Process Music

Process Music 

There are many ways one can construct a works. Similar to I Ching by Cage, we can replace a flipping of a coin with the roll of a dice. Steve Reich’s ‘It’s Gonna Rain’ (process music). He used two Wallensak tape machines and through mechanical error, the two tape machines which had commenced  in unison, then drift apart. Through this mistake, the methodology for phase shifting was invented through ‘happy accidents’ This process was then applied to many works. 

Flow Chart Music

This technique has been emulated further, and fashioned in such a way that it can be applied functionally. By employing the use of a dice roll, we can further use this methodology to define our work. 

We could say that 1- 6 relates directly to a predefined parameter that once applied, can change an audible outcome. This can be articulated visually with the following flow chart: 

There are indeed, endless possibilities to the question posed by this methodology. The groups next steps will be to highlight how this can function in a 'live' environment. 

¤ Flow Chart Music continued…

¤ Can be utilised as a process tool

¤ Decision Making Removed

¤ Outcomes materialise from serendipity

¤ Success is questionable

¤ Subjective, results will vary

¤ Promotes free flowing work

Creating Boundaries/Maintaining focus

I haven't been able to find any books with relevance to my area within our research, but am reading through some papers I found linked to references in the lecture.  In case they are of any use to you, they are:-

http://www.web.ca/~robrien/papers/xx%20ar%20final.htm 
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/intellect/jvap/2007/00000006/00000002/art00004  http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/intellect/adche/2003/00000002/F0020001/art00004  http://shura.shu.ac.uk/966/   
http://www.ijdesign.org/ojs/index.php/IJDesign/ 
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1076/ilee.6.3.251.3602

The area of creating boundaries to aid focus in research seems, to me, to inform every stage of the process in the action research model (and in reality), so difficult to separate off as a sub-topic. 

As I see it, setting boundaries is carried out at the planning stage of the reflection in action process, but is based on existing knowledge, together with observation and reflection, which in turn are informed by the activities forming the basis for the research.  Therefore it is both the beginning and end of the process, as well as an integral part.

Action, observation and reflection may all reveal many choices, which could take the research in a different direction.  The choices made are part of the 'creative' process, and often, to some extent, instinctive, rather than strictly rational/'scientific' - (I know that the group weren't keen on the term 'creative', but for want of a better word!) Planning refocuses the researcher back onto the question. (MacIsaac, 1995, in O’Brien, R 1998, An Overview of the Methodological Approach to Action Research).  

 

Gerald Susman (1983) (Same Ref):-

Five Phases in Research Cycle

·         DIAGNOSING - Identify or define a problem

·         ACTION PLANNING – Consider alternative courses of action

·         TAKING ACTION – Select a course of action

·         EVALUATING – study the consequences of an action

·         SPECIFYING LEARNING – Identify general findings

The problem is then reassessed and the process begins another cycle, continuing in this way until the problem is resolved.

Decisions are being made at every level of the research, based on a review of and reflection on the action being taken.  

All present and correct

Confirming 4 team members, 4 submitted presentation registration forms.  Onwards and upwards!

Titles and tasks

So, we have a provisional title, and a work in progress work flow!! Check us out :)

How methodology influences a practitioners approach to their work?

A quick 'share' of our individual understandings of methodologies, and the ways in which we find them useful (or not), gave lots of possibilities for the presentation.  We were all equally happy to explore methodologies as our presentation topic, though wary of the vastness of the topic and the very limited time we have to prepare and present.

We brainstormed 'methodologies' and our reasons for using them in our individual practices.  A shortlist of areas to explore further was drawn up, and each member of the group volunteered to research one category only.  The findings will be shared with the other team members.  We will keep in contact via this blog, emails and face-to-face meetings when possible.

A shortlist of possible Alternative Outcome - 

Problem Solving - Vanda

Focus/Restriction - Wendy

Providing Alternative - Christopher

Reviewing/Reflection - Jessie

Critically Contextualising - All together

Methodologies - I Ching

. : John Cage : .


In 1951, Cage was given an English translation of the I Ching — the Book of Changes
The I Ching is an antique Chinese document that presents an ancient Chinese philosophical system and serves as an oracle of divinations (Gann 149).
This book forever changed Cage’s compositional techniques. Cage used it, “every time I had a problem. I used it very often for practical matters, to write my articles and my music—for every-thing” (Gann 151).


Cage employed the I Ching for nearly every major work he composed following 1951. He would assign durations, dynamic markings, pitches, meter, and other musical features to the numbers 1-64 and use the I Ching’s coin-based deliberation technique to make decisions on which elements would go together to create a piece of music. The first result of the I Ching process, used by Cage, was the indeterminate
piece Music of Changes, in 1951. This landmark work also was the first piece to be
contrived entirely by chance operations.



'An Air Of Serendipity'

The Ideology:

We have been looking into how this technique could emulated and used functionally within musical creation. Lets say for example, there is a predefined treatment (or application fx for an instrument) that is imposed on the sound for a 'Violin'.  This can be recreated using a laptop and software (Ableton) that will emulate John Cage's I Ching. The point of this experiment is to show how a predefined process methodology can be ultilised contextually for musical composition. Moreover, this can be a proverbial 'way of life' for musical creation. As a result of this process, a single line for violin, for example, can have an expansive collection of audible variables, permitting interesting musical results. 

Flow Chart - This will show a visual example of how this process can be employed. Each roll of a dice can result in numerous flow chart diagrams for such a s simple musical process.

Example: 

Processes Applied to 'Violin' for a Six Side Dice

• 1 = Overtly Decayed
• 2 = Erosion (down sample)
• 3 = Harmonic Resonance
• 4 = Juxta Pose - Reverse Algorithm 
• 5 = Saturation
• 6 = Multiband Dynamics

Pre Defined: 'Roll Of The Die'

> 1 - 3 means 'Apply Another Treatment'

> 4 - 6 means 'No More treatment Application

Therefore, a typical dice roll may occur like this

> ROLL DICE: 

 A '2' results - therefore a treatment needs to be added 

> ROLL DICE:

Again to establish treatment ' - a '5' results, so we must add 'Saturation' to the violin line

>DO WE ADD ANOTHER TREATMENT OR DO WE STOP? 

The dice rolls once more, and its a '4' - so on this occasion, not further action necessary

Interestingly, there are parameters within parameters, which can also all be defined - also, 12 sided dice (or two die!) can also be utilised.

A post of how this process influences an audio input will be blogged very shortly ;)

Up and running

Set up blog to use as our activity log. Vanda

Methodologies Papers

I've found some papers relating to references given in Tuesday's Methodologies lecture.  I will check them through and share any relevant ones.  Should I do this through the blog or by email?

Wendy