Exploring New Composer/Performer Interactions Using Real-time Notation

Chris McClelland Michael Alcorn

SONIC ARTS RESEARCH CENTREQueens University Belfast

ICMC2008

Performer

Introduction

Composer

Live Electronics

1

Many existing solutions for the composer

to manipulate the performers sound in

real-time

RTN Potential for composer to provide

instructions to the musician during

performance

Score

Overview

Background & Motivation, Scenarios

Requirements of a Real-time Notation Environment

Existing Solutions

Components of a Real-Time Notation Environment

✦ Composer Tools

✦ Networking & Interoperability

✦ Performer Display

✦ Display

✦ Pages

eScore

Future Work

Motivation

✦ New Compositional And Performance Practices

✦ Somewhere In The Middle Of Composition And Improvisation

✦ New Levels Of Interaction And Feedback

✦ Network Performance

String Quartet, Live Electronics & Real-time Notation

Composer

Live Electronics

Cello

Viola Violin 2

Violin 1

Soloist, Sensors and Real-time Notation

Mediator

Live Electronics

Saxophone

Drums

Piano

Sensors

Network & Audience Participation

Mediator

Live Electronics

Sax

Audience

TrumpetNETWORK

NETW

ORK

Composer

Sax

Requirements of a Real-time notation Environment

Performer

• Display

• Networking

• Notation

Composition

• Interoperability

• Networking

• Notation

server client

Existing Solutions & Examples

Finale, Sibelius, Lilypond

✦ Choloniewski, M. 2001

✦ The Bays, 2008

✦ Baird, Kevin C. 2005

Max/MSP, Jitter

✦ Winkler, G. E. 2004

JMSL / MaxScore

✦ Didkovsky, N.

✦ Hadju, G. 2007

LiveScore

✦ Wulfson, H., Barrett, G. D., and Winter, M. 2007

Active Notation System

✦ Legard, P., Morgan, N., 2007

Networking & Interoperability

Open Sound Control

YAML

Ruby

/page/1/

OpenSoundControl Hierarchy

/window

/stave/2/

/page/2/

/stave/1/ bx

/note/1/

/window 1400 720

/page/add 800 0 800 600

/page/1/stave/add bass 20 100 200

/page/2/stave/add treble 20 100 200

/page/1/stave/0/note/add 61

/page/1/stave/0/note/0/dynamic sfz

/page/add 0 0 800 600

1

2

3

4

/page/1/stave/0/note/0/remove

Eg. OpenSoundControl Messages

5 /page/1/event1

Scoring with YAML“YAML is a human friendly data serialization standard for all programming languages.”

Event 2

Event 5

Event 4Event 3

Event 7

Event 6

Event 1jete

event 1, Leave No Trace

Leave No Trace YAML Score

/page/1/event1

/page/1/event1/pitch 86

Real-Time Notation with Ruby

Performer Display

✦ Preview, and Current area

✦ Read just like a paper score

✦ Composer/Computer will be building the preview area in advance

✦ Composer/Computer/Performer changes page

✦ Large compose time, dependent on page size and tempo

Pages Display

✦ Can be problematic due to graphics becoming blurred when moving at fractions

of a pixel per frame.

✦ Larger chunks of material distracting.

✦ Alternative is to having a scrolling line indicating current position.

✦ This method lends itself to rhythmical material.

✦ composer must be composing slightly out of the peripheral vision.

Scroll Display

✦ Material sent immediately to the screen

✦ Response is as quick as the performer can react to the new position.

✦ Not all material is suited to this method of display

✦ improvisatory and shorter passages are more successful.

✦ The compose time is very short

✦ Leave No Trace fragments were generated and displayed in <10 ms

Scatter Display

Scatter Display in Leave No Trace

eScore demo

Future Work

User based Studies

✦ Workshop with 4-6 Composers

✦ Varied notation types

✦ Work with performers

✦ Audience and Network participation pieces

Ownership

Large Scale Ensemble Work

End of Year Release

✦ Mac OS X only

✦ Open Source

c.mcclelland@qub.ac.uk

http://www.sarc.qub.ac.uk/~escore

http://www.realtimenotation.com/escore

Thank you

Questions?

Contact