On Off Fade – Etudes for Electronic Music Ensemble No. 2

Compositions, Research, , ,

Link to Score

An electronic instrument can express a gradual or sudden change of timbre by twisting a knob or a slider. On Off Fade for an electronic ensemble is written to practice deliberately timed change in dynamics, density, and spectrum. The ensemble may consist of a percussion and three or more electronic devices. Specific models of electronic devices or previous experiences in an electronic ensemble are not required to perform this piece.


Instrumentation

Three or more electronic Instruments:

  • A machine that produces noise-like sound is preferred.
  • The performer should be able to control at least the volume and another parameter of the sound continuously. More the controllable parameters, better the instrument.
  • Examples of such devices include a radio, drum machine, no-input mixer, turntable, modular synthesizer, electronic metronome, circuit-bent toys,  and analog television.

One drumset OR drum machine:

  • A drumset consisting of a bass drum and a snare is ideal. Alternatively, one may use a drum machine that can trigger bass drum, snare, and rimshot sounds.
  • A drum machine should also be able to start and stop a preset rhythm.

Performance and Score Instruction
For an ideal balance of sound, adjust the volume of the instruments so that they do not overpower the drumset or the drum machine.
Notation for Electronics:

  • Regular notes and rests: start and stop the sound by increasing and decreasing the volume control. All notes should have a short attack and release time unless notated with crescendo or decrescendo. Respect the duration of the rests.
  • Notes with the + sign: change a parameter. For example, a synthesizer player can turn a filter knob. If there is more than one parameter control, feel free to change multiple parameters.
  • Crescendo and decrescendo: For regular notes, gradually change the volume control (a dynamic marking of n being no sound to ff being the loudest sound possible). For the + notes,  change a parameter.

Notation for Drumset or Drum machine:

  • At the absence of a conductor, the drummer cues the next section.
  • If a snare roll is not possible, trigger a preset rhythm in place of a snare roll.

For W – Toy piano and Electronics

Compositions

For W is a short piece for toy piano and electronics. I hear that the harmonies played in a toy piano have particular ring and color. Even perfect 5th intervals have somewhat dissonant but delightful quality. This particular trait of the instrument is sonically expanded with the electronic part.

For W is an update/rearrangement of 100 Strange Sounds No. 69.  The score and the electronic part can be downloaded at the following Dropbox link.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9v31456xeqrcv8c/Notes.pdf?dl=0 

Choices for Electronics Part

  1. Use SuperCollider in either PC or Mac. Run ForW.scd in SuperCollider. Instruction is noted on the score. Using SuperCollider is the most preferred method for its sound quality
  2. Use the app for Mac OS X. Download and uncompress ForW-OSX.zip. Run it on a Mac computer.
  3. Use an Android phone or tablet. Download and install ForW.apk. There may be some unwanted lag, but this could be the easiest to set up.

 

Beat Matching – Etudes for Electronic Ensemble No. 1

Collaborators, Compositions, Research, ,

Performed by EMEWS (Electronic Music Ensemble of Wayne State) on 10/11/2018

The purpose of this piece is to exercise with flexible control of the tempo and note duration in electronic instruments. By subtly changing the rate of repetition (i.e., frequency) the ensemble can phase in and out of a perceivable rhythmic pattern. This piece is also an opportunity for the students to read and interpret a graphical score as well as thinking musical ideas in numbers.

App created with Faust (http://faust.grame.fr)

Score and app available at:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rlozrjsukhlr9bp/AAAmWb_CZZdskkUh7qUaWSi-a?dl=0

* Beat Matching is the first piece of Etudes for Electronic Ensemble. The etudes consist of easy-to-rehearse electronic ensemble pieces for beginner electronic musicians or ensembles. Each work of the etudes focuses on musical ideas that expressed most efficiently with electronic instruments.

Hungry – for voice, guitar, and electronics (2018)

Compositions, Performances

 

Jenifer DeBellis, text
Elena Hensel, voice
Joo Won Park, composer
Bianca Pokrzywa, guitar

This is an intimate conversation between the guitar and the voice on being hungry and poor. The electronic part in the piece represents the hunger: it influences the person’s thoughts, emotions, and actions, however subtle or disruptive it is.
The piece was commissioned by The Oakland University Guitar Ensemble (Bret Hoag, director) as a part of the Bridging the Gaps: Guitars for Social Justice project.

PDF Score and necessary electronics part can be found at the following link

https://app.box.com/s/zt44c58oqpk98ru9k25azptfo6y0mrm6

an excerpt of the score

an excerpt of the score

Performance by Bret Hoag and Lynnae Lehfeldt

Published Writings : Fall 2018

Research,

I have published two articles this Fall. One is titled A Listening Guide to Unrecordable Electronic Music.

https://highwirelab.org/post/a-listening-guide-to-unrecordable-electronic-music

Here’s an introduction to the article by Highwire Lab, the organization sponsoring the event related to the article.

Concerts involving technology often impress the audience with cutting-edge gear and new sounds, but what is there beyond the novelty? This article will delve into how to spot and appreciate the artistic decisions and craftsmanship in composing and performing music written for the electronic ensemble that uses computers, game controllers, boxes with buttons as main instruments and more.

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In the last September, I presented a paper titled Analysis of DualShock 4 Controller as a Musical Instrument at KEAMSAC 2018, Seoul, Korea. Below is the abstract of the paper

Sony’s DualShock 4 can be used as an affordable and readily-available musical instrument that may not require an additional software to establish a connection with the computer. Despite the effortless connectivity via Bluetooth or USB, DualShock 4’s number of functioning inputs varies depending on the applications and the communication method.  The author analyzed and documented DualShock 4’s mapping scheme for Max and SuperCollider in this article so that it may be served as a reference for composition and performance projects. While buttons and joysticks behave much like MIDI controllers, some distinct features of DualShock 4, such as the trackpad, built-in timer, and SIXAXIS, have unusual mapping schemes and ranges.

One of the main topics discussed in the article is Elements-to-Music Application mapping schemes of DualShock4. This can be found in the link below:

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One more article is scheduled to be published by the Journal of Michigan Music Education in early 2019. Stay tuned!