Singapore. However, after 50 years of relentless exploration, he began to feel the weight of repetition in his endeavours. That changed when, by chance, he encountered Daniel Vaczi, the inventor of the Glissotar, during a visit to Budapest. This meeting reignited his creative spirit, opening a new chapter in his artistic journey.
As our very first customer and an incredibly active ambassador, Etienne has been instrumental in bringing recognition to the Glissotar. Through his passion and dedication, he has helped spread awareness of this unique instrument, making it known across many parts of the world. We are deeply grateful for his support and contributions. To celebrate this, we wanted to share our appreciation with you through Instagram and our blog. Be sure to check out his incredible work on Bandcamp!
In September 2024, Etienne released 12 Fantasias for Glissotar and Taped Sounds, blending the unique tones of the Glissotar with layered taped sounds. This collection explores new sonic possibilities in contemporary music.
Following the scores, you will find an exclusive interview with Etienne Rolin, a long-standing supporter and key advocate of our work.
What drew you to the Glissotar, when you first heard about it?
I was drawn to the Glissotar after conducting a concerto for György Kurtag Jr. at the Institut
Français in Budapest on January 20 2020. Daniel Vaczi was playing in the ensemble and I asked him for a meeting the next day. I ordered, literally on the spot, a new instrument to be shipped to me in Bordeaux.
Why do you like the Glissotar?
I like the extreme flexibility of the Glissotar which allows me to change colours and pitch scales very easily. It goes where my imagination takes me.
How do you see the Glissotar as an instrument in music / education / anywhere else?
The Glissotar can be used to open the ears of students and professionals of any age and can enhance the palette of composers working with multimedia.
Your Glissonic Journey: Describe your learning curve with the instrument. Different phases in learning to play on the instrument?
My learning curve was fostered by interactions with musicians, a light performer and a dancer in a four month residency south of Munich during the 2020/21 Covid period. This enabled me to be truly interactive with the collective improvisation at hand. In this creative time, I was able to record and to compose numerous sketches which I used as exercises to gain technical fluency.
A second phase was to encourage other composer friends to write short preludes in the manner of a call for scores. It was a process of discovering, annotating and sharing discoveries that could be taken up by other creative minds.
A third phase was to compose pieces using pre-recorded material derived from the Glissotar which I was able to premier with commissioned pieces in Chicago, New York and Paris in autumn 2023.
Most recently I was asked to compose a concerto for Glissotar and chamber orchestra performed in Seville in June 2024. On my bandcamp platform there are many traces of my Glissonic travels. When presenting the Glissotar in London march 2024 I felt obliged to write with the counselling from Daniel Vaczi an instruction manual “Going Slideways” as an introduction for composers and performers.
What is the Glissotar good for?
The Glissotar is a wonderful tool for improvisation and un-conditioning our finger and aural reflexes since there are only two octave keys. The Glissotar can bridge the gap between traditional and folkloric modes of playing and opens us to microtonal explorations as we can adapt to pitch inflection according to our musical choice of genre.
What was the experience of the people you played with? Did they say anything about the Glissotar?
Most musicians and audiences are quite surprised with the technical simplicity and aural
complexity of this invention. They say it reminds them of instruments as different as trombone, cello, saxophone, the musical saw or the human voice
How does the continuous pitch capability of the Glissotar compare to traditional wind instruments you’ve played?
Starting as a performer on the western flutes, recorders, Bansuri, then the saxophone and clarinet families, I feel that the Glissotar combines the techniques of my traditional instruments adding a complex sonic environment with fine definition of pitch.
In what ways do you think the Glissotar enhances your musical expression and creativity?
This instrument challenges me to play in various types of intonation and as a composer asks me to find adequate notations for musical ideas stemming from free or structured improvisation and exploration.
What is your process for integrating the Glissotar into your existing musical setup and compositions?
I document and record all of my musical encounters and have over 5O recordings either studio or in concert in the last 4 years. My recent production called Woodwind Overdubs investigates the magical sound combinations between the Glissotar, the Bansuri flute and the basset horn. I have also experimented and recorded by making 3 layer loops exploring the many varieties of sound articulation and projection. Glissotar Loopholes is the album title.
What advice would you give to other musicians who are considering adding the Glissotar to their collection?
As for advice to other musicians I would suggest that they start by ordering a Glissotar Jam (3D printout) or Purple Heart model, then practise freely while forgetting about traditional
instrumental reflexes while listening and recording the results. Then they should develop a good aural perception where specific pitches lie and which fingerings are most efficient. Each of us has to imagine the sound and style of music we wish to explore and promote on stage or in the studio.
We greatly appreciate Etienne for his invaluable support, his boundless creativity, and his deep commitment to the Glissotar. We are incredibly grateful for his passion and dedication, and we look forward to seeing where his musical journey with the Glissotar takes him next. Thank you, Etienne, for being such an integral part of our community.