21M.380 | Spring 2011 | Undergraduate

Music and Technology: Live Electronics Performance Practices

fReadings and Listening

Textbooks

[Collins] = Collins, N. Handmade Electronic Music: The Art of Hardware Hacking. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Routledge/Taylor & Francis, 2009. ISBN: 9780415998734.

Recording Compilations

[OHM] = OHM: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music, 1948-1980. Ellipsis Arts 3CD+DVD, 2005 (reissue).

SES # TOPICS READINGS LISTENING
1 Foundations: Live Electronics    
2 Foundations: Sounds, Signals, Samples, and Encodings Wang, G. “A History of Programming and Music.” In The Cambridge Companion to Electronic Music. Edited by N. Collins, and J. d’Escriván. Cambridge University Press, 2007, pp. 55-71. ISBN: 9780521868617. [Preview with Google Books]

Puckette, M. “Max at 17.” Computer Music Journal 26, no. 4 (2002): pp. 31-43.
[Read just pp. 31-37, 39-40, 42]

Schaeffer, Pierre. “Cinq Etudes De Bruits: Etude Violette” (1948) and “Etude aux objets, 2. Objets étendus” (1959). Pierre Schaeffer: L’oeuvre musicale. INA GRM, 1990.

Cage, John. Williams Mix (1952). On [OHM].

Oswald, John. “Dab.” Plunderphonics 69/96. Seeland/Fony, 1989.

3 Foundations: Envelopes, Filters, Modulation, and Mixing Tanaka, A. “Sensor-Based Musical Instruments and Interactive Music.” Chapter 12 in The Oxford Handbook of Computer Music. Edited by R. T. Dean. Oxford University Press, 2009. ISBN: 9780195331615. [Read just pp. 233-243.] [Preview with Google Books]

Tenney, James. “Analog #1 (Noise Study)” (1961). James Tenney: Selected Works: 1961-1969. New World Records, 2003.

Koenig, Gottfried Michele. Funktion Grau (1969). (Courtesy of Gottfried Michael Koenig. Used with permission.)

4 Foundations: Managing Events, Signals, and Data Ryan, J. “Some Remarks on Musical Instrument Design at STEIM.Contemporary Music Review 6, no. 1 (1991): pp. 3-17.

Fennesz. “Traxdata.” Hotel Paral.lel. Editions Mego, 2004.

———. “The Point of It All.” Venice Touch, 2004.

Mori, Ikue. “The Pit & The Pendulum.” Garden. Tzadik, 1996.

———. “Civitella Daze” and “Day of Locusts.” Labyrinth. Tzadik, 2001.

5 Workshop: Performance and Improvisation Cook, P. “Principles for designing computer music controllers.” Proceedings of the 2001 Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. National University of Singapore, 2001. (PDF)

Trueman, D. “Why a Laptop Orchestra?” Organised Sound 12, no. 2 (2007): 171-179. (PDF)

SuperSilent. “5.1.” SuperSilent 5. Rune Grammofon, 2001.

———. “6.2.” SuperSilent 6. Rune Grammofon, 2003.

6 Foundations: Processing and Transforming Sounds Wanderley, M. M., and N. Orio. “Evaluation of Input Devices for Musical Expression: Borrowing Tools from HCI.” Computer Music Journal 26, no. 3 (2002): 62-76. Musica Elettronica Viva (MEV).“Spacecraft” (1967). MEV 40 (1967-2007). New World Records, 2008.

AMM. “The Great Hall 1” (1982). Laminal. Matchless, 1997.

7 Workshop: Performance and Improvisation Holmes, T. “Live Electronic Music and Ambient Music.” Chapter 15 in Electronic and Experimental Music. 3rd ed. Routledge, 2008, pp. 376-406. ISBN: 9780415957823. [Preview in Google Books] Cage, John. “Imaginary Landscape No. 1” (1939).

———. “Cartridge Music” (1960). Music for Merce Cunningham. Mode, 1995.

8 Practices: The Early History of Live Electronics Gresham-Lancaster, S. “The Aesthetics and History of the Hub: The Effects of Changing Technology on Network Computer Music.” Leonardo Music Journal 8 (1998): 39-44. Oliveros, Pauline, and David Tudor. “Applebox Double.” Music from the ONCE Festival, 1961-1966. New World Records, 2003.

League of Automatic Composers. “Oakland One.” League of Automatic Music Composers 1978-1983. New World Records, 2007.

The Hub. “Peyote.” Boundary Layer. Tzadik, 2007.

9 Practices: Extending Common Physical Controllers Perkis, T. “Some Notes on My Electronic Improvisation Practices.” Chapter 8 in The Oxford Handbook of Computer Music. Edited by R. T. Dean. Oxford University Press, 2009, pp. 161-166. ISBN: 9780195331615. [Preview with Google Books]

Fiebrink, R., G. Wang, and P. Cook. “Don’t Forget the Laptop: Using Native Input Capabilities for Expressive Musical Control.” Proceedings of the 2001 Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. National University of Singapore, 2001, pp. 164-167. (PDF)

The Hub. “Cut to Ribbons.” Boundary Layer. Tzadik, 2007.

Kid Koala. “Like Irregular Chickens.” Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Ninja Tune, 2000.

D-Styles. “Felonius Funk.” Phantazmagorea. Red Rocket, 2002.

10 Workshop: Performance and Improvisation Kuivila, R. “Open Sources: Words, Circuits and the Notation-Realization in the Music of David Tudor.” Leonardo Music Journal 14 (2004): 17-23. [Alternate source, 2001 conference version (PDF)]

Driscoll, J., and M. Rogalsky. “David Tudor’s ‘Rainforest’: An Evolving Exploration of Resonance.” Leonardo Music Journal 14 (2004): 25-30.

Tudor, David. “Rainforest” (1973). David Tudor & Gordon Mumma. New World Records, 2006.

———. “Pulsers” (1976), with Takehisa Kosugi. Three works for live electronics. Lovely Music, 1996.

———. “Toneburst” (1975). CD accompanying Leonardo Music Journal, v. 14. 2004.

11 Practices: Touch Interfaces and OpenSoundControl Wright, M. “Open Sound Control: an enabling technology for musical networking.” Organised Sound 10, no. 3 (2005): 193-200. Ikeda, Ryoji. “data.syntax” and “data.reflex.” Dataplex. Raster-Noton, 2006.
12 Practices: Laptops and Laptop Orchestras Smallwood, S., et al. “Composing for Laptop Orchestra.” Computer Music Journal 32, no. 1 (2008): 9-25. Zorn, John. “Uluwati” and “Tamangiri.” Cobra: John Zorn’s Game Pieces Vol. 2. Tzadik, 2002.
13 Workshop: Performance and Improvisation [Collins] “Part II: Listening” except II.6 and II.10 (pp. 11-26, 31-63)  
14 Practices: Analog Electronics and Circuit Bending Ghazala, Q. R. “The Folk Music of Chance Electronics: Circuit-Bending the Modern Coconut.” Leonardo Music Journal 14, no. 1 (2004): 97-104.

[Collins] “Part III: Touching,” III.11 through III.15 (pp. 73-112)

Selections from CD accompanying [Collins] text:

  • Nicolas Collins, “El Loop.”
  • David Behrman, “Players With Circuits.”
  • asunao Tone, “Imperfection Theorem of Silence.”
15 Practices: Electronics and Sensors Tanaka, A. “Sensor-Based Musical Instruments and Interactive Music.” Chapter 12 in The Oxford Handbook of Computer Music. Edited by R. T. Dean. Oxford University Press, 2009, read just pp. 243-257. ISBN: 9780195331615. [Preview with Google Books] Atau Tanaka/Sensorband. “Sensorband.” Power and Responsibility: Converted to Streaming Between Machines. Leonardo Music Journal CD Series, v. 9 (1999).

v2unstable. “Sensorband Performance (DEAF96).” November 12, 2010. YouTube. Accessed August 16, 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLSoPmY6jGM

BKeeperSystem. “Atau Tanaka at the Luminaire.” December 19, 2008. YouTube. Accessed August 16, 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB_yE_Y3_8k

16 Workshop: Performance and Improvisation [Collins] “The World’s Simplest Circuit: Six Oscillators on a Chip, Guaranteed to Work,” pp. 129-145.

[Collins] “Getting Messy: Oscillators that Modulate Each Other, Feedback Loops, Theremins, Tone Controls, Instability, Clocks for Toys, Crickets,” pp. 152-167.

 
17 Practices: Approaches to Composing Improvisations Dennis, B. “Cardew’s ‘Treatise’ (Mainly the Visual Aspects).” Tempo 177 (1991): 10-16. Cardew, Cornelius. “Paragraph 2.” Cardew: The Great Learning / Bedford: Two Poems for Chorus on Words. The Scratch Orchestra; Cornelius Cardew, conductor; 1971 performance. Deutsche Grammophon, 2002.

———. “Treatise.” Cornelius Cardew — Memorial Concert (1985). [Download from UbuWeb Sound]

18 Practices: Timing and Networking Rebelo, P., and A. Renaud. 2006. “The Frequencyliator—Distributing Structures for Networked Laptop Improvisation.” Proceedings of New Interfaces for Musical Expression: Network Performance (NIME 06). Paris, France. pp. 53-56. (PDF) Kioku. “Pinari.” Both Far and Near. Quiet Design Records, 2007. [Audio and video clips available at Kioku | Multimedia]

Ariza, C. Pulsefact.

19 Workshop: Performance and Improvisation Cascone, K. “Grain, Sequence, System [Three Levels of Reception in the Performance of Laptop Music].” Intelligent Agent 4, no. 1 (2004). Cascone, Kim. “Dust Theories 2: Alchemical Residue.” Musicworks CD 82, 2001.
20 Workshop: Performance and Improvisation    
21 Practices: Novel and Custom Interfaces [Collins] “The Future is Now,” pp. 276-296.

Weinberg, G. “Playpens, Fireflies, and Squeezables: New Musical Instruments for Bridging the Thoughtful and the Joyful.” Leonardo Music Journal 12 (2002): 43-51

Video of performance of Gil Weinberg’s Nerve, for 8 Beatbugs Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology. “Nerve Beatbugs in Concert and Workshop.” YouTube. July 8, 2010.
22 Workshop: Performance and Improvisation    
23 Practices: Live Coding, Live Algorithms, and Generative Techniques Collins, N., et al. “Live Coding in Laptop Performance.” Organized Sound 8 (2003): 321-330.

Brown, A. R., and A. Sorensen. “Interacting with Generative Music through Live Coding.” Contemporary Music Review 28, no. 1 (2009): 17-29.

 
24 Class concert performance    
25 Design 2 Presentations    
26 Design 2 Presentations & final performances    

Course Info

As Taught In
Spring 2011
Learning Resource Types
Demonstration Videos
Lecture Notes
Music
Media Assignments with Examples
Presentation Assignments
Programming Assignments