Sound Walk

The neighborhood that I chose to do the sound walk is upper east side, specifically Central Park on 5th avenue and 68th street.

As I sat down, I immediately hear the sounds of plane up in the sky which was unexpected but it wasn’t loud to the point where I would find it to be disruptive. The keynotes of Central Park would probably be the birds chirping which is very consistent, however, the texture of this is a complex one as different birds chirp in different pitches, and in different rhythm. This could also be a sound signal since the birds are trying to communicate with their own species by making sounds that could attract attention from them. Another keynote would be the sound of dogs’ metal leashes clinging which I heard very often because there were a lot of dog walkers with their dogs strolling in central park. Another keynote sound that’s made by animal would be horses walking and they tend to make these steady and rhythmatic stepping sounds along with the sounds of the wheels rolling from carriage. This can also be a soundmark since Central Park is the only location in New York City that allows horse carriages in a park and it’s considered as one of the main attractions in Central Park. In addition to horse carriages, Central Park itself is a big attraction that foreign visitors would definitely pay a visit to so I also heard a lot of people speaking in foreign languages as they were walking past me. The most important keynote of Central Park would probably be the sound that the trees are making as the wind is blowing on them which the texture is rhythmatic but soft, so it’s a very calming one. Lastly, there were some other noises from sirens of police cars, cars going through the park and construction sites nearby that are added to “city symphony” which are unique because they remind me that I’m still in New York City despite the calmness and soft rhythmatic sounds that I hear from my surroundings in the park.