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!

PS Quartet No.1 News

Announcement, Compositions

My PS Quartet No. 1 for electronic ensemble had an exciting debut season last year. In addition to multiple performances, the piece was featured in Score Follower. You can now watch the score of the piece while listening to the recording:

Compare this with the original video:

 

I also have received a grant to write and perform more piece for electronic ensembles from the Wayne State University’s Arts and Humanities Research Enhancement Program.  The PS Quartet was used as an example of what the possibility of an electronic ensemble. With the grant, I will be purchasing 16 Dualshock controllers and write a piece for a large-scale electronic ensemble. More info soon!

 

MMEA Presentation: Majoring in Music Technology

Announcement, Research, Teaching

This page contains a PDF version of the slides I am using for the Michigan Music Education Association’s Summer Technology Workshop 2018 (event link).

MajoringTech.pdf

Majoring in Music Technology: An Introduction to Undergraduate Music Technology Programs in Michigan

The presenter will discuss the similarities and differences between various music undergraduate technology majors offered by the 4-year universities and community colleges in Michigan. The session will also provide tips on the application procedure and portfolio preparation.