Performance Following: Real-Time Prediction of Musical Sequences Without a Score

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Performance Practice Bibliography (1995-1996)

Bibliography of articles published in the field of Historical Performance Practices during 1995-1996

A microtonal wind controller building on Yamaha’s technology to facilitate the performance of music based on the “19-EDO” scale

We describe a project in which several collaborators adapted an existing instrument to make it capable of playing expressively in music based on the microtonal scale characterised by equal divsion of the octave into 19 tones (“19-EDO”). Our objective was not just to build this instrument, however, but also to produce a well-formed piece of music which would exploit it idiomatically, in a performance which would provide listeners with a pleasurable and satisfying musical experience. Hence, consideration of the extent and limits of the playing-techniques of the resulting instrument (a “Wind-Controller”) and of appropriate approaches to the composition of music for it were an integral part of the project from the start. Moreover, the intention was also that the piece, though grounded in the musical characteristics of the 19-EDO scale, would nevertheless have a recognisable relationship with what Dimitri Tymoczko (2010) has called the “Extended Common Practice” of the last millennium. So the article goes on to consider these matters, and to present a score of the resulting new piece, annotated with comments documenting some of the performance issues which it raises. Thus, bringing the project to fruition involved elements of composition, performance, engineering and computing, and the article describes how such an inter-disciplinary, multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary collaboration was co-ordinated in a unified manner to achieve the envisaged outcome. Finally, we consider why the building of microtonal instruments is such a problematic issue in a contemporary (“high-tech”) society like ours

Percussion and computer in live performance

This thesis seeks to articulate a performer's perspective of the interactions between percussion and computer in performance. A selection of compositions for percussion and computer will be used to explain how understanding the role of the computer can inform the player's technical and musical choices and is vital to convey a cohesive performance. Two of the compositions are the author's own work. Discussion of both the creation and performance of these works will suggest how using the computer with percussion extends the musical possibilities in a solo performance and allows implicit connections with practitioners of other art-forms

Musical accompaniments in the preparation of marimba concerti: a survey of selective interactive music software programs

The purpose of this study was to investigate the features of three interactive music software programs and their application in preparing marimba concerti. Specifically, the study evaluated Finale, NOTION, and SmartMusic for their viability in preparing Concerto No. 1 in D Minor for Marimba and Orchestra by Noah Taylor. A review of the literature relating to interactive music software programs revealed a lack of studies examining the use of these types of programs in the preparation of marimba concerti. All three software programs were installed on a 15-inch MacBook Pro computer that met system requirements for all three programs. Documentation indicated that all three interactive music software programs offered viable alternatives to preparing marimba concerti with piano reductions. Finale and NOTION provided comparable instrument sounds in terms of quantity and quality. Finale improved its instrument sound quality and quantity through its integrated Garritan Instruments sound library. NOTION offered improved sound quality and quantity through the purchase of Sound Expansion Kits. Finale’s Tempo Tap feature and NOTION’s NTempo function provided real-time tempo adjustment and the Audio Mixer mechanism for both programs allowed the user to isolate instruments. SmartMusic offered comparable instrument realizations through its SoftSynth device. The program, however, did not offer a tempo control feature that was compatible with marimba. Also, SmartMusic’s export options and Practice Loop feature allowed the user to effectively isolate instruments. Further research recommendations included empirical studies examining the benefits of interactive music software programs on the preparation of marimba concerti and applying earlier studies performed on the Vivace interactive music software program to current music software programs. Descriptive study recommendations included investigating the applications of interactive music software in the preparation of orchestral percussion excerpts and marimba concertos with wind ensemble, percussion ensemble, or chamber ensemble accompaniments

The set LCS problem

An efficient algorithm is presented that solves a generalization of the Longest Common Subsequence problem, in which one of the two input strings contains sets of symbols which may be permuted. This problem arises from a music application

Effects of practice strategies, metronome use, meter, hand, and musical function on dual-staved piano performance accuracy and practice time usage of undergraduate

The purposes of this study were: 1) To assess the effects of practice strategies, metronome, meter, hand, and musical function on piano performance accuracy of undergraduate music majors enrolled in piano class (N=39), and 2) To assess the effects of practice strategies on practice time relative to two unfamiliar pieces of keyboard music. Throughout an eight-week training session, treatment subjects were provided strategies for practicing unfamiliar pieces of keyboard music and were allowed time in class to apply the strategies while practicing. Strategies included score analysis, isolating hand position shifts, practicing unfamiliar chords, practicing measures with accidentals, and using the metronome to provide a slow practice tempo. Control subjects practiced the same pieces but were not taught the strategies. Pretests and posttests were conducted. Subjects were randomly assigned one piece with right hand melody and one piece with left hand melody. Half of treatment and half of control subjects were selected randomly to perform pretest and posttest pieces with the metronome set to 60 beats per minute. Following each 8-minute practice session, subjects performed each selection. Analyses of pretest and posttest performance data revealed main effects of test (posttest scores were higher than pretest scores with regard to pitch, rhythm, and beat), function (melody scores were better than accompaniment scores with regard to pitch), and meter (scores on the piece in 2/4 were higher than scores on the piece in 3/4 with regard to rhythm and beat consistency). Significant interactions among group and metronome; test, meter, and group; and meter and metronome were detected. No significant differences in pitch, rhythm, or beat consistency accuracy between groups due to the practice strategies were detected. Analysis of posttest practice sessions revealed that subjects spent the majority of their practice time performing the given selections at the piano, and the least amount of practice time analyzing the scores. Treatment subjects used score analysis techniques presented during treatment, but their practice did not reflect the strategies listed on their scores. Subjects in both groups devoted most of the performance aspect of their practice sessions to practicing both hands together

Composing and realising a game-like performance for disklavier and electronics

“Climb!” is a musical composition that combines the ideas of a classical virtuoso piece and a computer game. We present a case study of the composition process and realization of “Climb!”, written for Disklavier and a digital interactive engine, which was co-developed together with the musical score. Specifically, the engine combines a system for recognising and responding to musical trigger phrases along with a dynamic digital score renderer. This tool chain allows for the composer’s original scoring to include notational elements such as trigger phrases to be automatically extracted to auto-configure the engine for live performance. We reflect holistically on the development process to date and highlight the emerging challenges and opportunities. For example, this includes the potential for further developing the workflow around the scoring process and the ways in which support for musical triggers has shaped the compositional approach