theory of motions (english abstract 2016)

7/26/2019 Theory of Motions (English Abstract 2016)

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Theory of Motions-Abstract Volume 1-Alexander Sonnenfeld

Translated by Dan Leach and Patricia & Timothy Werner

www.alexandersonnenfeld.com


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Index

1. Introducing

1.1 Regarding the Paper o this Wor!

1." #ystem o #-notation

2. Acoustic Motions

".1 $otion Direction

"." $otion Value

".% $otion ntensity

".%.1 Tonal Principle

".%." Variable Principle

".' $otion (haracteristic

".'.1 Linear (haracteristic

".'." )on-Linear (haracteristic

".* +rouping

".*.1 Double +rouping

".*." Triple +rouping

3. Anatonie

%.1 Anatonic #tages

%." Anatonic (ode

%.% Anatonic (ourse

4. Dynamic Motion

'.1 $otion Direction

'.1.1 ,pen $otion

'.1." (lose $otion

'.1.% ,pen & (lose $otion

'.1.' (lose & ,pen $otion

'.1.* The Transormer

'.1. Reerse Transormer

'." $otion Duration

'.% $otion ntensity

'.' $otion (haracteristic

'.'.1 Linear (haracteristic

'.'." )on-Linear (haracteristic

'.* +rouping

. !om"ination

#. $lossary

%. &ideos ' Downloads

All rights resered by Ale/ander #onneneld 0"12


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(oreword

3ou are about to encounter a aorable mi/ o music theory at its most ormal 4 music notation 4 and a musical

genre that remains to be an opposing orce to any established musical orm 4 turntablism. 3ou 5ill also see a

remar!ably successul e/ample o turning theory into useul practice. Whether the reason that you read this is

because you are a D67 a music scholar7 a tutor7 a hip-hop an7 a contemporary culture reader7 a system designer7 or

8ust plain interested7 you 5ill be struc! by the e/tensieness o Ale/ander #onneneld9s #-)otation system or

transcribing scratch perormances. :e has deeloped the system during seeral years7 and it has been a priilege

to ollo5 its maturation to 5hat it has become.

Theori;ing and studying D6-made music 5as or long a relatiely lonely endeaor< in 1==>7 5hen started myuniersity degree pro8ect on understanding 5hat scratching D6s really do7 there 5ere e5 sources o inormation

to ?nd7 and none academically reliable7 and there 5as little general interest in hip-hop music as a scholarly

sub8ect. During my doctoral studies7 the number o published studies increased a bit7 although most had ocus on

technology and the interace. n my "1 thesis entitled @The acoustics and perormance o D6 scratching.

Analysis and modeling7 there is a chapter 0*.%2 deoted to music notation. t is ery short. By the year ">7 only

our systems based on traditional notation had been published< Doc Rice 01==C27 :ansen 01===27 Radar 0"27

and Webber 0">2. These systems 5ere simple compared to #-)otation 5hich 5as introduced in "=. T5o

graphical systems 5ere suggested by A-Tra! 0"27 and Raeda5ns & (arluccio9s TT$ 0"2E TT$ resembled

guitar tablature notation.

Why then do 5e need to ?nd a notation ormatF The music and culture o hip-hop do not really encourage one

such7 i 5e read Gat; 0"1"2. According to a small study in my thesis7 only "%H o the as!ed D6s had eer used one

0:ansen7 "12. #ophy #mith 0"2 gae ?e main unctions o turntable notation< 12 or communicating musicalideas7 "2 or documentation7 %2 or composition7 '2 or ma!ing scratching a legitimate musical practice7 and *2 or

analy;ing and understanding. The thesis you are about to read addresses all7 although one can hope that the

ourth item should be unnecessaryI But it is also 5orth5hile to Jip the Kuestion< 5hy should there not be a

notation ormatF $usic notation is despite its many and !no5n shortcomings the ac!no5ledged method or

addressing #mith9s points aboe or 0nearly2 all other instruments in the 5orld o music. Although my personal

academic interest barely stretches beyond the scratching actiity o a D6 4 and this is also 5here consider #-

)otation to be most applicable and e?cient 4 the system leaes headroom or other !inds o instruments and

musical directions. These can be 5ithin the scope o )$s 0)e5 nteraces or $usical /pression27 5ithin the

concept o controllerism7 or any other deriatie o D6-made music than scratching. Minding purposeul notation

that can coer 5hat traditional notation misses is still a ma8or concern in musicology. With #-)otation7 5e hae a

ne5 contender to be rec!oned 5ith7 and 5hich is 5aiting to be scrutini;ed.

The other direction this thesis ta!es is to incorporate the 5hole notation system in the larger conte/t o tutoringand s!ill practice. n my doctoral 5or! stated that despite that D6ing and scratching had been 5idely popular

since the 1=Cs7 there 5ere e5 boo!s on learning ho5 to D67 and speculated it 5as because hip-hop 5as

opposing the established culture7 so that a scholarly ta!e on hip-hop 5ould ail. :o5eer7 there hae been other

5ays o learning7 most notably sel-produced teaching material published reely 5ithin the D6 communities7

instructional ideos rom competitions7 D6s and companies 0e.g.7 Technics D$( World7 "*E D6 N-bert7 "%7

"*E #cratch D6 Academy7 "%E #hure7 "1E Vesta/7 1==>2. n ollo5ing years a great number o educational

boo!s 5ere published 0see or instance7 Bre5ster and Broughton7 ""E Mrederi!se and #loly7 "%E #loly and

Mrederi!se7 "'E Webber7 ">E D6 (huc! Mresh7 "'E #laney7 "E #teenton7 "E Wood7 "2. :o5eer7

these handboo!s mostly gie adice on general aspects o being a D67 and ery little has been published on the

actual s!ill learning itsel. As ar as can 8udge7 this is the ?rst systematic approach comparable to classics such as

Arban9s or trumpet players or 6ean8ean9s Vademecum or clarinetists.

,ne reason that this approach is bene?cial is that the playing techniKues o scratching are ery 5ell de?ned7almost as made or studying. #ome o the 5or! in :ansen 01===2 inoled classiying the dierent techniKues as

they 5ere described in arious sources at the time 0e.g. in ideos7 internet communities7 and by perormers2. The

classi?cation 5as based on loo!ing at 5hich controllers that 5ere operated in the combination o hand

moements. Basically7 there are single- and t5o-handed techniKues7 5here t5o-handed means one hand controls

the crossader and one hand the record moement. Based on the reported ?ndings7 a typical 0t5o-handed2

techniKue 5ould

hae precisely de?ned gestures7

consists o a or5ard4bac!5ard moement o the inyl record in combination 5ith a synchroni;ed

crossader moement7


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hae a duration corresponding to less than an eighth-note7

hae the sound turned on4o a couple o times7 silence the record direction change 5ith the crossader7

hae a record moement span o %-' degrees7 manipulate a single-onset7 ocal sound sample7 play the

sample rom the start.

nterestingly7 the de?nition or naming o a techniKue is neer dependent on 5hat sample is chosen7 on the

playing position in the sample7 on the si;e o the record moement7 on using the crossader7 line ader or line

s5itch7 or een on the duration o the scratch. nstead7 ailing to attune these parameters 5ill render a sound that

cannot be recogni;ed as the aimed-at techniKue. ,n the other hand7 producing a sound that resembles a

techniKue7 but doing so by other means than the de?ned gestures 0such as using a multi-onset sound to produce

tone attac!s instead o using crossader moements27 is not an acceptable 5ay to play the techniKue.

Than!s to the beauty o the notation7 the detailed description o the method7 and not least the conincing

e/amples o using it in daily practice7 the thesis you soon 5ill start reading 5ill surely get a uture status as a classic

in modern music tuition. :opeully it 5ill aid the aspiring D6 musicians to acKuire s!ills that 5ill again moe the

5hole culture or5ard7 and it 5ill proide material or academics li!e mysel to indulge inI

:appy readingI

G8etil Mal!enberg :ansen7 Ph.D and #enior researcher7 GT: Royal nstitute o Technology #toc!holm7 #5eden

1. Introducing

,er the years7 playing pre-recorded audio samples has become an integral part o music culture. What 5as once

the guitar or drums is no57 or many7 the turntable or $D controller. The D6 is the most common representatie

o lie perormance o sample-based music7 spinning genres such as hip hop7 house7 trap and dub. The D69s s!ills

can range rom compiling and mi/ing records7 to the more technically demanding turntablism and controllerism.

The ocus o this paper is turntablism. This term describes the manipulation o a record on a turntable in sync 5ith

the aders on a mi/er to produce rhythmical sounds. The D6 manually ad8usts the speed and direction o the

record 5hile muting and unmuting the sound using the crossader and line-ader o a D6 mi/er.

Despite haing millions o ans7 turntablism has rarely been a sub8ect or academia and cannot be studied at music

uniersity. This is due to its short history compared to other classical orms o musicianship and the lac! o

scienti?c analysis7 educational boo!s and academics 5ho are pro?cient musicians and 5ho also play

proessionally. As such7 the practical and theoretical deelopment o turntablism has only been e/plored by sel-

taught non-academics and there still remains a great deal to be said.

The ollo5ing paper7 entitled The Theory o $otions7 is also 5ritten by someone 5ho is sel-taught. Presented

here are the ?rst oundations or the analysis o turntablism based on a specially designed music theory and

playing method.

At this point 5e might legitimately as! the Kuestion< i computers can trigger audio samples to play 5hateer and

5heneer 5e 5ant7 so 5hy do 5e need a turntablist to do it by hand and 5hy create a notational system or itF

Li!e any instrumentalist7 the turntablist uses human motor s!ills to create sounds and this lends the artorm alue

that e/tends beyond the capabilities o a computer. Although the rhythmic sterility o a computer or sot5are canbe humani;ed through arious computer tric!s such as randomi;ation7 it is not comparable 5ith this human

ariable. t lac!s the imperection o emotionally controlled processesE in other 5ords it lac!s a heartbeat.

This is the notation o a global communications medium or the composition7 archiing7 replication and systematic

analysis o music. We are7 in a sense7 decoding the D)A o the turntablist9s musicianship and proiding a 5ay to

isuali;e it. Allo5ing the D6 to read and 5rite music gies them a higher a5areness o the theory and an e?cient

5ay o teaching and learning.

Ale/ander #onneneld

ADV(< All 5ords in red in this document are lin!ed to 3ouTube sho5ing the instrumental perormance o the

notational indication..


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1.1 )egarding the Thesis of this *or+

During this thesis 5e 5ill need to reer reKuently to the turntablist9s instruments 4 the turntable and D6 mi/er. To

aoid conusion bet5een dierent manuacturing models7 5e 5ill use a hybrid o the mi/er and turntable in the

orm o the Tonspiel;eugsho5n belo5.

a2 dierse adaptersOplugs

b2 onOo button

c2 control dis!Oplate

d2 startOstop 0or5ard2

e2 crossader 0hori;ontal2

2 pitcher 0ertical2

g2 lineader

h2 monitor

The ollo5ing basic analyses are lin!ed 5ith demonstration ideos o the techniKues ho5 they are notated. 3ou

can 5atch the dis! and ader moements separately as 5ell as in combination. The sample audio 0sho5n belo52

used or the upcoming analyses is the 5ord @resh rom the sentence< @ ahhh7 this stu is really resh7 ta!en romB-side o the 1=C" record Change the Beatby Mab Mie Mreddy.

But beore 5e begin7 5e should e/amine the structure o the sample. Based on a tempo o >* beats per minute

0BP$27 the sample is eKuialent to one beat lasting .C sec. n classical notation 5e call this beat a Kuarternote 0so-

called because usually there 5ould be our beats to each bar2. +raphical 5aeorms 5ill be used or most o the

notational e/amples to allo5 you to isuali;e the sound produced and understand ho5 the arious techniKues

aect the sound oer time. An e/ample o this 5ould be the dierence bet5een moing the dis! or5ards and

bac!5ards.

)B< The ideos to accompany this thesis can be ound on the 5ebsite< 555.ale/andersonneneld.com.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cojOLijsMqIhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbGtcLGQr9ohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbGtcLGQr9ohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cojOLijsMqI


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1.2 System of S,-otation

#-)otation is a 5ritten transcription method 5hich uses notational symbols to describe the techniKues o a

turntablist. The end product o these techniKues is the modulation o certain parameters o recorded sound

material resulting in a ne5 method o ma!ing music.

What are the challenges o creating a methodology or this !ind o unprecedented musicF Mirstly7 because the

sample might hae no discernable pitch or timbre7 as in the case o ambient noise or spo!en 5ords7 it does not

allo5 or a predetermined pitch range.

Also7 because the samples used are all pre-recorded7 the ollo5ing musical parameters hae to be considered in

the transcription methodology< time alue7 pitch7 and olume. The purpose o 5ritten music is to enable amusician to ma!e a sound and consistently repeat it and this reKuires t5o things. The ?rst is that the sound itsel

must be the same each time. The second is that the indiidual techniKues on the instrument must be sub8ect to an

order7 a series o principles 5hich can be understood and applied correctly.

n classical musical notation both prereKuisites are ?rmly met because the moement on a !eyboard or string is

al5ays lin!ed to a certain tone or pitch. t is thereore possible to notate the tone based on the positioning o the

note inside a musical sta 0)B< the sta or stae is the set o hori;ontal lines seen in traditional notation 4 the

position o a symbol on these lines denotes the pitch o the note to be played2.

$a!ing music 5ith random sound material7 ho5eer7 does not allo5 or such a method. t is particularly di?cult to

capture the broad pitch range produced by the motion o the dis!. Mor this reason7 #-)otation describes only the

manual motion on the dis! and aders as a sort o Theory o $otions. To assist in this7 the 5ell !no5n audio

recording o particular scratches help the player to get a amiliarity 5ith the respectie notated patterns.

Due to the enormous repertoire o turntablism techniKues7 it is essential to s!etch a sort o classi?cation o the

instrument set-up 0ader7 dis!7 controller7 etc.2 to understand ho5 it inJuences speci?c musical parameters o the

sound material.

Acoustic Motions - $oement o the control dis! 0changing the speed or direction2 to

change the pitch o the sound

Dynamic Motions - Line ader or crossader moements to change the olume.

(reuency Motions - $oement o the ader or rotary dial to cut or boost certainreKuencies

/anning Motions - $oement o the panoramic dial to spread the sound across the

stereo ?eld.

0ffects Motions - $oement o the ader or rotary dial to change the intensity o

arious audio eects 0reerb7 delay7 distortion7 etc.2.

ach o these so-called parameter motions ad8usts the sound characteristics o the sample. The acoustic

motions parameter is the most important because all the others either reer to the physical moement o the

control dis!7 or are dependent on it.

All o the aorementioned parameter motions are separated into motion types< single motions7 integral

motions and groups o motions. They are the undamental principles o a composition and the Theory o

$otions aims to represent them by notational symbols.

ery type o motion is sub8ect to a uniKue architecture 5hich is de?ned by the motion criteria< direction7 time

alue7 intensity and characteristic. #-)otation is a transcription methodology rom 5hich you can read all

motion criteria based on the principles o music theory. As in classical notation7 the shape o the symbol and the

position inside the sta determines the action the musician should ta!e. The ollo5ing schema sho5s the

components o the #-notation system


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2. Acoustic Motions

2.1 Motion Direction

This describes the direction in 5hich the control dis! is moed7 or5ards 0cloc!5ise2 or bac!5ards 0anti-

cloc!5ise27 5ith each direction resulting in a dierent sound. (ombinations o these t5o single motions can

produce comple/ patterns 5hich 5e 5ill reer to as integral acoustic motions or groupings.

Single acoustic motion (orward Single acoustic motion "ac+ward

The aboe diagrams sho5 ho5 the change in direction o the control dis! aects the isual 5aeorm.

When playing the sample7 the turntablist can aect the sound by touching the dis! 5ith his or her hand7 usually on

the let side. The purpose is to speed up7 slo5 do5n or add pauses7 thus producing a change in pitch and rhythm.

We 5ill reer to this as hand mode.

Alternatiely7 he or she can simply let the dis! moe or5ard7 letting the sample play 5ithout manual intererence.

We 5ill describe this as release mode since the turntablist is releasing the dis! and letting the turntable play

naturally under the po5er o the motor.

t should be noted that the motor o the Tonspiel;eug 5ill usually spin the dis! cloc!5ise 0or5ards2. But it can be

set in reerse beore or een during the perormance using the controls o the Tonspiel;eug.

Mor no5 5e 5ill concentrate on these t5o basic orms. Additional techniKues 5ill be described later on. The

dierences bet5een both techniKues are ery noticeable and sound dierent 5hen played7 een 5ith the same

motion criteria.

To indicate the direction o the dis! 5e use t5o symbols or hand mode and t5o more or release mode. To

mar! the or5ard motion in hand mode 5e use a symbol that is similar to classical notation< it consists o a head

5hich aces to the right in an up5ard ashion 5ith a stem. This shall be reerred to as a )ote. The bac!5ards

motion 5ill be denoted by a mirror image o the symbol 0as sho5n belo52. This 5ill be reerred to as ton - )ote

spelt bac!5ards.


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:and mode 1O' note :and mode 1O' eton

The direction o the note head denotes the direction in 5hich the player should moe the dis!. When a )ote orton is placed on or aboe the center line7 the stem is placed on the let 0)ote27 or on the right 0ton2 o the head

and goes do5n. (onersely75hen the symbol is placed under the center line7 the stem is placed on the right

0)ote2 o the symbol and goes upI Release $ode is denoted by the same symbols 0)ote or ton2 but instead o an

angular head there is a round head.

Release mode 1O' note Release mode 1O' eton

Depending on 5hether the control dis! is going or5ards or bac!5ards7 the stem is ether on the let or right side

o the head. With )otes on the third line and aboe7 the stems 5ill be point up5ards and 5ill be attached on the

right side o the head7 or tons the opposite. The remaining criteria or the techniKues are based on the symbol

o the hand mode but there are no di?culties in transerring these criteria to the release mode. t een produces

a dierent acoustic result.

2.1 Motion &alue

Acoustic motions can be perormed in dierent time alues. To indicate the dierent duration orms7 the same

system as classical music notation is used. n a 5hole )oteOton7 the head is the only component o the symbol.

#horter acoustic motions reKuires a stem7 and possible beams or Jags.

12 -ote 11# -ote 12 0ton 11# 0ton

As in classicial music notation7 dots and ties can be used to stretch the duration o a )ote or ton.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lnwlFGokDU&index=52&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwbbELmHKcY&index=51&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inMoVfrXm3c&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4&index=50https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uudc8cALUjQ&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4&index=49https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lnwlFGokDU&index=52&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwbbELmHKcY&index=51&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inMoVfrXm3c&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4&index=50https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uudc8cALUjQ&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4&index=49


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2.3 Motion Intensity

The intensity o motion is the speed o the control dis! 5hile moing it or5ards or bac!5ards. Through this

parameter the player inJuences the pitch o the sound. We call this process @pitching. There are solid physical

properties bet5een the sample tune and the duration o the sample 5hich hae to be considered in the

transcription method.

As a control dis! oers Kuite a ariety o perormance and playing options7 there is an eKual ariety o options to

modiy the original sound material7 including a high range o pitch bend. The player can moe the dis! by hand

e/tremely slo5ly or really ast7 but it is Kuite di?cult to produce a constant pitch during the practical conersion.

By using the pitch controller7an e/act ad8ustment o the speed or longer periods is possible. n doing so7 the

player can easily derie ?/ed alues o tone pitch7 based on the percentage o speed increase or decrease o the

record moement. n the chart belo5 you can see the scale o pitch shiting based on a sample 5hich 5as

recorded originally in a (1 pitch tone.

pitch h; relati absolut

c *"% "7 H 17 H

h '=' 1CC7C H CC7C H

b ' 1>C7" H >C7" H

a '' 1C7" H C7" H

gis '1* 1*C7> H *C7> H

g %=" 1'=7C H '=7C H

?s %> 1'17' H '17' H

%'= 1%%7* H %%7* H

e %% 1"7 H "7 H

es %11 11C7= H 1C7= H

d "=' 11"7" H 1"7" H

cis ">> 1*7= H *7= H

c 2#2 15565 7 5655 7

h "'> ='7' H -*7 H

b "%% C=71 H -17= H

a "" C'71 H -1*7= H

gis "C >=7' H -"7 Hg 1= >'7= H -"*71 H

?s 1C* >7> H -"=7% H

1>* 7> H -%%7% H

e 1* %7 H -%>7 H

es 1* *=7* H -'7* H

d 1'> *71 H -'%7= H

dis 1%= *%7 H -'>7 H

c 1%1 *7 H -*7 H

:o5eer7 it is much more di?cult to alter the pitch o the sample into another by playing it in hand mode as

)otes or tons.A lot o manual training is reKuired to control the moement o the dis! accurately as 5ell as aperect sense o hearing to transpose the base material.

By 5or!ing 5ith sound material 5ith a Qpure9 pitch7 it is airly simple to create a notational transcription

methodology to recreate them. t is similar to classical music notation in 5hich the position o the symbol 0)otes or

tons2 on the sta ndicates the pitch.

The #-cle symbol is used to indicate that the traditional sta system is being used to describe the acoustic

motions. t is placed at the beginning o the sta and all symbols 5hich represent the dis! moement hae to be

5ritten do5n in this sta. The letter # 0sample2 represents motion and symboli;es the main parameter o the

acoustic motion. n this 5ay the sta system describes the moement o the record to be e/ecuted on the

Tonspiel;eug. This system reKuires an understanding o t5o principles< the classical tonal principle7 5hich details

the use o the #-cle and the ariable principle 5hich 5ill be e/plained later on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IwQKXubqyY&index=46&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IwQKXubqyY&index=46&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec60UysEPPc&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4&index=45https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec60UysEPPc&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4&index=45https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Bq414WYkVg&index=44&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Bq414WYkVg&index=44&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IwQKXubqyY&index=46&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec60UysEPPc&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4&index=45https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Bq414WYkVg&index=44&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4


11/35

2.3.1 Tonal /rinci8le

As you can see in the aboe diagram7 the M-#-(le has a small blac! circle either on the top or bottom o the #

symbol 5hich seres as a reerence point to denote 5here the M note is. This is 8ust li!e the normal M-(le 5here

the line denoting the note M runs bet5een the t5o dots o the symbol. n the same 5ay7 or the +-# (le the blac!

circle at the bottom o the # symbol sho5s the position o the pitch +1 0on a piano !eyboard this 5ould be thenote + in the ?rst octae27 the same pitch as a traditional +-cle. The !ey dierences bet5een the #-cle and the

traditional cle is 012 the #-cle describes recorded sounds as opposed to single Qunrecorded9 notes as in traditional

music notation7 and 0"2 a )ote on the #-cle can describe a comple/ phrase 0spo!en 5ord or drum brea!2 5hereas

traditional notation it al5ays indicates a single note. To ensure communication 5ith traditional musicians7 most o

the rules o modern notation apply or #-notation7 or e/ample< bars7 time signature7 pauses7 accidental etc...

sing the symbol or ton it is possible to 5rite a counter moement or eery sample. To name tons based on

the pitch7 the minus sign is used7 as sho5n in the chromatic scale.

-ote 0ton

As such7 it is no5 possible to create chords on the Tonspiel;eug by using the ton instead o a )ote. To gain an

understanding o this statement you can see some ariations o the (-ma8or triad in the ollo5ing notation. $ore

ariations can be seen in this ideo.

!,ma9or triad

:o5eer7 the turntablist has at his or her disposal many more types o samples than only simple sounds 5ith

recognisable pitches. )oises7 human and animal oices7 beat ragments or 5hole musical phrases 5ith an

unidenti?able pitch are all 5ithin scope o the instrument. #o ho5 can 5e notate the sound enelope or pitch

range and ho5 can 5e subdiide the lines and distances o this #-)otation system to indicate the motion

intensity applied to the dis!7 based on the position o )otes or tonsF

The solution is ery simple. We subdiide the line system based on predetermined leels o motion intensity or

pitch ranges. The reerence point or this is al5ays the original speed o the sound material 01H2 5hich is

represented by the middle line o the sta. Based on this7 it is possible to derie an increase or decrease o the

motion intensity due to the position o the symbols aboe or belo5 the center line o the system.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec60UysEPPc&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4&index=45https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Bq414WYkVg&index=44&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg1dRngdk2khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRfNEZOkUOAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg1dRngdk2khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg1dRngdk2khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec60UysEPPc&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4&index=45https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Bq414WYkVg&index=44&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg1dRngdk2khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRfNEZOkUOAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg1dRngdk2k


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2.3.2 &aria"le /rinci8le

Because any !ind o sample can be used7 a uniersal system o notation is impossible. nstead7 5e must ad8ust the

notation to the character o the indiidual sample. The 5ay the turntablist plays the instrument depends on the

character o the sound material and 5hat !ind o result is desired. By trial and error the player can ?gure out 5hat

sounds the best.

sing this method 5e can create an indiidual scale depending on the composition 0this is 5hat is meant by theariable principle2. To ensure su?cient scope or all possible degrees o pitch 0there are seen degrees in the

diatonic scale2 three line systems are proided as you can see in the image. The 5hole tonal scope o the ariable

principle is subdiided into "' degrees 0each denoting a change o 1H2 labelled 5ith characters rom the

alphabet. tons are indicated by a minus sign.

,ur demonstration sample has an original time alue o .C seconds 01H speed2 5hich is a Kuarternote in a

tempo o >* bpm. n the image belo5 you can see the increase and decrease in the time alue o the sound. This

can be preented by using a time-stretch eect i the turntablistQs eKuipment allo5s or it. n the chapter entitled

Anatonie a simple notational methodology is presented 5hich ta!es this into account 5hen the piece is played.


13/35

2.4 Motion !haracteristic

Dierent moements o the dis! produce dierent pitches. n #-)otation these moements are diided into t5o

undamental orms< linear motion characteristic and non-linear characteristic.

2.4.1 :inear !haracteristic

The linear characteristic de?nes a constant leel o speed7 irregardless o 5hether the dis! is played in release

or hand mode. To indicate this type o motion 5e need no additional sign in the transcription. The pure symbol

or a )ote or ton indicates this type o motion characteristic and al5ays de?nes a constant leel o speed. #o a

)ote or ton al5ays indicates a linear characteristic o the acoustic motion.

2.4.2 -on,:inear !haracteristic

All orms o non-linear motion characteristics reKuire additional symbols 5hich hae to be applied to the

respectie )ote or ton heads. Due to the large number o possibilities7 5e 5ill tac!le 8ust the most undamental

characteristics. The ?rst orm is the linear increase and the linear decrease 5hich de?nes a constant leel o

increasing or decreasing o the speed o the record motion.

Linear decreasing

Linear increasing

The position o the symbol 0)ote or ton2 5ithin the sta de?nes the degree o motion intensity 0$ S 1H2 o

the dis! rom the start. The additional symbol 5hich is attached to the head o the )ote or ton denotes the ?nal

motion intensity 5hich is indicated by the little motion point. This sho5s the linear decrease rom 0$2 1H to

0#2 H and linear increase rom rom 0$2 1H to 0#2 1H.

As you can see rom the image7 the graphical 5aeorm o the sample is stretched rom .Cs to .=s by

including a linear decrease motion characteristic. The result is a cut o .1s o the sound material by

playing a )ote or ton in a time alue o a Kuarter 0ie. the sample is played more slo5ly thus stretching it

out 4 but since it remains a Kuarternote a small part is cut2. (onersely7 5ith a linear increase motion

characteristic the sound material is contracting rom .Cs to .1s and that means playing a Kuarter note

0or ton2 in this type o non-linear characteristic contains a pause o .1=s ater the acoustic 5as heard

0ie. the sample is played more Kuic!ly thereore ?nishes early and leaes a pause2.

This is an e/ample 5hich sho5s that the time alue o the dis! motion is not necessarily lin!ed 5ith the sound

produced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwbduzKPs4U&index=43&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wJHfYcpSJ4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwbduzKPs4U&index=43&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wJHfYcpSJ4


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,ther orms o non-linear motion characteristic are the e/ponential and logarithmic increase or decrease. As

seen7 5e hae to use additional symbols 5hich are attached to the heads o the )ote or ton to denote these

types o motion. The graphical shape o these lines gies some indication about the course o the dis! motion and

the speed at the beginning and end.

Logarithmic decreasing

Logarithmic increasing

/ponential decreasing

/ponential increasing

These ariations coer the basic motion characteristics and demonstrate ho5 #-)otation 5or!s. n a 5ay7

attempting to apply music theory to the Je/ibility o the control dis! is li!e nailing 8ello to the 5all. But 5ith the

!no5ledge 5e hae obtained so ar7 5e are a considerable step closer to achieing this. By careully brea!ing

things do5n it is possible to de?ne and represent een the most complicated pattern.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9E9FIEJAJM&index=41&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mnfhUVG-yI&index=40&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FexsIhRmpQA&index=39&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7YIsSeF_5A&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4&index=38https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9E9FIEJAJM&index=41&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mnfhUVG-yI&index=40&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FexsIhRmpQA&index=39&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7YIsSeF_5A&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4&index=38


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2. $rou8ing

A undamental element o #-)otation is the classi?cation and notation o acoustic motions 0dis! moements2. t is

the arrangement o acoustic motions using a turntable that creates a musical pattern7 e/empli?ed by techniKues

such as babies or tears.

Because the musical output does not ?t an ordinary scale7 5e need to thin! dierently about the term Qmelody9.

We need an underlying principle to proide the basis o a uniersal method o composition7 5hich 5or!s

irregardless o the characteristics o the sound material. This principle should help the player to capture the

dierent turntablism techniKues 5hich other5ise could not be de?ned in the conte/t o a classical7 tune-basedmusic. With a regular instrument7 such as a piano or trumpet7 eery sound starts at the beginning o the 5aeorm

0ie the transient2. :o5eer7 a musician using the Tonspiel;eug can play the sample rom any point 5ithin that

sample 4 in other 5ords rom any chronological position. Murthermore7 he or she can also play it in seeral stages.

This !ind o a combination is called Qgrouping9.

Let9s say 5e start rom the beginning o the sample and moe the record or5ard three times by pausing bet5een

the moements. This method produces three sounds instead o one - in turntablism this method is called Qtearing9

and means nothing more than grouping more than one acoustic motion into a musical pattern.

,n a traditional instrument you can group a sound by repeating it seeral times7 but the chronological position

0al5ays rom the beginning2 is still the same. The turntablist also has the option o playing this 5ay by silencing the

bac!5ard motion o the dis! using the crossader.

To denote the grouping o more than one acoustic motion through Qtearing9 the sound7 5e use the Qanatonic

curature9 or Qslur9 5hich connects the respectie symbols as sho5n in the image. The traditional method7 in

5hich 5e play the sound rom the beginning or rom the same chronological position7 reKuires no additional sign.

$otion pattern 0traditional2

$otion Pattern 0group2

The demonstration ideo and the image o the 5aeorm sho5s us ho5 this happens in practice and the sound

produced. The traditional method is li!e pushing the button on a sampler in a time alue o 1O1. By imitating this

playing style7 the turntablist has to use the crossader to silence the bac!5ard motion7 5hich is necessary to get

bac! to the initial point and repeat the pattern and reKuires lots o practice.

The tear ariation 0group2 consists in this e/ample o three 1O1 )otes 5hich are connected by a slur. This

transcription method gies an indication that 5e hae to play all )otes o the sound consecutiely as a group

0short pauses bet5een all these steps gies the impression that 5e produce three tones2. Due to the entire length

o the sample 01O'2 5e play about >*H o the sound as you can see in the image o the 5aeorm. n this ideo you

can see another ariation o this type o pattern.

We can no5 deduce one important act< acoustic motions connected by a slur indicate a group and 5e hae to

play this li!e a tear pattern. T5o anatonic slurs together indicates a legato playing style7 so 5e moe the record

in one motion 5ithout any steps7 rather than tearing the sound.

This type o notation is necessary to describe dierent parts o the record motion diided by crossader

techniKues and is also discussed in the chapter QDynamic $otions9. )e/t 5e learn more simple underlying

principles o #-)otation 5hich are reKuired to gie some order to the many groups o acoustic motions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEv39D3sPMM&index=37&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SlxsC_B01Q&index=36&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPkwsx-zU00&index=35&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPkwsx-zU00&index=35&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEv39D3sPMM&index=37&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SlxsC_B01Q&index=36&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPkwsx-zU00&index=35&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4


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2..1 Dou"le $rou8ing

Perhaps the most recognised sonic trademar! o scratching is the @5iggy 5iggy@ sound7 !no5n as the baby

scratch techniKue in turntablism. This playing style is a combination o )ote and ton7 or ton and )ote 0reerse

baby scratch2 as a group o t5o single motions 5ith the same pitch and duration.

n #-)otation 5e de?ne this as an integral motion 5hich has its o5n symbol. These motions are called ),TT,)

0)ote U ton2 and T,),T 0ton U )ote2. To simpliy the notation7 each symbol 0)oteton and tonote2 is

dierent.

-oteton -ote ; 0ton 0tonote 0ton ; -ote

The head o a )oteton is e/actly the same as a )ote 0pointing to the right and up5ards2. This symbol is a

replacement or the stem. Playing an tonote is symbolised by the same head as an ton7 but the placement o the

stem is dierent. As sho5n in the image7 a 1OCth

)oteton or tonote consists o t5o single acoustic motions 5ith a

1O1th duration each. A basic prereKuisite or this is that the t5o indiidual moements hae identical criteria

0duration and olume2 and the same anatonic start and - end point. The notation sho5s the identical motion

criteria o the sum o indiidual moements.

All groups are numbered 5ith motion code to de?ne the type o group. The ?rst number o this code is the

number o all acoustic motions in the entire pattern. The subseKuent numbers ,)L3 denote counter-motions 0ie.

dis! moements that run in the opposite direction to the original2. subseKuent moements are in the same

direction as the original moement then they 5ill not be speci?ed in the motion code2.

Mor e/ample7 i 5e start a t5o-note seKuence 5ith a )ote7 the number Q"9 must be 5ritten and i 5e start 5ith an

ton 5e hae to add a minus sign in ront. The second number identi?es an acoustic motion 0ie dis! moement2

5hich is played in the opposing direction 0"-" or -"-"2. When 5e play a group o t5o acoustic motions 5hich all

hae the same direction7 5e only 5rite the ?rst number 0" or -"27 because there is no counter motion inside theseKuence.

The diagram sho5s selected e/amples o "-" or -"-" groups 5ith dierent criteria. But there is one constant

applied to all notational indications the use o slurs to orm a group. n the last e/ample 0right side2 you can

detect t5o slurs 5hich indicate that all acoustic motions hae to be played in legato.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9eKCfQd3jM&index=48&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9eKCfQd3jM&index=48&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mvwrcHYieo&index=47&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mvwrcHYieo&index=47&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9eKCfQd3jM&index=48&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9eKCfQd3jM&index=48&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mvwrcHYieo&index=47&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4


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2..2 Tri8le $rou8ing

:ere are some e/amples o groups 5hich consist o three acoustic motions7 played subseKuently as one

comprehensie pattern. )ote especially that the motion code belo5 identi?es the arrangement o the acoustic

motions o the pattern.

n the %-"-% group7 you can see that the stem o the last acoustic motion is dra5n substantially thic!er than the

other ones. This is a special transcription method 5hich indicates the initial point o the ?rst acoustic motion7 ater

5e hae ?nished the last motion on the record. That allo5s us to repeat the 5hole seKuence rom the beginning.

As you can see in the notation there are lots o conentional signs 0eg. accentuation7 triplet2 ta!en rom

classical music notation 5hich can also be applied or used in #-notation.

n this section 5e hae seen that the musical output o turntablism is primarily based on generating groups o

motions on the record or on the ader. These are the building bloc!s or composition and this system gies order

to the playing techniKues. This 5ill be een clearer 5hen 5e transer this method to other parameters o the

instrument. :ere 5e only deal 5ith acoustic - and dynamic motion. All the other parameters 5ill be e/plained

later.


18/35

3. Anatonie

Anatonie is based on the term anatomy rom biology and describes the 5ay in 5hich the audio sample 0or

sound organism2 can be bro!en do5n by the turntablist into its component parts. The dis!9s range o motion

allo5s the player access to any point in the entire length o a sample7 thus adding e/tra dimensions to ma!ing

music.

We 5ant to be able to describe7 through musical notation7 the temporal or anatonic stages o the sound. We do

this by mar!ing the acoustic motions7 5hich can apply to any part o the sample due to the e/pressie range o

the instrument. There is no prede?ned method o playing7 since this is sub8ect to the structure o the indiidual

sound material. #o beore7 5e can begin7 5e hae to analyse the entire audio sample step by step.

Note Eton

The length o the sample is diided into eight eKual anatonic stages 5ith an arro5 to sho5 the motion direction.

A stic!er placed on the control dis! can be used as a uniKue isual reerence point to locate Kuic!ly and precisely

the player9s position among the anatonic stages7 li!e the hand o a cloc!. n practice7 the turntablist 5ill locate the

?rst part o the audio sample and set the starting position to a point on the Qcloc!9. $oing Qthree hours9 or5ard

rom nine o9cloc! the sample 5ill play rom the beginning o the sample to the end. you start 5ith an ton7 the

reerence point 5ill start at 1" ocloc! 0the end o the sample2 and moe the control dis! anti-cloc!5ise to nine

ocloc!.

$ar!ing the sample on the control dis! is necessary since the Tonspiel;eug itsel contains no sounds. With mosttraditional instruments it is obious ho5 to ma!e a sound7 5hereas the Tonspiel;eug must al5ays be prepared

according to the audio sample used - ne5 music reKuires a ne5 methodologyI


19/35


20/35

Note Breakdown Anatonic stages

Eton Breakdown Anatonic stages

*The actual coloring scheme is currently under evaluation for maximizing readability, to ensure that for instance color confusion is

avoidable through layout settings and templates.

T5o consecutie anatonic stages are gien the same color - blac!7 red7 green or blue. The color ranges remain

?/ed li!e the numbers on a cloc!. The mar!er ho5eer moes 5ith the dis! 0li!e the hands on a cloc!2. n the

notation 5e use a special character oer the )oteOton head 02 to symboli;e each double segment. With this

transcription method 5e can clearly sho5 the dierence bet5een each anatonic stage as 5ell as the musician9schronological position 5ithin the sample.

n order to describe the e/act anatonic course o an acoustic motion7 5e need to pinpoint the start and the end

o the course route. This applies both to single motions as 5ell as patterns as 5ell as groupingsOintegral

motions. This 5ill be illustrated by e/amples later on.


21/35

3.2 Anatonic !ode

n order to sho5 the start or end o an acoustic motion7 the symbols are also gien colors. The anatonic start is

indicated by a colored head o a )ote or ton and the end by the colored motion point 0)B< the motion point

5as introduced to us in the chapter Acoustic $otions 0".'."27 5hen 5e loo!ed at the shapes o the motion

characteristics.2

Mirst 5e de?ne the anatonic start or - end o a )ote or ton. t helps to isuali;e a single acoustic motion using

the graphic 5aeorm.

Anatonic 47

We call this anatonic course anatonic '> because the )ote starts at the 'th anatonic stage 0starting point2 andmoes to the >th stage 0end point2 4 thereore Q'9 and Q>9. n the Theory o $otion the anatonic code7 the course

route and also the direction o an acoustic motion is described by the numerical order.

n Qanatonic '>9 our stages are played. When played at >* bpm this corresponds to the duration o a 1OCth

)ote

under the deault 1H motion intensity and normal motion characteristics. This is notated by 5riting the

motion point on the same line as the )ote and colored according to the respectie anatonic stage7 5hich

describes the end o the

acoustic motion.

Anatonic 51

The second e/ample sho5s another course - the Anatonic *1. n this case7 the control dis! starts at the *th stage

0starting point2 and ends at the 1st stage 0end point2 in the orm o an ton 5hich results in a duration o * / 1O%".

#uch a time alue is usually represented by t5o tons 01O' and 1O%"2. These hae to be connected 5ith the

anatonic bo5 to denote the acoustic motion. To simpliy things 5e dra5 a motion point instead o the head oa second ton 01O%"2. Through the bracing and connecting lines 5e can see the complete time alue o the

acoustic motion and 5e can see the anatonic end point. The nec! o the motion point must protrude slightly to

aoid any conusion 5ith the symbol or the release mode. The connection by slurs is no longer necessary. The

anatonic start point can no5 be remoed based on the color o the ?rst motion. The end point can be identi?ed

by the color o the motion point.

sually you do not need to dra5 a motion point or -linear- moements o the control dis!7 since the symbol or

)ote or ton already indicates this type o motion characteristic. :o5eer7 a motion point 5ould be needed i

5e 5anted to indicate a speci?c anatonic course. sing this transcription methodology the course o an acoustic

motion can no5 be described in detail7 5hich 5as neer possible preiously. n particular7 5e can de?ne and

isuali;e changes in the motion intensity7 alue or characteristics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDBMcd1PnfY&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4&index=34https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbtKNRVePxw&index=33&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDBMcd1PnfY&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4&index=34https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbtKNRVePxw&index=33&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4


22/35

3.3 Anatonic !ourse

Theoretically7 the modi?cation o the motion criterias 5ill al5ays aect the Anatonie o the sample. n these

e/amples this 5as easy to identiy because all acoustic motions 5ere played 5ith linear motion characteristics.

:o5eer7 5or!ing 5ith non-linear motion characteristics is dierent.

n order to sho5 ho5 non-linear motion characteristics are notated7 5e 5ill change both o the anatonic

motions - '> and *1 - into non-linear motion characteristics.

Anatonic 4% Anatonic 1

Anatonic '> is played 5ith an e/ponential increase as you can see by the symbols. The increase in motion

intensity 0speed o moement2 shortens the motion duration 0length o the sample2. n *17 the characteristic is

5ay7 but the motion points limit the Anatonie and motion intensity o the sample. Based on this e/ample you

can see ho5 it is possible to describe een the most complicated pattern by the color and position o the

appended motion point.

n summary7 Anatonie is an e/tremely important part o #-)otation since it allo5s all stages o an audio sample to

be used. ntegrating traditional sta notation allo5s the musician to read e/actly 5hich stage corresponds to

5hich pitch.

The alue o #-)otation transcription is that it encourages dierent methods o composing sample-based music.

ntil no57 turntablists generally compose according to their o5n e/perience and tastes. #-)otation proides a

structure into 5hich you can place any sample and use it to produce unpredictable combinations and thereore

create unconentional musical compositions.


23/35

4. Dynamic Motion

n the studio or during a lie perormance7 sound engineers use the aders o a mi/ing console to raise or lo5er

the leel o the audio signal. D6ing and turntablism is today a irtuoso perormance art largely through haing

perected complicated ariations o these same ader moements to modiy sounds in arious 5ays. As a result7

eKuipment manuacturers created special aders 0o both ertical and hori;ontal alignment2 that could 5ithstand

the enormous stresses o the rapid moements. This is the conte/t or Dynamic $otion7 a system or coneying the

large ariety o ader moements 5hich raise or lo5er the olume. :aing a ader Qlanguage9 such as this gies us a

ne5 perspectie and encourages ne5 creatie uses o olume manipulation.

Dynamic $otions can be separated into 012 Qading9 and 0"2 Qcutting9. The dierence bet5een them can be seen inthe enelope graphs belo5. The olume is measured along the y-a/is and the physical position o the ader along

the /-a/is.

Fading Cutting

Mading is usually produced by using the ertical line or channel ader 5hich has a gradual cure. t oers a gradual

modulation o the olume depending on 5here the ader is located. (utting is usually perormed using the

crossader 0a turntablist generally has this set at sharpest cut meaning the signal is either open or closed 5ith no

gradual cure2. Dierent cutting and ading gestures and combinations o these are e/plained in urther courses.

Let us begin by considering the parameters motions that are measured under the system o Dynamic $otion.

4.1 Motion Direction

the crossader is at the ery let side7 the sound olume is at its minimum alue 0closed signal2. you moe it a

little to the right7 the sound olume is opened and the intensity reaches its ma/imum alue 0open signal2.

Linefader (Fading) Crossfader (Cutting)

$B% The following e&amples assume that the turntablist uses the left hand to move the faders and the right hand to move the

control disk" The directions of both types of fader can be reversed but this corresponds to a special playing technique known ashamsterstyle! and will not be covered here"

The line ader is more gradual. t reaches ma/imum olume only by shiting the slider to the ery top. When you

shit it do5n again7 it reduces the amplitude o the audio signal. ery moement o the crossader and line aders

are classi?ed as motion types. The smallest units o these are called single dynamic motions. A combination o

single dynamic motions 05ith identical time alues2 produces an integral dynamic motion. n order to describe

these motions 5e must notate the t5o ariants that inJuence the sound material< olume and position o the ader.

The 5ay that acoustic motion and dynamic motion interact7 orms the basis o using the turntable and mi/er as a

combined musical instrument. We use a Kuarternote or the sound material in the ollo5ing e/amples.


24/35

4.1.1


25/35

4.1.3


26/35

4.1.The Transformer

n addition to the single - and the integral dynamic motion7 other special orms e/ist. ,ne o the most important

o these inoles the opening and closing o the crossader using a speci?c ?nger techniKue !no5n as the

transormer. The crossader is tapped open 5ith the inde/ ?nger7 thus allo5ing the signal through. The pressure

o the thumb on the other side o the crossader acts li!e a spring7 sending the crossader bac! the other 5ay to

immediately close the signal.

This techniKue is denoted by a circle 5ith a line through it 0to distinguish it rom an integral dynamic motion2.

The ery short opening period o the signal leads toa signi?cantly shorter sound7 as you can see in the

illustration o the enelope graph 0let2. Depending

on the pressure e/erted by the inde/ ?nger on the

crossader or the coordinated counter-pressure o

the thumb7 it is possible to produce dierent results.

4.1.#)e=erse Transformer

Where the transormer inoles punching the sound in 5ith the ore?nger and then closing it o 5ith the thumb7

the reerse transormer instead begins 5ith the signal open and7 as the dis! is moed7 the sound is cut as the

thumb closes the crossader. The dis! motion ?nishes once the signal is closed7 then the crossader is openedagain by the inde/ ?nger.

This creates a dierent sound to the other techniKues and is denoted by a combined symbol 0because it is a

hybrid techniKue2 - a circle 5ith an Y inside it.

#ince the motion alue 0duration o ader

moement2 is predetermined7 a signi?cant part o

the sound material is cut rom the end o the sample.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYh6BbBYFag&index=28&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYh6BbBYFag&index=28&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dz4DA00YH4&index=27&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dz4DA00YH4&index=27&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYh6BbBYFag&index=28&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dz4DA00YH4&index=27&list=PLkaOolhjAlDzT6l2tvpm2vHsnoHaNbKI4


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ach o these cutting techniKues allo5s the turntablist to create interesting rhythms through the manipulation o

the dynamic structure o the sample. They represent the basic repertoire o ader techniKues and7 by changing the

olume7 they undamentally alter the shape o the sound material7 especially 5hen using combinations.

4.2 Motion Duration

The duration o a dynamic motion determines the length o time or 5hich the sample is audible. )ormally it iseKuialent to the duration o the acoustic motion 0the moement o the control dis!27 5hich is 5hy the time alue

o the acoustic motion matches the action o the crossader. As the motion duration aries7 so do the methods

or manipulating the sound material.

n the ollo5ing e/ample a Kuarternote is cut our times eKually by applying the playing techniKues discussed

aboe. The ollo5ing graphical 5aeorms sho5 us the diisionsX

acoustic motion moement o t e inyl or control is 0c anging t e spee or irection2 to c ange t e pitc o t e soun .

anatonic braceanatonic colours transcription method to to isuali;e the Panatonic stagesP o the sound materialanat onic course line st ru cture o the Pacousti c m otion rel ated t o the Pa natonic st agesP o th e s ound m aterialanatonic cure indicates the connected time a/is o the Panatonic stagesP o a pattern o Pacoustic motionsPanatonic end point end position o the Pacoustic motionP7 related to the Panatonic stagesPanatonic stages dierent areas 0attac!7 sustain2 o the sampleanatonic s ta rt point pr eass igne d s ta rt posi tion o the P ac oust ic motion P r elate d to the Panaton ic courseP o the sound mate rialAnatonie transcription techniKue to isuali;e & organi;e the Panatonic stagesP o the sound materialclose & open motion ader gesture to Pclose & openP the audio signalclose motion ader gesture to PcloseP the audio signalcontrol dis! a deice 0similar to a record2 to play the sound materialcut general term to turn on and o the sound by using the adercut brace symbol to indicate the e/ecution o a prede?ned number o Pdynamic motionPP on a Pacoustic motionPcutting techniKue playing techniKue on the crossaderdy namic m otion line ader or cr ossad er m oem ent s to ch ange the olu me 0 i.e.7 or the m ost pa rt to t urn on or o sound2 .

ariable principlee ec ts mot ion moement o the ader or r otar y d ia l to c hange the intens ity o applied audio e e cts 0e .g .7 r ee rb7 delay 7 d is tort ion2 .Lton bac!5ards motion o the Pcontrol dis!PLtonote ba c!5ards & or5ard mo ti on o the Pcont rol d is !P under as sump ta ti on that b oth Psi ngle moti ons P are sim il ar in t im e a lue a nd sp eedader a deice or gradually increasing or decreasing the leel o an audio signalading techniKue playing techniKue on the line-aderreKuency motion moement o the ader or rotary dial to cut or boost certain reKuenciesgroups o motion prede?ned arrangement o motionshamsters5itch this option on the mi/er lets you reerse the crossader usage direction.hand mode playing mode in 5hich the hand conducts the Pacoustic motionP

integra l mot ion combinat ion o )ote & Lton or Lton & )ote on the assumptat ion that both s ing le mot ions ar e s imilar in t ime a lue and spee d

mar!er point mar!er point on the surace o the control dis!motion chara ct eris tic cl ass i? catio n o paths o motio n 0li near7 e/ponent ial7 log arit hmi c2motion criteria structure o a motion measured by speed7 direction7 intensity and characteristicmotion direction reers to or5ard or bac!5ards motion o the record or opening or closing o the adermotion intensity reers to the leel o intensity 0speed7 rate7 olume2 o a motionmotion point notational symbol used to indicate the ?nal intensity o a motion characteristicmotion types undamental principles o a composition in Theory o $otions$otion Value duration 0music2 o a motion)ote or5ard motion o the control dis!)oteton or5ard & bac!5ards motion o the control dis! on the assumptation that both single motions are sim ilar in time alue and speedopen motion ader gesture to PopenP the audio signalopen&close $otion ader gesture to Dopen & closeP the audio signalpanning motions moement o the panoramic 0panning2 dial to spread the sound across the stereo ?eld.parameter m otions general term o acoustic-7dynamic-7reKuency-7panorama-7eects motionrelease mode playing mode in 5hich the hand conducts the physical moements on the recordreerse transormer special ader gesture to PcutP the audio signal#-)otation music notation or sample based perormance 0turntablism7 controllerism2single motion one-time motion on the control dis! or aderTheory o $otions th eoreti cal and meth odolo gical r ame5or! or creating a ne5 notat ion sy stem or sam pl e-based mus ic7

tona l pr inciple pr inciple o a rrangement7 5h ic h l ines and space s o the sta r epre se nts a di e rent music al pi tc h c ompare d to the c lassica l mus ic nota tionTonspiel;eug 5ord creation to name the combination o turntable7 mi/er & laptop as a musical instrumentTransormer special ader gesture to cut the audio signaltypes o motion undamental principles o a composition in Theory o $otions

symbol to indicate the e/ecution o an Pacoustic motionP concludes on the Panatonic endP 0)ote2 or P- startP 0Lton2

means that all lines and spaces o the sta determine easible leels o Pmotion intensityP the player ?nd useul or composition purposes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf1RS_TamHkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf1RS_TamHkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-lGsDvnwVAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA8obG9rYa8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlkKREwq0lshttp://www.alexandersonnenfeld.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Notationsbilder/Tonspielzeug_2_engl.pdfhttp://www.alexandersonnenfeld.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Notationsbilder/Lexicon_Techniques.pdfhttp://www.alexandersonnenfeld.com/fileadmin/user_upload/S-Notation/S_Notation_Symbols_Basic.psdhttps://www.youtube.com/user/Tonspielzeughttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf1RS_TamHkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-lGsDvnwVAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA8obG9rYa8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlkKREwq0lshttp://www.alexandersonnenfeld.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Notationsbilder/Tonspielzeug_2_engl.pdfhttp://www.alexandersonnenfeld.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Notationsbilder/Lexicon_Techniques.pdfhttp://www.alexandersonnenfeld.com/fileadmin/user_upload/S-Notation/S_Notation_Symbols_Basic.psdhttps://www.youtube.com/user/Tonspielzeug


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theory of motions (english abstract 2016)

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