As I started with audio programming, it felt like I walked into an unknown world with many possibilities, and it wasn’t clear to me which direction I should take. I came across a conference proceeding on New Interfaces for Musical Expression by Perry Cook15, which helped clarify my initial steps. In the conference paper mentioned that, “Make a piece, not an instrument or controller.” So, I decided to come up with the idea of a piece or specific musical composition because I didn’t want to create interesting research questions without a real product or future direction.
During the semester, I came up with two compositional ideas, and I aim to work on both of them since the interaction parts between them are not significantly different.
Piece No. I
The first concept comes from my own experience as a classical violinist who transitioned into electronic music. The overall idea involves contrasting aspects of my experience, demonstrating how every action reflects on other elements, and showcasing the complexity of identity. This piece has three sections:
Section I
1. Introduction
2. Then it goes to looping and layering
3. Atonality
4. Dissonant Intervals
5. Full of aggressive bowing
6. Using violin extended techniques
• For the transition part from section I to section II, I will either put the violin aside or have it in my hands but not playing it, instead I will just control the recorded sound and manipulate it with the sensors.
• Then will control the amplitude and do a smooth decrescendo to be prepared for the second section.
Section II
1. After some choreography, build the contrast on top of distorted and fading out loop
2. Play tonal patterns
3. With clear sentences
4. Subtle movements
5. Everything in this section is about contrast
6. Probably no loops at all!
Section III
1. Back to the chaos but this time overlapping and layering consonant intervals and melodies
2. End the piece immediately!
So the concept for this piece is mostly based on multiple loops, evolving patterns, and layering them to create a some sort of polyphony. The goal is to alter these layers through various types of interaction to showcase the role of the sensors. I will also build a contrast between the manipulated sounds and the raw sound of the violin, primarily in section two, and then take ideas from each of the two sections to build the final section based on that, for the conclusion part.
Piece No. II
The second piece also evolves from the first one, but with a difference: we start with the violin just for the beginning, and then the focus is more on the transition from acoustic to electronic sounds.
1. Playing violin melodically and record it into the buffer and create loops
2. Put the violin aside
3. Wear the sensors
4. Start with different types of interactions step by step
5. The end consists of many synth loops blending into each other
