academy of music and drama university of gothenburg

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AcademyofMusicandDramaUniversityofGothenburg

PerAndersNilssonPh.D./Professorinmusic

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SystemicImprovisa0on

Anapproachtomusicimprovisa?on

SystemicImprovisa0onThepar?cipantsformintegralpartsofasystemofhumanandvirtualagents,andcharacteris?cmusicemergedependingonthesystemstructureandthenatureofthetransforma?ons.

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Amajoraesthe?c(andsystemic)tenetinmythesisAFieldofPossibili<esisthatmusicalimprovisa?onhasstrongsimilari?estogaming,play,andsports.

SystemicImprovisa?on

Musicasgame

Anotherimportanttenetisthedis?nc?onbetweendesign<meandplay<me.


Musicasgame

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Conceptsfromthefieldsofinterac?ondesignandgamedesignappliedonmusicopennewperspec?vesonmusic.

Musicasgame

Playwesaid,liesoutsidethereasonablenessofprac?callife;hasnothingtodowithnecessityoru?lity,dutyortruth:Allthisisequallytrueofmusic.(JohanHuizinga)


GamingTheories

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•Playisvoluntary•Playcreatesitsownmeaning•Playisautonomousmovement•Inplaywerepresentourselves


Exchangeplayformusic?!

GamingTheories

Agameconsistsof:•Goal•Space•Rules


GamingTheories

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GamemechanicsSta?cproper?esofagame,itsfundamentalrules,objects,andprocedures.


GamingTheories

Gameaesthe?csDynamicsthatoccurbetweenaplayerandagameasaconsequenceofitsrulesandgoal;gamemechanicsgiverisetoac?vityandinterac?on.


GamingTheories

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Gameaesthe?csRuleconsistency,emergence,chance,gamerelimina?on,skill,temp?ngchallengeetc.


GamingTheories


Playertypes

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Musicasagame1:

GiantSteps(JohnColtrane)Playertypes?Aesthe?cs?


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JohnMcNeallsays:“GiantStepsisinteres?nginitself,whichmeansthataplayerisasmuchplayedbythepiece,asplayingit”(ThinkinginJazz,Berliner1994).GiantStepsisaplaythatissetinmo?onbythemusicians,andaccordingtoGadamer:“themovementofplayhasnogoalthatbringsittoanend;rather,itrenewitselfinconstantrepe??on”

Musicasagame1:


Musicasagame2:

ClickPiece(JohnStevens)Theaiminthispieceistoproducetheshortest,mostprecisesoundpossible.PlayerTypes?Aesthe?cs?

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Inessence,theideaisamusicalgamethatasksapianoplayertoguessandplayonechord,outofthreepossible,simultaneouslywitharandomlygeneratedchord.

Musicasagame3:ChasingTheChords


FromasystemtheorypointofviewtheChasingChordsconceptisinspiredofaspectsofevolu?on.InMindandNatureGregoryBatesondescribestheformingoflivingorganismsasthecombina?onoftwostochas?csystems.Ifweregardthemusicaloutcomeasalivingorganism,howisitshaped?


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Inthefirstsystem,accordingtoBateson,“therandomcomponentisgene?cchange,eitherbymuta?onorreshuffling”.Thecrea?onofthethreechordsinvolvestworandomprocesses,namelyselec?onofoneofthepre-generatedthreechordsplusdura?onun?lthenextsuccessiveeventshalloccur.



Batesondescribesthesecondsystemsuchas“therandomcomponentisprovidedbythesystemofphenotypeininterac?onwiththeenvironment.”InChasingChordsthecomputergeneratedchordsaremovingtargets,andinprac?ceitisimpossibletosolvethetask.Theresul?ngmusicaloutcomeisacombina?onofthosetwostochas?csystems;therandomgenera?onsofchordsandthemusician’sstruggletohitthem.

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NaturalArtefactsatCNMAT,March2014


SystemicImprovisa?onisakindofmusic-makingwherenormalmusicalinterac?onistransformedbytheintroduc?onofauralorvisualcuesgeneratedbycomputer-basedvirtualinter-actors.Italsoconnectsto,andrelyupon,thetradi?onofexperimentalmusic.

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Acrucialandsignificantconceptintheexperimentalmusictradi?on,asMichaelNymandefinesitinExperimentalMusic,istask;toperformistosolveaseriesoftasksratherthanself-expressionand/orexpressingconcepts.MichaelNymanargues:“foreachexperimentalcomposi?onpresentstheperformerwithataskorseriesoftaskswhichextendandre-definethetradi?onal(andtheavant-garde)performancesequenceofreading-comprehension-produc?on”.Whatisimportantistheinten?ontofulfillthegiventask.


TheSystemicImprovisa?onprojectaimstoformatheore?calmodelofimprovisa?onsystems,andatool-kitforthedesign,implementa?onandcommunica?onofsuchsystems,toenableothermusicianstoworkwithsystemicimprovisa?on.

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TheBucketSystemisanewkindofmusicalinterac?on/situa?on/work,andacon?nua?onofDahlstedt'sandNilssons'slong-termresearchintotechnology-mediatedmusicalcrea?vityandperformance.

TheBucketSystem


TheBucketSystemisanopenstructureofsigns,anota?on,anditisuptothepar?cipatorstomakeuprulesforeachpar?cularperformance.

TheBucketSystem

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TheBucketSystemrelatestoCardew’sTrea<se(1963-67)suchthatit’sgraphicscoredemandstheperformerstomakeuptheirownrules.Itismen?onworthythatTrea?seistobereadinalinearnarra?vefashion,whereasTheBucketsystemisnon-linear.Tilbury(2008)claimsthatCardewadmiredChris?anWolff’spiecessuchthat:“thesignsdonotrepresentedsounds;theycreatedsitua?onsinwhichtheperformersact,andtheinstruc?onsconsistsmainlyofsugges?onsashowtheplayersinteract”(Tilbury2008).

TheBucketSystem

SystemicImprovisa?onExamplefromTrea?se

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Aplayerreceivesanewinstruc?onwhere(s)heisforcedtohaltorchangewhatevergoingon,andsincethepar?cipantsareinterruptedallthe?me,noonewillbeabletodevelopthingsasusual.Ajerawhile,onegetusedtothis,andchangeapproach:fromplannedac?onsandpersonalexpression,tobemuchmoreawareofthepresent,tobeinthepresent,andtobeopenforwhatitoffers.

TheBucketSystem


Metaphor•  Fast=Busy•  Medium=Simple•  Fixed=ExtendedBehavioral•  Fast=Solo•  Medium=Interact•  Fixed=Vacillate

TheBucketSystem

SimpleHierarchy•  Fast=Lead•  Medium=Support•  Fixed=BackgroundHierarchywithOpposi0on•  Fast=Lead•  Medium=Support•  Fixed=Opposi?on

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Signs,Cycles,SnaresinHalmstad2014.


WorkshopatGinoRobair’splace,2015

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PerformingatNIME,2015


ThankYou!

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academy of music and drama university of gothenburg

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