Tag Archives: album

847 Twins – Brief Analysis

The production of 847 Twins, the title track in the album Fan Art, is documented in four sections. The first section, Program, is a one-paragraph description of the music written for a concert booklet or album promotion. I share information and thoughts that may help listeners enjoy the music. The second section, Form, is for the creators who want to learn how I used electronic sounds in composition. The third section, Code, is for the technologists who want to learn how I designed the piece in SuperCollider, a code-based audio app. Links to the code are available here. The last part, Anecdote, has extra narrative relevant to 847 Twins but is optional to enjoy the piece.

If preferred, read this article in PDF format.

Program

847 Twins is a two-movement piece based on harmonic progressions of Prelude & Fugue in C Minor by J.S. Bach. An electronic remake of Bach is a well-known practice pioneered by Wendy Carlos and Pierre Schaeffer (Switched-On Bach & Bilude). I learned so much from reading and listening to their works. J.S. Bach is also my hero composer. Therefore, it seemed appropriate to dedicate a song to my musical cornerstones in an album about fandom.

Listen to the tracks linked below before reading the next sections.

The tracks are available on other major platforms at  https://noremixes.com/nore048/

Form

Mvt I. Pluck

Pluck and Blip, the two movements of 847 Twins, algorithms written in SuperCollider use the harmonic progression of the Prelude in BWV 847. The downloadable code, 847_Pluck.scd, generates randomized voicing patterns played by a guitar-like synth. Below is a step-by-step explanation of how the composition process. 

  1. Design an electronic string instrument. Each note of this instrument is detuned at a different ratio every time the string is “plucked.” The note’s duration, dynamic, string stiffness, and pan position also vary randomly. 
  2. Using the instrument in Step 1, strum a chord with notes at a measure in BWV 847. Unlike a guitar, a strum of a chord can have multiple pan, accents, and note durations due to the randomization in Step 1.
  3. Each measure of BWV 847 is played four times before advancing to the next measure.
  4. Add a bass part with gradually increasing loudness. It plays the lowest note in the corresponding measure. 
  5. Add the intro and the outro for a better form. They are not quoted from BWV 847.

In short, the first movement of 847 Twins is a reinterpretation of BWV 847 featuring an imaginary string instrument and a synth bass. I loved how Bach created exciting music with a predictable rhythmic pattern. The key was harmony and voicings. I wanted to emphasize that aspect with an additional layer of dynamics articulations in Pluck. The added bass line, which imitates the “left hand” of basso continuo, fills in the low-frequency spectrum of the piece. The bass part is best experienced with a headphone or a subwoofer. 

Mvt II. Blip

The first movement lacked elements of counterpoint, so I tried to make an electronic polyphony in the second movement. In Blip, each measure has 3-6 parts playing different phrases derived from a measure in BWV 847. The phrase shape, the number of voices, and articulation are determined randomly at every measure and create a disjunct yet relative form. Schaeffer’s Bilude explores this idea by combining piano performance and recorded sounds.   

Below is my process of creating a random phrase generator. Please run 847_Blip.scd to hear the piece.

  1. Create a list of pitch sets by reducing repeating notes in each measure of BVW 847.
  2. Make three different synth sounds.
  3. Make a phrase generator that uses the list in Step 1 and synths from Step 2. The instrument choices, phrase length, note subdivisions, and articulations are randomized. The SuperCollider code also has the option to generate a rhythmic variation (i.e., insert rest instead of a note). 
  4. Make a polyphony generator that spawns the phrase generator described in Step 3. The number of polyphonic voices and their octave transpositions are random. 
  5. Play and record Step 4 twice. Then, import the tracks to a DAW. Insert a reverb plugin on one track. The reverb should be 100% wet. 
explanation of analysis
explanation of analysis

The algorithm described above creates different timbres, polyphonic patterns, and the number of voicings at every measure. Furthermore, every rendition of the SuperCollider code makes a unique version of Blip. One measure can be a duet of two-note phrases, and the following measure can be an octet of eight phrases played in a four-octave range. The room sound created by the DAW reverb plugin doesn’t reflect the source, but it sounds similar enough to be heard as part of a whole. 

Code

Mvt I. Pluck

The SuperCollider file for Pluck consists of seven parts. Please download and use 847_Pluck_Analysis.scd to hear and modify each part. Make sure to run the line s.options.memSize=8192*16 to allocate enough memory. 

  • SynthDefs: SynthDef(“Gtr”) uses a Karplus-Strong physical model with controllable pan, frequency, stiffness, amplitude, and duration. SynthDef(“Bass”) makes a sinusoid tone with a percussive amplitude envelope. The UGen Lag.kr smoothens the sharp transient of the amplitude envelope. 
  • ~onenote: this function uses two SynthDef(“Gtr”) to create a detuned note. The amount of detuning is randomized along with other parameters of the SynthDef.
  • ~stroke: this function creates instances of ~onenote with pitches specified in the ~chords array.  ~chords is a collection of all the notes in the Bach Prelude, categorized and indexed by measure number. The order of the notes in a measure is random.  ~stroke plays the chord in sequence or reverse to simulate a guitar’s up and down stroke motions. 
  • ~strums: this function continuously triggers ~stroke. The global variable ~pulse determines the tempo. ~strumsend function is used once for the ending. 
  • ~clock: this function changes the chord progression at time intervals set by the global variable ~mdur. It also changes the parameters of ~strums by altering the values of global variables ~mm~accent~volume~notedur, and ~stiff. Note that both ~strums and ~clock functions must run simultaneously for a correct chord progression. 
  • ~bassline: this function plays SynthDef(“Bass”) a few seconds after the start of the piece. It uses the if condition to change the rhythmic pattern. The line pitch=~chords.at(count).sort.at(0) picks the lowest note of each measure as a bass note.
  • SystemClock: this scheduler syncs ~strums, ~clock, and ~bassline to play a version of Pluck. Every rendition of SystemClock will make a new variation of the track.    

Mvt II. Blip

The SuperCollider file for Blip consists of four interconnected parts. Please download and run 847_Blip_Analysis.scd to hear each part.

  • SynthDefs: The three SynthDefs, PBeepTBeep, and SBeep, are all slightly detuned percussive instruments featuring a classic oscillator waveform, such as sine, triangle, and pulsewidth. 
  • ~phrase: this function creates a short melodic pattern based on pitch sets received from global variable ~arp. It controls which SynthDef to use, amplitude, phrase length, note duration, and transposition. The last two arguments activate or deactivate that random rhythm generation and arpeggio pattern variation.  
  • ~section: this function duplicates ~phrase. The number of ~phrase and octave transpositions are randomized. The function also makes further variations on amplitude, note duration, and panning.
  • The Routine in the last section uses the ~piece array as a cue list with details on when and how to trigger the ~section. The array ~chords is a list of all the notes in corresponding measures of the Bach Prelude. The Routine also sends a changing pitch set from ~chords to ~phrase via the global variable ~arp.

Anecdote

847 Twins does not use the Adagio section of the Prelude and Fugue. When composing the first movement, I could not transition from a constant 16th-note drive to a free and improvisational ending. I tried to address this incompleteness by writing a complementary movement, Blip, but it did not work out. I made a satisfying solution six months after completing 847 Twins by incorporating an instrument I could improvise aptly and freely. Nim6tet, the sixth track in Fan Art, has six layers of no-input mixer improvisation guided by the chord progressions of the Adagio section. It shamelessly shows off no-input mixer sounds I can not create with other instruments. 

It took many attempts in the period of 1.5 years to finish three tracks about the first half of BWV847. The electronic interpretation of the Fugue part is a puzzle yet to be solved.

More Analysis and Tutorials

Updated on 4/13/2023

Fan Art – Album Link

Fan Art is now available on major platforms. For a comprehensive list of distributors, visit https://noremixes.com/nore048/

At a solo concert last night, I promoted Fan Art for the first time. As you can see in the picture, it felt awesome.

photo by David McCarthy

I will write more about each track in the following weeks. Go listen to the album!

Work Catalog 2022

I made a list of my published and available works using Google Sheets. Click HERE to view. The work list already exists on joowonpark.net,  but the HTML format is difficult to sort, analyze, and assess. A catalog in spreadsheet format allows me to revise and manage the pieces with much more ease. The current file has the following information per piece: 

  • Title
  • Year Published: It is not the year the piece was composed but when it was available to the public. 
  • Instrumentation: Instrument names are alphabetized.  
  • Album: If the piece is a part of an album, the album title is available.
  • Co-Creation: Indicates if someone contributed during the composition/production process. Examples include co-composers, co-producers, choreographers, and theatre directors, but not performers.
  • Notes: Miscellaneous info. It could extend to another column in the spreadsheet.

Organization Principles

There are 121 pieces listed in the catalog as of December 2022. The number is more than the entries in my BMI catalog, which is currently 98, for the following reasons:

  • The Google Sheet catalog includes sound installations, recordings of free improvisations, and web projects that are tricky to register as compositions. 
  • Some are dance and theatre collaborations that require extra paperwork to register in BMI (feel free to correct me if I am wrong)

I also had to decide how to catalog 100 Strange Sounds and CMPE. The two were multi-year projects consisting of many short pieces. I had to choose to count them as two long compositions or 132 separate pieces. 

  • 100 Strange Sounds counts as one piece. It is a mosaic of individual entities with a common goal and theme, like Ik-Joong Kang’s Happy World.
  • Each CMPE-related EP, such as RMHS, ISJS, Piano Triplets, and Forms to Ponder, counts as one composition with multi movements. 

The most challenging part of cataloging was deciding what not to include. My principal guideline was whether the piece had online documentation.

  • Completed works not presented to the public are not listed. 
  • Published works without links are not in the catalog. Examples include
    • Premiered works without video or audio recording
    • Premiered works with missing concert programs, recordings, or scores. Most of the compositions during my graduate school years are in this category. 
    • Published works in a DVD or CD format only. My first published work is in this category.
    • A temporary exception is the pieces in the Fan Art album. Fan Art will be released in January 2023, and thus I put them into the catalog as placeholders.

Short Analysis

My productivity increased to a satisfactory level after graduate school. The number of presentable pieces per year was the lowest when I had the most time to work on music as a graduate student. Conversely, my productivity peaked when I had the least amount of time. I had a newborn baby and a first-grader to raise in 2015, but I released an album and was working on the next one. I accept that the pieces I made before 2009 were not good enough to get into conferences and invited shows. Also, I started using platforms like YouTube to facilitate sharing and documenting work after finishing school.

The number of album releases and large-scale works indicates that I work well with long-term projects. Creating an album with a theme keeps me in creative mode. Multi-movement electroacoustic work is fun. A single piece that requires an extended amount of time to gather sources or produce sounds positively challenges me. I will consider my experience in planning and executing long-term projects as my strength and continue developing it.

Co-creation accounts for about 30% of my creative output. I thought I preferred working alone, but the pi chart says I am not bad at collaborations. I am confident that I can tackle bigger projects involving multiple personnel in the future.

There are a few things to improve in the catalog. I want to record each piece’s duration to compare the effort I put into each work. I can also list performers who premiered the piece. The number of performances per piece can also be pertinent data for the catalog. Analysis of such data can show me where to concentrate my creative energy for the next few years.

Works 2019-2009

Works 2019-2009

I am sharing eleven old pieces in reverse chronological order. I don’t consider them as my best of’s, but they are more like excuses to “what happened?” and “why did I do that?” Excuses are rarely correct answers to the questions, but they are somewhat related and much more entertaining. I invite you to listen to my incoherent explanation of why I play drum machine solo instead of recording soothing summer rain sound.

Link to album

https://1473.bandcamp.com/album/works-2019-2009

From the label director, Chien-An Yuan:

Curated by Joo Won @joowonmusic himself, “Works 2019-2009” is an outstanding showcase of his development as a sound artist, in reverse. Joo Won’s music sits precisely at the intersection of sound, technology, and innovation – communicated both in his compositional processes and choice of hardware. There is no passive engagement with his music – by choice or chance, Joo Won’s music demands active listening – there are so many disparate elements to focus on, so many new sounds, that it’s always a thrill to listen to one of his pieces.

Having “Works 2019-2009” as the 20th 1473 release is perfect, really – by providing an overview of an artist’s journey, it serves as the perfect way to mark this milestone for the label. Starting with release 21, the look and mission of 1473 will shift and open up even more – I’m incredibly excited and I hope you are too!

Quite importantly, and as addressed in previous posts, today is Bandcamp Friday when Bandcamp ensures that 100% of income is passed directly to artists and labels by waiving their transaction fees. Joo Won and I are happily passing this income towards raising funds for Spread Art in Detroit, a vital independent art space, run by the formidable Shiva @shivoid

Please help support Spread Art’s mission by purchasing Joo Won’s album today. I promise you’ll be excited by all of the new sounds you hear.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CK6LVKblNHp/