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Abstract
In this paper we discuss our approach to designing improvising music systems whose intelligence is centred around careful listening, particularly to qualities related to timbre and texture. Our interest lies in systems that can make contextual decisions based on the overall character of the sound field, as well as the specific shape and contour created by each player. We describe the history and paradigm of ‘expanded instrument’ systems, which has led to one instrumental system (GREIS) focused on manual sculpting of sound with machine assistance, and one improvising system (FILTER) which introduces the ability to listen, recognize and transform a performer’s sound in a contextually relevant fashion. We describe the different modules of these improvising performance systems, as well as specific musical performances as examples of their use. We also describe our free improvisation trio, in order to describe the musical context that situates and informs our research.
Acknowledgments
We thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful feedback on earlier drafts of this manuscript.
Notes
1 The best way to effectively reduce the size of the gesture space while maximizing sonic gestural variety is still an open question for us.
This paper is developed from the winner of the Journal of New Music Research Distinguished Paper Award at the International Computer Music Conference, 2010.