In this post, I will explore why I chose to work with gestural capture devices. The influence they impose upon my composition workflow has had a profound effect on my music writing. My explorations with gestural devices began after my Masters. I was composing for contemporary classical ensembles with electronics. Up to that point, I had always scored pieces for musicians to play alongside fixed media parts. I loved working in the studio creating intricate chains of sound. I loved creating a score which was the exact instruction to play my music. Composing an electro-acoustic piece felt like working with the perfect combination of the humanistic qualities of acoustic performance and the seemingly limitless soundworld of electronics.
It’s an old score. Please don’t judge me for the roughness.
Over time, my frustrations grew with the presentation of the electronic parts. I attended electronic gigs/concerts where performers stared into laptop screens disengaged from the audience. It was disconnecting and dull. I desired to change the live performance of electronics. Additionally, fixed media imposes a rigid structure on performers in electro-acoustic music. The electronic part provides no freedom for the performer to deviate from the score. The tempo is rigid, so if a performer uses rubato for emotional effect, they drift out of sync. I hoped that in creating a performance focus on the electronics, I could address this issue at the same time.
My solution to my frustration was to use physical gesture capture in performance. Circling Above, for flute and electronics, was the first of these pieces. I used a first-generation Xbox Kinect feeding data into Max/MSP. The Max/MSP patch arranges the samples into groups based on the sample length. The performer’s right hand selects which group to pick a sample from. The height of the right hand also controls the sample's playback speed. The higher the hand, the faster the playback. If the hand is at chest height, it slows down the playback. A low hand position plays the sample backwards. The different types of playback generate a multitude of sounds. When the performer places their right hand to the top left of the device’s vision, the patch selects a short sample size and plays it at high speed. A short staccato texture is created. Moving a hand along the centre of the performer’s chest generates layered drones. The instrument controls the texture and shape of the electronics, but not the exact material.
One-to-one mapping of parameters in electronic instruments can get boring quickly. If you were to generate a sine wave whose pitch is controlled by the height of the hand, it can be easily figured out by the audience. The performance loses a sense of mystery. Less transparent interactions create more mystique. The audience can sit in wonder how the sounds are created. They know there is a connection, but can’t figure it out. An extra element is added to the performance. Circling Above was the first piece where I loosened control over the exact sonic output of a composition. The electronics had random choice programmed into the instrument. Still thinking in my usual modes of composition, I traditionally scored the flute part. In a workshop with Rarescale, Carla Rees felt restricted by the score. The electronics were free, but not the performer. I redesigned the score by deconstructing the material into individual phrases. The performer plays them in any order while listening and reacting to the electronics. The result is a much better dialogue between the two parts.
If you are interested in learning more about working with gestural devices, search through the NIME (new interfaces for musical expression) Archives here There you will find a wealth of papers on lots of aspects of electronic instrument creation. If this is a field you want to study, their mailing list is a useful resource to keep track of PHD studentships and research opportunities.
I am planning to write more blog posts that provide an insight into my explorations of these devices and how they influence my creative process. Designing an instrument is an interesting way to think of composition. The score begins with the instrument's creation, instead of at the page. My approach to following compositions and compositional process changed radically due to the experience of Circling Above. A whole new world of possibilities opened up. I discovered that it is not difficult to create gesture tracking electronic instruments. With a bit of googling, you can be up and running in an afternoon. It is where I began composing with performer freedom in mind. I started considering a whole new language for exploring musical ideas.