Ruby Lulham
On turning ideas inside out and learning as you go
“There’s something so refreshing about being a complete beginner at something.”
After Australian neo-classical/electronic artist Ruby Lulham completed her music degree in classical performance, she was burned out. Seeking to inject some fresh energy and creativity into her practice, Lulham began experimenting with guitar pedals and synthesizers. Today, Lulham performs under the name Clariloops and creates intricate, rhythmic compositions utilizing her clarinet; a mix of delay, reverb, and looping pedals; and a Critter & Guitari Organelle synthesizer.
Drawing influence from a range of sources, including 20th-century composers, neoclassical and electronic artists, and folk musicians, Lulham explores both repetition and evolution. Lulham released 'Mindful Movement' in 2020 and 'Sun//Rain' in 2021. Last year, Sonixinema released a sample library of Lulham’s clarinet sounds called Clariloops: Nostalgic Clarinet Textures.
First off, how are you doing? How are things in Australia?
I’m pretty good! Australia is facing pretty big COVID numbers right now so a lot of people are staying indoors and trying to stop the spread as much as possible. It’s a pretty strange summer we’re having.
You started playing clarinet in your school’s band because your mom had a clarinet. What’s it like spending so many years with an instrument that you ended up initially playing not entirely by choice, but because of circumstances? Does the clarinet feel like ‘your instrument’?
I initially wanted to play the drums because I thought they were the coolest instrument, but my parents weren’t very keen on that idea. I liked the clarinet pretty much straight away though. I had dabbled in piano from an early age, so I think a melodic instrument was the way to go for me in the end. I ended up getting a very good teacher when I was 10 years old who had a big impact on my playing and my enjoyment of the clarinet in general.
After having spent 17 years on the clarinet, it certainly does feel like ‘my instrument’ now, almost like an extension of my body. I think it’s felt like that for the last 8 or 9 years. I can’t authentically express anything musical without it.
I understand that you started experimenting with pedals after receiving your music degree and were feeling less-than-inspired by classical music. Tell me more about that time.
That’s right, yeah. I struggled a lot after finishing my music degree at university because I didn’t have any goals anymore, there were no assessments to prepare for.
It’s a pretty scary feeling knowing that you’ve spent all this time learning an instrument and getting to such a high level only to be unfulfilled when you finally have the freedom to play what you want. I’m so happy I took the plunge and started exploring electronics and getting back into recording music for myself.
I dabbled in some really basic music production and songwriting during high school, actually. I used to play guitar and would either record sounds into GarageBand and arrange them in different ways, or I’d write my own lyrics to songs. I never thought I was very good at either of these things, but always found it really calming to record sounds and produce my own music just for the fun of it.
Did you have any training in improvisation?
I have had some training in improvisation. One of my first clarinet teachers was a jazz player. I never learned “serious” jazz improv, but we spent our hour-long lessons learning chords and interesting patterns in every key, as well as just doing free improvisation. That experience definitely made me able to listen to and react to other players as well as have the confidence to experiment and make music up on the spot.
What was the learning process like, as far as learning how to use synths and pedals?
It’s been a really fun experience. Definitely confusing and a bit stressful at times, but I’ve loved every second of it. There’s something so refreshing about being a complete beginner at something.
The thing I’ve found the hardest is sifting through all the information on the internet. There are so many answers to so many different questions out there that you can never find the information you need right away. It took me about 12 months to perfect my pedal setup. I bought everything second-hand at first to try out different sounds and upgraded from there. There is a lot of trial and error with pedals, especially playing an instrument other than guitar, just because you never know how it’s going to sound until it’s plugged into your instrument.
Learning to use my synthesizer was a whole new challenge. I knew I wanted this particular instrument because of the sounds it’s capable of making, but integrating it into my set-up was really hard at first. And the stress of knowing I’d spent all this money on something and wasn’t sure how to use it didn’t help. Since I’ve learned how to organize the sounds and make sure they’re ready to go at a gig and learned what sounds will fit into a recorded piece and how they interact with the clarinet, I’m so glad I bought it! It’s brought a whole new element to my sound which I’m really in love with.
What’s your process for composition?
I’m not sure why, but I still don’t really consider myself a “composer”. I’m sure it’ll click eventually.
My process changes a lot depending on what I’m working on, but my current releases all had a very similar process. I always start on my pedalboard as I find I can think more clearly and get into a flow when I’m not staring at a computer screen. I tend to start with a low-moving figure on one channel of my loop pedal and then add layers and layers of what I refer to as ‘textures’ onto another channel, before improvising melodies higher up on the clarinet. Sometimes when things don’t sound quite as I’d like them to, I’ll start a new looping channel with new harmonies of what I’ve already created and then mute or even just delete what I started with.
It’s a really interesting process digging really deep into one thing and then turning it off and what you’re left with on the other channels is completely different. But it’s really cool. It’s kind of like turning your original idea inside out.
Once I have the feeling of the track, I’ll start recording things into my computer, and generally, the track sounds completely different in there anyway. Working on the computer allows for adding a lot more textural elements, whether on the clarinet or electronics. I really love that space to add small details that are super effective in the end product.
I'm curious if there’s something about loops that you’re inherently drawn to.
When I made music as a teenager, I often looped small fragments of music in GarageBand and changed the tonality of the piece by changing the elements around the original loop. I didn’t really know what I was doing back then, but now I do that with a lot more thought and purpose. I’ve only written a few pieces that don’t contain any looping, and I find writing that sort of music a lot harder. Having a constant in my music really helps me create different feelings around that musical idea.
When you’re performing live, how much room do you leave for improvisation and exploration with the pedals and synth?
I don’t really leave much at all. I wish I could. I am a bit of a perfectionist and also get quite a bit of performance anxiety which isn’t very helpful for letting go and making stuff up. The more gigs I do, the more comfortable I’ll get I’m sure, but at the moment the most rewarding thing while performing is making sure I’m looping everything in a really engaging way and hearing the audience react to that at the end.
Do you have a creative routine or practice?
I wish I had something a bit more concrete, but life gets in the way sometimes. When I have a really good routine going, I tend to get an hour of clarinet practice without effects done - this is where I work on all the fundamentals that help me achieve the sound I really want. Then I spend 20 to 30 minutes making something up on my pedalboard before getting into whatever else I need to get done. I don’t have a creative routine for writing music specifically, but I find that when I’m feeling good about my clarinet playing, and feeling good mentally, the writing becomes quite easy.
Tell me about the sample library you created for Sonixinema. What’s that like knowing that people are using your samples?
It’s so cool! I love the idea that people are using my sounds in their own music. That was a really fun process too. The guys from Sonixinema gave me a pretty loose brief and let me just run wild with it. It was a totally different experience to composing. I recorded tiny snippets of music in all different keys and registers of the clarinet, and I learned a lot more about music production and file sharing which has really helped me out.
What are you currently working on?
For the last couple of months, I’ve been working on my live performance which has been really enjoyable. It takes a fair bit of work to translate recorded music back onto my pedalboard, and it is so rewarding to create something that I can play in front of actual humans.
I’m currently working on a shorter release that I’ll get out there in a couple of months if all goes to plan. I’ve been experimenting with writing music that starts with electronic sounds, rather than starting with effected clarinet. It’s been a really interesting process that has led me to write melodies I wouldn't normally write. I’m also working on a rework of a piece for a really amazing composer and pianist which I’m really excited about. I’ve never done a rework before, and it’s leading me to experiment with melody and harmony in completely new ways.
Are there some specific musicians or composers you're influenced by?
I am inspired by so much music in different ways. At the moment, I’m taking a lot of inspiration from folk musicians like Nick Drake and Palm Springs (from Melbourne, highly recommend). Whether it’s the guitar playing, the tone of the vocals, or the lyrics, I’m not quite sure, but I always get so much from listening to this music. I always try to create those special intimate moments in my own music.
I also take a lot of inspiration and learn a lot from listening to electronic music. I love music by Photay, Tokimonsta, and Bonobo that build slowly over time and incorporate heaps of different sounds.
My main inspiration is probably modern classical though. My favorite composer is Nat Bartsch (also from Melbourne) because her pieces explore beautiful textures and harmonies but remain simple. For me, her music has a child-like happiness to it with some really intense undercurrents. Her music really amazes me.
Do you have any advice for acoustic musicians who are curious about electronic music or pedals, but aren’t sure where to start?
I would say the best thing to do is find a couple of people on Instagram who use your instrument with electronics, ask them the best way to go about getting your instrument through pedals, and then just take the plunge and buy some gear. Buying pedals second-hand is the best way to go because if you don’t like them, you haven’t broken the bank and you can just sell them again. I bought my pickup for my clarinet, a delay pedal, and a reverb pedal and just went from there. It was so fun to experiment at first just with a really simple setup. Once you get going and learn what different pedals can do to your sound, there’s really no turning back!
Things feel so heavy right now globally. What are things that are giving you some lightness and inspiration this year?
Things do feel so heavy right now, but I always find a sense of calm and inspiration in nature. Getting away from the paved footpaths, even if it’s just to the oval at the end of our street, helps me feel more at ease. I always find a sense of lightness when we’re walking our dogs or getting out for a bike ride or seeing friends.
Any time I can feel more at ease creates the space I need to make music. If I can get into a state of flow just making stuff up with my clarinet and my pedalboard, things are pretty good.
To learn more and download Ruby’s music, visit www.clariloops.com. You can purchase ‘Clariloops: Nostalgic Clarinet Textures’ on the Sonixinema website.
