Playing with Pink Noise is Kaki King at her most experimental and physically commanding. Performed in Open G tuning (DGDGBD), the piece is a masterclass in using the guitar body as an equal partner to the strings — the wood becomes a drum, a resonator, and a textural instrument in its own right.
The two-handed tapping in this piece differs from the lap-tap approach of Mongrain or the electric-influenced tapping of other players. King taps in a more percussive, hammered style, alternating between string tapping and body strikes in patterns that create an interlocking rhythmic and melodic texture. The line between percussion and melody dissolves.
Open G tuning provides a resonant drone foundation that sustains beneath the tapped notes, filling in harmonic content even when individual strings are not being actively sounded. King's knowledge of this tuning is deep — she places melodic ideas on strings that allow other strings to sympathetically vibrate, adding richness that a single-note tapping approach would not achieve.
The piece's title references the concept of pink noise — a frequency-balanced sound used in acoustics — and King seems to be exploring a similar idea on guitar: a frequency-balanced blend of tonal and percussive content where neither dominates.
For expert players, mastering this piece requires an open mind about what the guitar is. Approach it as a full percussion-and-melody instrument, and conventional guitar boundaries will dissolve as King intends.