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Durham E-Theses
Commentary on the Portfolio of Compositions
submitted for the degree of PhD in Music Composition,
University of Durham by Mariam Rezaei, 2016
REZAEI, MARIAM
How to cite:
REZAEI, MARIAM (2017) Commentary on the Portfolio of Compositions submitted for the degree of PhD
in Music Composition, University of Durham by Mariam Rezaei, 2016, Durham theses, DurhamUniversity. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/11968/
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2
Commentaryonthe
PortfolioofCompositions
submittedforthedegreeofPhDinMusicCompositionUniversityofDurham
by
MariamRezaei
2016
2
Thecopyrightofthisworkrestswiththeauthor.Noquotationfromitshouldbepublishedwithoutherpriorwrittenconsentandinformationderivedfromitshouldbeacknowledged.AcknowledgementsSpecialthanksto:Prof.RichardRijnvos,supervisor,UniversityofDurhamDr.JohnHails,supervisor,EdinburghNapierUniversityDr.FabriceFitch,formersupervisoratUniversityofDurhamMrRhodriDavies,harpistandprofessionalmentorMrsNazliTabatabai-Khatambhaksh,professionalmentorMusicDepartment,UniversityofDurhamApartmentHouseDrMichaelDuchandMrJohnTilburyDrNeilDavidsonDrMatthewShlomowitzArtsCouncilEnglandAwardsforAllNEGenerationStaffandstudentsatNewcastleUniversityMusicDepartmentandCultureLabLiteraryandPhilosophicalLibrary,NewcastleHuddersfieldContemporaryMusicFestivalTUSKFestivalTomyfamilyandfriendsfortheirconstantsupport.Manythankstotheperformersrecordedforthissubmission:ApartmentHouse,JohnTilbury,MichaelDuchandRhodriDavies,NoizeChoir,JoeMurray(WaxMagnetic)KathrynTickellandFolkestra(sampled)AllofthemembersofNOISESTRA.
3
ContentsofPortfolio ListofCompositions Page5
MusicTracklist Page7
Chapter1
1. Introduction Page9
Chapter2
2. LiteratureReview Page11
Chapter3
3. Methodology Page22
3.1Proposing/ReceivingaCommission Page23
3.2ResearchintoaNewCommissionandEnsemble Page23
3.3TheCompositionProcessinViewofResearch Page25
3.4 SkillsSharingwithEnsemble Page27
3.5Performance Page30
3.6CompositionalEvaluationandReflection Page32
Chapter4
4. AuthorshipInAParticipatorySetting Page33
Chapter5
5. Works Page41
5.1NOISESTRA Page42
5.2NOISESTRA:TRAX Page46
5.3NOISESTRA:NOISEstra Page51
5.4FUMP Page52
5.5ESFA Page54
5.6NOST Page58
4
5.7ANCE Page62
5.8BAWWWY Page65
Chapter6
6. Conclusion Page75
Chapter7
7. Bibliography Page78
5
ListofCompositions
1. NOISESTRA:TRAX duration:
June2012 0h08’04”
TurntableEnsemble,StringQuartet,Synth,Percussion,Harp,HorninF,
Accordion,BassGuitar.
VideoGraphicScoreincludesAudioRecording
2. NOISESTRA:NOISEstra duration:
June2012 0h07’12”
TurntableEnsemble,StringQuartet,Synth,Percussion,Harp,HorninF,
Accordion,BassGuitar.
VideoGraphicScoreincludesAudioRecording
3. NOISESTRA:FUMP duration:
June2012 0h08’28”
TurntableEnsemble,solo‘cello.
VideoGraphicScoreincludesAudioRecording
4. NOST duration:
December2013 0h09’09”
TwoTurntables,DictaphoneCassettes,NOIZEChoir(12performers)
GraphicScoreandAudioRecording.
6
5. ESFAQuartet duration:
May2013 0h14’30”
Turntables,Harp,Piano,DoubleBass.
NotatedScoreandAudioRecording
6. ANCE duration:
September2013 0h10’00”
8Turntables,8Dictaphones.
GraphicScoreandAudioRecording
7. BAWWWY duration:
April2014 0h32’55”
TurntableQuartet
TextScoreandAudioRecording
Totallength duration:
1h30’18”
7
MusicTrackListTrack1
NOISESTRA:TRAX duration:0h08’04”
TurntableEnsemble,StringQuartet,Synth,Percussion,Harp,HorninF,
Accordion,BassGuitar.
ApartmentHouseandNOISESTRA
Track2
NOISESTRA:NOISEstra duration:0h07’12”
TurntableEnsemble,StringQuartet,Synth,Percussion,Harp,HorninF,
Accordion,BassGuitar.
ApartmentHouseandNOISESTRA
Track3
NOISESTRA:FUMP duration:0h08’28”
TurntableEnsemble,solo‘cello.
ApartmentHouseandNOISESTRA
Track4
NOST duration:0h09’09”
TwoTurntables,DictaphoneCassettes,NOIZEChoir(12performers)
NOIZECHOIRandWAXMAGNETIC(JoeMurray(a.k.a.Posset)andMariam
Rezaei)
Track5
ESFAQuartet duration:0h14’30”
Turntables,Harp,Piano,DoubleBass.
MariamRezaei,RhodriDavies,JohnTilbury,MichaelDuch.
8
Track6
ANCE duration:0h10’00”
8Turntables,8Dictaphones.
WAXMAGNETIC(JoeMurrayandMariamRezaei)
Track7
BAWWWY duration:0h32’55”
TurntableQuartet
MariamRezaei
Totallength duration:
1h30’18”
9
Chapter1:Introduction
Thecompositionalpracticesinturntablewritingasasoloandensemble
instrumentintheworksofthisportfolioareresearchbased,exploringavarietyof
methodstonotateworkinresponsetoexperiments.Thechallengesand
opportunitiesthathavearisenthroughoutthisdevelopmentofcompositionhave
directedtheresearchalongdifferentroutes,promotingtheturntableasamusical
instrumentindifferentinstrumentalensembles.Devisingarepertoirethatdid
notpreviouslyexisthasinpartdevelopedtheturntableasaninstrumentwhere
therearegapsinitshistoryandalsohelpedfirmlyestablisheditsplacewithin
contemporarymusicinstrumentalensembles.
Withinthiscommentary,thedefinedtechniquesemployedintheturntableworks
arenotsimplyderivedeitherfromhiphopturntablismorNewArtturntablism,
butinsteadestablishasyntheticpractice.Skillsfrombothtraditionsaremixed
togetherwithfluidityinordertoestablishanewrepertoireforturntablethrough
taughtskillsbydevelopinganewensembleofturntablists,NOISESTRA.This
approach,combinedwithexperimentsingraphicnotation,bringstogether
performersinanewway,whereestablishedandhighlyskilledmusicianswork
withyoungperformersinacommunitymusicsetting,willingtoexperimentand
failinsearchofsuccessfullycreatingnewsoundswithturntables.
Theresearchincludesaworkingmethodologyofcompositionalprocessthat
relatestopopularteachingtheoriesofRogerHart,DavidHolb,JohnStevensand
NeilFleming.Observationsfromconventionallynotatedandgraphicscores,
analysedwritingsofKatz,SmithalongsideBrewsterandBroughtonbroadenthe
searchfortheappropriatemeansforwhichtonotateforturntablesbothwithand
withoutinstrumentalensembles.
10
Concludingthatthereisnoonecorrectwaytonotateforturntable,I
demonstrateseveralnotationalmethodsincludinganadaptationofthe5-line
systeminsomecompositions,andexperimentwith2D,and3Dvideographic
scoresinothers,provingthatthereareadvantagesanddisadvantagesineach
individualcontext.
Ievaluatemycompositionalpracticeandassessthesuccessofstrategiesin
writingforturntableensemblebycomparingmyinitialtheoreticalideaswiththe
practicalexperimentsandresults.
Itisrecommendedthatperformersandreadersofthisworkreadtheglossary
andnotesinAGuidetoTurntablismandTurntableNotationsforPerformers1found
intheappendicesbeforereadingthiscommentary.
1Pleaseseepage4intheAppendicesforAGuidetoTurntablismandTurntableNotation.
11
Chapter2.LiteratureReview
InmypreviousresearchintoDJingandturntablismaspartofmyundergraduate
study2,Iexplainedhowcassettes,VHSvideosandhiphop3magazineswerekey
learningtoolsforturntablisttechniquesinthe1990’sandearly2000’s.There
wasverylittleacademicliteratureaboutturntablismatthattimeandIwas
referencingmaterialsthathadn’tbeenthoughtofinanacademiccontextbefore.
Theseformatswerethemainevidenceusedforreferencingtogiveanhonest
accountanddescriptionofthehistoryandtechnicaldevelopmentofDJsin
turntablism.Sincethen,withthedevelopmentoftheinternetallowingDJsto
shareinformationgloballyviasoundfilesandvideos,therehavebeenseveral
DJingmanualsandacademicstudiesreleased.
Ihavechosenadiverserangeofauthors,frompopularandacademicbookswith
authorsfromtheUK,USA,somewithhighrankingbooksalesandothers,
reputableacademics.
DannyRampling’sEverythingYouNeedToKnowaboutDJing&Success4isan
exampleofabookthatdescribesbasicDJingskillswithageneralizedoverviewof
howtoDJsuccessfully,withlargeautobiographicalquotes.Ononehandthebook
isn’tparticularlyuniqueinitscontent,onlybasicselementsofDJingarecovered
andithasrelativelylittlenewinformationthatisn’tconveyedinolderDJing
tutorials/manuals.Ontheotherhand,Ramplingdoeshavethecreditofbeing
writtenbyasuccessfulDanceMusicDJanditisimportanttonotethatanumber
2Rezaei,M.2006.TurntablePerformancePractice:DevelopmentofPerformancePracticeandTechniques.BAThesis,UniversityofLeeds.3HiphopspellingtakenfromBrewster,B&Broughton,F.2006.LastNightADJSavedMyLife.London:Headline.p120.4Rampling,D.2010.TheEssentialGuidetoDjingandSuccess.London:AurumPressLtd.
12
ofbooksonDJingarewrittenbykeenandenthusiasticobserversnotsuccessful
careerDJs.RamplingtalksaboutcompositionwithturntablesinthecontextofDJ
mixesandmixtapes.ThisisthefirstpieceofwritingthatIhavefoundthat
analysessuccessfulmixinginsuchdetail,awayfrom‘readingthecrowd’
technique(whichBrewsterandBroughtonrelyheavilyon)andgivesaclear
analysis,formulaandvisualaids.Thereareslightmusicalmisgivingsbut
Rampling’sintentionsareinagenuineplace.
Workingalongaprincipleknowas‘GoldenSection’usedbyClassicalComposerssuchasDebussy,trytoaimforthe2/3pointfortheclimaxofthemix.Thisispossiblythemostsatisfyingshapeforanyart-form,asitallowstheconcluding1/3toserveasa‘cooldown’period,wherethemixcanbebroughtbackdown.5
Thoughitisdebatablewherethe‘GoldenSection’ofanyworkisinfactatthetwo
thirdsthroughpointofawork,IbelieveRamplingiscorrecttoadvisealearning
DJtoputthoughtintocontent,formanddynamicstructurewhenassemblinga
mix/mixtape.ThisfurtherthinkinganddevelopmentofthemusicianshipofDJing
ispredominantlymissedoutbyanumberoftextswhichmaylinkbacktoauthors
notbeingDJsthemselves.
DJingforDummies6byJohnSteventonispredominantlyaninstructionmanual,
withexamplesofhowtosetupbasicDJingkitalongsidelearningbasicDJ
techniques.Irealiseinthetitlethatthereisanimplicationthatthebookwill
provideclearexplanations,howeverIthinkthebookismorepatronisingthan
necessary,asmuchasitispackagedtobeafriendlyguide.13outof26chapters
areaboutequipmentwiththeremainingchaptersfocusingonlifestyle,for
5Ibid.p736Steventon,J.2006.DJingforDUMMIES.London:JohnWileyandSonsLtd.
13
example‘GettingDrunkWhenPlaying’7,‘HowDoIGoToTheToilet’8and‘Make
Friends’9.ThereareplentydetailstohowtolookandappeartobeaDJwithone
chapteronhowtobeatmatchandonechapteronskratching.Itisinthechapter
onskratchingthatSteventonshowshislackofunderstandingontheprinciplesof
skratchtechnique,orinfactturntablesetuptechniqueswhichhehastalkedfor
solongaboutthusfar.
Thetwowaystocontrolthestabilityofyourneedlearethroughthedownforceactingontheneedle,andtheanglethatit‘digs’intothegroove.Simplysettheneedlesothatitanglesintothegrooveby10degreesandit’llsticktothegroovelikeglue.Thedownside,though,isthattheneedlewearsoutthegroovelikeahotknifethroughbutter10
Ifaturntableneedlehasbeensetcorrectly,somewearandtearwillinfactoccur,
butonlyafterhighlyexcessiveuse(yearsofcloseuseofcertainrecordgroovesby
askratchDJ)shouldtherebethewornout‘hiss’effectthatSteventonalludesto
butthereisnoneedtosettheneedleataheavierweight.Hefurtherworsensthis
advicebytellingtheDJto‘addaweight,suchasacoinorBluetac’11toDJneedles
worthhundredsofpounds.Thatreallywillmeanyoucutintoyourrecordslikea
hotknifeintobutter.Ican’thonestlyagreewithsomeoftheadviceinthisbook,
someofitismatteroffactmanualtypeinformationbuttheemphasison‘lifestyle’
andincorrectadviceaboutequipmentisalarming.
7Ibid.,3508Ibid.,3429Ibid.,30910Ibid.p24211Ibid.p242
14
OftheotherhighprofileDJbooksavailable,IreadSophySmithsHip-Hop
Turntablism,CreativityandCollaboration12,BillBrewsterandFrankBroughton’s
LastNightADJSavedMyLife13andMarkKatz’sGrooveMusic14.
LastNightADJSavedMyLifemakesfordifficultreadingforacomposerand
turntablist.Themostjournalisticofthethreebooks,thereisastrongly
misogynisticandcolloquialtonethroughoutthewholebook.Fromthebeginning
ofthebook,BrewsterandBroughtondepictaninaccuratestereotypeofDJs,
immediatelylikeningDJstospiritualleaderssuchas‘shaman’sand
witchdoctor’s’15.TheconstantreferencetomusicasareligionandtheDJasa
spiritualleaderisexcessivefromthebeginningandhasnorealbasisinanything
otherthanahedonisticopinion.Therearealsoseveralconflictingstatements
throughoutthebook.Inthecaseofthe‘ArtoftheDJ’16chapter,Brewsterand
BroughtondefinethattheDJcanbelikeamusician.
TheDJisamusician.Itjusthappensthatinplaceofnotesheusessongs.Whereaguitaristcanimpressanaudiencebyplayingathirtysecondsequenceofchords,whataDJdoestakeslonger–ADJneedstobejudgedonatwoorthree-hournarrativeoftracks.17
Anargumentthatisconstantlyreassertedthroughoutthebookisthatasuccessful
DJ’sskillsareintheirchoiceofrecordsandtheirabilityto‘readthecrowd’.DJ
FatboySlimexplains
12Smith,S.2013.Hip-HopTurntablism,CreativityandCollaboration.London:Ashgate.13Brewster,B&Broughton,F.2006.LastNightADJSavedMyLife.London:Headline.14Katz,M.2012.GrooveMusic.TheArtandCultureoftheHip-HopDJ.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress.15Brewster,B&Broughton,F.2006.LastNightADJSavedMyLife.London:Headline.p2.16Ibid.p1417Ibid.p15
15
agoodDJisalwayslookingatthecrowd,seeingwhattheylike,seeingwhetherit’sworking;communicatingwiththem,smilingatthem.18
Thisisfurtherreinforced,wherethereaderistolda
greatDJshouldbeabletomoveacrowdonprimitiveequipment…itsmuchmoreaboutfindingamazingnewsongsandbeingabletopullthemoutattherightmoment.
Threecriticalargumentsaremadehere,whereagoodDJcanbedefinedbyan
audience’simmediateresponse,thatagoodDJcanonlybejudgedbya2to3hour
longmixandthatagoodDJcanbejudgedfromamomentarychoiceoftheone
correcttrackatthecorrectmoment.Thebookisfullofcontradictorystatements
likethisandleavesacriticalreaderwithlittlemorethanskepticismofthesources
andauthors.Idon’tbelievethattheansweristhatallthreeofthesestatements
aretrue,thesignofagoodDJissignificantlymorecomplexthanchoosingone
record,readingacrowdorhowtheymakealongmix.Theonethingthatthis
bookconstantlyavoidsdiscussing,musicalskills,isthegluethatbindstogether
thethreetechnicalskillsBrewsterandBroughtontalkabout.
Throughoutthebook,thereisalwaysadetourawayfromdescribingDJing
techniquesorapedagogyofDJdevelopmentbutalwaysreferencetopopular
trackswithinterviewsfromDJsandProducers.ThereareanecdotalstoriesofDJs
workingontechniques,forexample,GrandmasterFlashperfectinga‘quickmix
fortheAdventuresofGrandmasterFlashontheWheelsofSteel’19butlacking
explicittechnicalexplanationsofwhataquickmixisorhowFlashcomposedthe
18Ibid.p1719Ibid.p93.
16
mix.20Thereisanemphasisonmusicalgenresthroughoutthistext,with
informationaboutgenresIhavelittleexperiencein.ThoughIhavelearnedan
interestingoverviewofmusicandnamesofDJsassociatedwiththesegenres,very
littleinsidethesechaptersdoesmorethansimplyconfirmtheover-sexualized,
substanceheavylifestylesthatarethederogatoryandnegativestereotypes
attachedtoDJsofallgenresacrosstheworld.
SophySmithhasaninterestinglookintogroupturntablecomposition,commonly
knowas‘team’composition,analysingroutinescomposedspecificallyfortheUK
DMCTeambattle21byTheDMUCrew22,TheMixologists23andTheScratch
Perverts24.Shebreaksdowntheelementsoftheturntablecompositioninto
technique,timbre,typeofturntablism(beatjugglingorskratching)andanalyses
theturntableroutinesofthethreetechnicallydifferentteamsforsimilaritiesand
differences.Smith’sapproachisverymatteroffactandlooksatthe
compositionalprocessintermsofbalanceoftimeeachperformerspendsoneach
structuralsection,alwaysrankingtheperformersinorderofimportance,further
breakingdownheranalysisintoelementsofgeneralisedtimbre/genreintowhat
mightbeaconclusive‘winning’formulaforteamcomposition.Smithexplains
thatitwasimperativetoworkwiththreeteamswithinhergeographicalgraspso
thatshewasabletomeetwiththem,analysetheircompositionalprocessfirst
hand,tointerviewthemfirstandseetheworkperformedfirsthandinateam
20A‘quickmix’isaDJmixwheretracksareplayedforshortbursts,sometimesonlyahandfulofbeatsbeforeanothertrackismixedin.21Smith,S.2013.Hip-HopTurntablism,CreativityandCollaboration.London:Ashgate.p1122Ibid.p14323RedbullMusicAcademy.2006.RBMALectures:Mixologists[Online][Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:http://www.redbullthre3style.com24Smith,S.2013.Hip-HopTurntablism,CreativityandCollaboration.London:Ashgate.p57
17
battle/DJcompetitionscenario.Iagree,thatalloftheelementsarevitally
important,howeverIthinkthattherearelargeareasofteambattlingthatare
missedoutofSmith’sresearch.TheDMCChampionshipsareviewedwithinthe
turntablistsceneasthe‘lesstechnical’ofbattles,withtheInternational
TurntablistFederation25,theGongBattle26andRedBullTHR3EStyle
Competitions27ratingmuchhigherontechnicalities,explicitlyannouncingtheir
judge’sresultswhicharebasedontechnicalprowessalone.Nepotismand
conflictinginterestsofteninfluencetheDMCbattles,particularlywhenjudgesare
inthesameteamsorclosefriendsofDJs.PartofthecamaraderieoftheDJ
battlingsceneinvolvestheheckling,inlifeandonline,ofthejudgesopinions,the
performersandthecompetitionorganisers.Asaresultofthis,thecompetitions
havebeenforcedtomakescoresheetsmoreaccessibletoaudienceswithsome
makingtheircompetitionsmoredifficulttogettoenter.Forexample,the
InternationalTurntablistFederation(ITF)isbyinvitationonly.OfalltheDJ
teamsintheworld,Smithhaschosentoanalysejustthreeandshehasonly
touchedthesurface.
Smithspendsalargeproportionofherbooksettingupawellresearched
turntablistcompositionhistory,withanalysisoftextsbyPoschardt28,Schloss29
andKatz30butdoesn’tuseofanyofthisresearchtobackuporanalyseherown
25IDA.2000.IDA[Online][Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:http://www.idaworld.org/about26GONGBATTLE.2005.GONGBATTLE.[Online][Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:http://www.allmusic.com27RedbullMusicAcademy.2006.RBMA[Online][Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:http://www.redbullthre3style.com28Poschardt,U.1998.DJCulture.London:QuartetBooks29Scholss,J.G.2004.MakingBeats:TheArtofSample-BasedHip-Hop.Connecticut:WesleyanUniversityPress.30Katz,M.2005.CapturingSound.California:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2005.
18
researchasdetailedmusictheoryorcompositionresearch.Smithhasanalysed
modelsofformandstructureinmusicanddrawnupchartsforanalysisofform
butthisisoflittleuseforcompositionresearchandlackingthedetailthatIhad
hopedtofindinthislevelofpublication.Thistext,whichinitsintroductiontells
readersitwilldevelop‘ananalyticalmethodologyspecificallyforturntable
music’31goesontocompletelydismissthemorecomplextranscriptionand
notationofDJRadar’sconcertoashehas‘adisregardforthecompositional
practicesusedbythemajorityofturntablistmusicians.’32Radarisnotanaverage
turntablist,hepushesboundariesbycomposingnewmusicandnotatesthemusic
notjusttocreatesomethingnew,buttoalsopreserveturntablecompositionina
waythatisaccessibletoothermusicians.Innovationisonevitalpartofthe
turntablistethosthatisforgotteninherargument.
Smithdoesprovideasmallfigureofthemainfunctionsofhip-hopturntable
notation33;communication,documentation,composition,legitimization,
analysis/understandingandpedagogy/learning.Howeverusefulthischartisfor
basicanalysis,itsisn’tcriticalandlacksthemusicalbreakdownofspecificskratch
techniquesandbasicrhythmicanalysis,whichIhadhopeditwouldhave
included.
Bearinginmindthatthisisoneofthefirstworksonthesubjectofturntable
composition,IcanonlyimagineSmithwillgoontofurtherresearchandIhope
therewillbeanalysisofteambattlesfromthecriticaldevelopmentofturntablism
31Smith,S.2013.Hip-HopTurntablism,CreativityandCollaboration.London:Ashgate.p232Ibid.p9433Ibid.p95
19
overthelasttwentyyearsincludingtheworkofBeatJunkies34,TheInvisibl
SkratchPiklz35,C2C36andmorefromaroundEurope.Britishturntablismhasa
strongchapterinturntablistandDJinghistorybutthemajorityofdevelopmentin
musictechniqueandequipmenthasbeenfromtheUSA.Furtheranalysisintothe
developmentofteamcompositionisvitalanditisnowbecominganevenmore
interestingareawheredigitalvinylsystemsanddrummachinesarenowusedas
partofDJbattling,reflectingthedevelopmentofnewDJtechnology.
MarkKatzprovidesacolourfulanddetailedhistoryofturntablismandDJculture
fromthebirthofhiphopwithanecdotalsnapshotthroughtofirsthand
interviewsbyawiderangeofDJs.Hisresearchandwritingiscomprehensiveon
thehistoricalanddevelopmentalstagesofturntablism,withaheavyfocusonthe
NorthandSouthAmericancontributions.Thelargestchapterofthebook
explorestherelevanceandcompositionalimportanceofthedevelopmentofthe
‘break’inhiphopandclearlyillustratestheimportanceofthisintertwined
developmentofturntablismandbreakdancing.
Thedemandsoftheb-boysandb-girlsencouragedtheisolationofthebreaks,andthehip-hopDJsdidsomethingthatvirtuallynodiscoDJwoulddo,atleastonpurpose:theyscratchedrecords37
ThisisalongchapterbutIagreewithKatzthatthedevelopmentofthebreakand
itsimportanceinhiphopissignificantanddeservesthismuchfocus.His
historicalresearchisthoroughthroughoutallthechaptertopicsbutIamagain
34BeatJunkies.1996.BeatJunkiesWebsite.[Online][Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:https://www.beatjunkies.com35InvisiblSkratchPiklz.1996.InvisblSkratchPiklzWikipedia[Online][Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:https://en.wikipedia.org36C2C.2009.C2CWebsite.[Online][Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:http://www.c2cmusic.fr37Katz,M.2012.GrooveMusic.TheArtandCultureoftheHip-HopDJ.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress.p10
20
consciousthatKatzisnotaDJhimself,missingoutsomeoftheexciting,and
criticaldetailsofthedevelopmentinskratchtechniques.Thereisanexploration
intothedevelopmentofturntablistalbums,namelyQ-Bert’sWaveTwisters38,Kid
Koala’sCarpalTunnelSyndrome39andD-Styles’Phantazmagorea40withonlya
briefanalysisofsoundmaterialsusedinthealbums,discussingcompositional
process
Qberttakessomethingsimple-thesyllable‘fresh’forexample-andcreatesacomplexmusicalworldoutofit.KidKoala,ontheotherhand,takesbitsofcompletelyunrelatedrecordsandstitchesthemintonearlyseamless,deceptivelysimplesongs41
ItisatthispointthatIwouldliketolearnmoreabouttheuseofskratchesthat
bothDJsuse,howbothDJsdifferintheirapproachtoworkingwithsamplesand
furtheranalysisintothelayeringofseveralturntablesatatime,aspartofthe
composition.LikeSmith,Katzisreferringtocompositionalformandstructure
andmissingtheintricatedetailsthatarethesignifiersthatdifferentiateDJsall
aroundtheworld.Q-BertandKidKoalacouldperformthesameskratcheswith
identicalsourcematerialsandequipmentbuttheirturntablistcharactersand
soundsaresouniquethatyoucouldtelltheDJsapartfromjustsimpleskratching.
BothKatzandSmithhaveskirtedaroundthetopicsofturntablecomposition,
providingwritingaboutthecompositionofDJRadar’sTurntableConcerto
process42whichistakenstraightoutofthereleasedLP’slinernotes,butnever
articulateoranalysethemusicaldetailsofworks,missinganyconstructive
38WaveTwisters.2001.[DVD]Q-Bert.USA:ThudRumble39KidKoala.2000.CarpalTunnelSyndrome.[Vinyl]London:NinjaTune.40D-Styles.2009.Phantazmagorea.[CD]California:BeatJunkieSound.41Katz,M.2012.GrooveMusic.TheArtandCultureoftheHip-HopDJ.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress.p57342Ibid.p614
21
criticismoftheturntablismormusiccomposition.Katz’chapteronturntable
compositionprovidesampleevidencethatmusichasbeencomposedtolegitimise
theturntableasaninstrumentwithfurtherelaborationonthecompositionand
rehearsalroomprocesses.HeacknowledgesanumberofcomposersandDJsin
theUK43,includingmyself,butreferencesthereareonlyafewscoresor
recordingsavailablewithoutprovidinganyevidenceofthis.HasKatzlistenedto
theseworksandishiswritingwellinformedonthissubject?
OfthebooksthatareavailableonDJing,mostfallintothecategoriesof
tutorials/manualandhiphophistory.Astherearenowseveralbooksonthese
subjects,Ihopethattherewillbemoreliteraturewrittenonthedevelopmentof
turntablistskillsalongsidetheprogressionofDJequipmentandturntable
composition.KatzhasillustratedthedevelopmentofthetwochannelDJmixer
throughdevelopmentofskratchtechniquebyGrandmasterFlash
FlashtookthesamemethodicalapproachtohisDJingashedidtohis
equipment.Hisgoalwastofindawaytoconnectthebreakwithout
everlosingthebeat..44
Inthefuture,Ihopewecanlearnmoreaboutthedevelopmentofturntable
equipmentandturntablecompositiontwentyyearson,forexample,writingabout
andwiththeultrapitchandmidiVestaxControllerOneturntable45(whichIuse
43Ibid.p61444Ibid.p61545VESTAX.2001.VESTAX[Online][Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestax
22
inmycompositions)andDJmixerswithintegratedmidicontrolsandeffects,like
theRaneTTM57.46
Chapter3Methodology
Thereisaclear6-stepprocesstomycompositionalmethodology.
1. Proposing/receivingacommission
2. Researchintoanewcommissionandensemble
3. Thecompositionprocessinviewofresearch
4. Skillssharingwithensemble
5. Performance
6. Compositionalevaluationandreflection
3.1Proposing/ReceivingaCommission
ThefirststepisacommissionfromwhichIbegintodrawalistofcriteriaanda
stepbystepplantofulfiltheartisticandpragmaticelementsofthecommission.
ThisisclearlydemonstratedintheNOISESTRA47projectwhere,inthefirst
instance,Iwastoworkintensivelywithanensemblethatdidnotyetexist48.To
fulfiltheperformanceandcompositionalaspectsofthecommission,Ihadto
recruitaminimumof8youngpeoplefromtheNorthEastofEnglandanddrawup
alearningstrategyandrehearsalschedulethatwouldbepracticalandrealisticin
46RANE.1998.RANE[Online][Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:http://dj.rane.com/products47Rezaei,M.2012.NOISESTRA:FromtheDJSofNOISESTRA.[Online].[Accessed1stOctober2016].Availablefrom:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIQGHbnXmi4
23
termsofcommunitymusicpracticeandworkingwithyoungpeople.The
commissionoutlinedthattheperformancewastobeover30minutesinlength,to
workwiththeyoungpeoplecloselytodemonstratetheirskillsasperformersand
toshareskills.Theprocessbywhichthiscommissionwasdevelopedinvolveda
commissioningpanelthatwroteaspecificlistofcriteria.Thecriteriawasbased
onasetofinitialideasthatIpresentedaspartofthecommissioningprocess;to
composeandusegraphicscores,DJworkshopstoshareskillswithayoung
generationtohelppreserveturntablismandexploringexperimentalmusic
performanceskillsforasetperformancewithanestablishedmusicensemble.
Leadinguptotheperformancewouldincludeasetofintensiveworkshops
exploringtheexperimentaland‘traditional’hiphopsettingsofturntablism
throughtheskillsofbeatmatching,mixing,skratching,beatjuggling,turntable
tonesandfreeimprovisation.Thispresentedanopportunitytoshareskillsand
workwithbothnewandoldturntablistskills.
3.2ResearchintoaNewCommissionandEnsemble
Researchintothenewcommissioniscarriedoutbothintermsofmusicandalso
theperformers/performance.Inmanycases,thiswillinvolveworkshopsand
experimentationwiththeensemble.ForNOISESTRAthistooktheformofa
teachingprocesswiththeperformers,includingmini-presentations,experiments
andgraphicscoresusingturntables,forexample,aworkshoponFebruary1st
2012focusingonturntabletonesandtheforwardcutskratch.Mostturntable
techniquesaretransferableskills,forexampletheforwardcutisamethodof
samplingpartofaforwardplayingsound,withoutthereversesoundheard,toa
24
specifictempo(oftenin4/4).Theforwardcutisalsothetechniquefromwhich
thebasicbeatjugglingtechniquebackspinningisderived.Theforwardcutisa
skillthatcanalsobefurtherappliedtoturntabletones,whereasmalltunecanbe
playedby‘loopingup’orrewindingsoundswhilstthepitchadjusteronthe
turntableisadjusted.Usingtheforwardcutskratchaspartoftheprocessforthe
turntabletonesisanearly,highlyskilledandcoordinatedtechniquewhichI
challengedthegroupwith.Oncethegrouplearnedtoplay‘MaryHadALittle
Lamb’ontheturntablefollowingtheexampleofthe1991DMCWorldChampion
DJQbert49,wethenlookedatagraphicscoreanddiscussedhowwecouldbegin
tofollowonebasicruletomakesoundandhaveimpact.Thisrepertoireincluded
textandgraphicscoressuchasMatthewShlomowitz’sLetterPieces50,Jennifer
Walshe’sWhyPeopleODonPills/JumpofftheGoldenGateBridge51,Stockhausen’s
HelicopterStringQuartet,52JohnCage’sRocks53andCorneliusCardew’sTreatise54
whichweexperimentedwithonturntables.
Thishands-onapproachtoteachingwithyoungpeopleidentifiedvariousskills
involvedthatareneededtocommunicateinworkshopsaboutgroupperforming,
improvisationandinterpretinggraphicscores.
Anotherpartoftheresearchhasincludedcataloguingotherturntable
compositionsandarticlesformyownresearchwhilstlookingattheroleofthe
turntableasaninstrumentwithincomposedmusic.LookingatJohnCage’s
491991DMCWorldChampionships.1991.[VHS]London:DMC.50Shlomowitz,M.2007.LetterPiece#1:NorthernCities,Arsenal,Bahrain,Chihuahua,Darjeeling&Eisenhower.[MusicScore]Unpublished.51Walshe,J.2004.THISISWHYPEOPLEODONPILLS/ANDJUMPFROMTHEGOLDENGATEBRIDGE.[MusicScore]NewYork:MilkerCorporation.52Helikopter-Streichquartett.:ArdittiStringQuartet.1999.[DVD]Paris:MediciArts53Cage,J.1986.ACollectionofRocks.[MusicScore]London:EditionPeters.54Cardew,C.1970.Treatise.[MusicScore]London:EditionPeters.
25
ImaginaryLandscapeNo.1,employedneedledroppingandtesttoneswithpitch
adjustments,ImaginaryLandscapeNo.5withfortytwodifferentrecordsusedand
Schaeffer’sEtudeAuxCheminsdeFer55samplingrecords,making‘silonfermé’
(closedgrooves)56onrecords.Therepertoirecontemporarywiththeriseofhip
Hop,J.O.MallanderwithDecompositionswithitsminimalistrepetition57andJohn
Zorn’sLocusSolus58featuringChristianMarclayonturntableswasalsovery
useful.RecentworkswerealsostudiedincludingGabrielProkofiev’sTurntable
Concerto59,wherealiveorchestrajuxtaposeswithaliveturntablistandDJQbert’s
‘WaveTwisters’60,acompletehipHopturntablistworkwithathroughcomposed
narrativeofcharacters,musicalthemesandradicalturntablisttechniques.I
playedandsharednumerousturntableworkswiththegroupthroughoutour
workshopsandhaveresearchedthepurpose,roleandidentityoftheturntable
throughouttheseworks,usingthisresearchtoinformmycompositional
decisions.
Researchintonewworkisalsothroughregularlisteningtomusicandattendance
atmusicconcerts,theatreanddanceshows.OftennewideasarepresentedandI
learnaboutinstrumentaltechnique,ensembletimbres,compositionalformand
howbesttocommunicate/notateforperformersfromconcerts.
55Schaeffer,P.2013.1948.EtudeAuxCheminsDeFer.[CD]London:PuzzleRecords56Emmerson,S.2007.LivingElectronicMusic.London:Ashgate.p6757Mallander,J.O.1983.Decompositions.[CD]Helsinki:AnoemaRecordings.58Zorn,J.1983.LocusSolus.[CD]London:TzadikRecords.59BBC.2011.ConcertoforTurntables.[Online].[Accessed1stOctober2016.]Availablefrom:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38atRejUORM60WaveTwisters.2001.[DVD]Q-Bert.USA:ThudRumble.
26
3.3TheCompositionProcessinViewofResearch
Thethirdstepofthemethodologyistheprocessofwritingthecomposition.
Whencomposingforturntables,Iammostoftencomposingwithaspecific
ensemble,soundortechniqueinmindthatIhavebeenexperimentingwith,
usuallythroughturntableimprovisation.Forexample,inNOISESTRA’sFUMP,I
intentionallywantedtocomposeagraphicscorewithadirectpitchcorrelationto
theturntablesasanensembleandspecifically,exploitingthelimitationofusing
only+8%and-8%pitchon13turntables.Multipleturntablescanchangepitch
throughsmallcontrolledmovementsoftheturntable’spitchadjusterandthe
unpredictable,erraticanduniquesoundsproducedbymovingtherecordsonthe
turntablesbyhand.Thiseffectwasthenmultipliedby13turntablesandlayered
withtimedsoloentriesandpointsofunison.WhencomposingNOST,Iwas
interestedinemployingsubbassoscillatorsoundsincloseproximityandhowthe
rhythmicpatternsoftheoscillatorsclashingcanhaveaphysicalandsoniceffect
withnewaddeddimensionofclickingonvinyl.Iwantedtoexplorethedepths
andclosenessofthelimitedsoundmaterialthroughbasstones,especiallywhen
incloseproximityandwhenfarapart.ThismeantthatIhadtousedifferent
equipment:aTechnics1200turntable61withanoverallpitchrangeof16%,and
theVestaxControllerOneturntable62witha120%ultrapitchrangewithtwosub
woofersintheperformance.
Oneissuethatconstantlyarisesinmyperformancepracticeisthebalanceof
electronicsandacousticinstruments.Whatsolutionworksbestwhentryingto
61TechnicsSL-1200MK2Turntable.[Online][Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:http://shop.panasonic.com/shop62VestaxControllerOneTurntable[Online][Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:http://cdm.link
27
balancethesoundifoneinstrumentmustbeamplified?Isitimportanttoamplify
theacousticinstrumentstoo?IattendedaperformanceoftheRoyalNorthern
SinfoniaperformingSteveReich’sDifferentTrainsinMarch2013inHall2ofthe
SageGateshead.Thebalanceoftheacousticstringquartetandtheamplified
cassettetapeworkedwellintheperformancespaceasanaudiencemember,
howeverthestringquartetwerewearingearpiecesthatplayedametronome
alongwiththetaperecording.Itbecameapparentthatthemusiciansfoundit
difficulttofollowascorethatincludesataperecordingwhichisimmersiveand
playedavitalrolefortheperformers.Electronicmusiccanbemuchlouderthan
acousticinstrumentswouldbeheardinthecontextofasharedperformance
spaceandsomemusicianscanfinditconfusing,especiallyifitsdistractingthe
performerfromastricttempo.Thisisanexampleofonepiecewherethe
pragmaticsofapiecearen’taseasyastheyappeartobe,wherescoringawork
differently(agraphicscore,orevenlackofdetailinascorerelevanttootherparts
forotherperformers)couldpossiblymakeitmoredifficultforaperformerto
understand.WithNOISESTRA,Iworkedcloselyintheperformancespacewithall
oftheDJsandApartmentHousewithasoundtechnician,usingavarietyoffold
backthroughmonitorsforDJsandmusicians.Thisissuehasbeenaconstantand
consciousissuethatIhavethoughtaboutthroughoutallofmywriting.
3.4SkillsSharingwithEnsemble
Alargeelementofthisresearchintocomposingforturntablehascomefromdaily
practiceasaperformer,composerandteacher.Giventhatformalteachingisnot
partofmostturntablists’experienceandthattherearestilllimitedresourcesfor
28
advancedturntablistskillsworldwide,establishingtaughtskillsbecomesacritical
partoftheprocessofdevelopingworkwithanensemble.Inordertowritefor
andworkwithotherturntablists,participantshadtobetrainedwithaspecific
skillsbase.IhadanopencallforyoungpeopletojointheNOISESTRAensemble
andasaresult,therewasahugevariationinabilitiesandunderstandingofmusic
thoughnooneparticipanthadusedvinyltoDJwithorlearnedanyturntablist
specificskills.Withthisinmind,itwasimportanttodeviseaseriesofworkshops
thatcrossedovervariousskillsinturntableperformanceandDJingincluding
repertoire,basicbeatmatching,mixing,beatjugglingandskratchesbefore
developingintoturntabletones.Iresearchedseveraldifferentmethodsof
teachingskratchingtechniquesincludingDJQ-bert’sonlineSkratchUniversity63,
theBerkleeCollegeofMusicSkratchcoursewithStephenWebber64,DJShort-ee’s
StudioScratchesvideotutorials65andChrisKwote’sonlinetutorials66.Addingto
thismyownexperiencesasaDJinstructor,Ihavedevelopedmyown
methodology,includingelementsofyouthleadershipassharedlearningand
participantresearch/homework.UnliketheQSUandBerkleeCollegeofMusic
courses,theNOISESTRAprojectwasnotsetupasanacademiccoursefor
musicianstolearn,butasanopenaccessprojecttoyoungpeoplewhowantto
learnDJingandturntablecompositionwithperformanceopportunities.
63DJQbert’sSkratchUniversity.2011.QSU.[Online].[Accessed1October2016].Availablefrom:http://artistworks.com64Webber,S.2007.DJSkills:TheEssentialGuidetoMixingandScratching.NewYork:FocalPress.65StudioScratches.2013.StudioScratches.[Online].[Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:https://www.youtube.com/user/studioscratches66Kwote,C.2013.KwoteMusic.[Online]{Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:http://kwotemusic.com
29
TheNOISESTRAworkshopswereinitiallysetupwiththreeDJsetups,onefor
everyfourparticipants(atotalofsixturntablesandthreeDJmixersfortwelve
participants).Theparticipantslearnedingroupsoffour,helpingeachotherby
learningskratchingandbeatjugglinginduos,swappingpositionstolearnskillson
bothleftandrighthandswhilstalsoworkingtogetheronsmallerturntablist
challenges.
Bearinginmindthegroupneededtoperformwithliveinstruments,Idevelopeda
shortseriesofskratchexercises67,writtenwithpartlymusicandpartlyturntable
techniqueascriteria.Putintopractice,theseexerciseslookatbasicmusicianship,
tobuildgroupmusicianship,basichandcontrol,crossfadertechniqueandto
encourageimprovisationandinterpretationwhilstmaintainingaccuracyand
clarity.MuchliketheideologyinBartok’sMikrokosmos68seriesofpiano
technique,theexercisesareprogressiveintechniquewithadualpurposeof
graduallydevelopingtechnicalturntablistskills,introducingnewideasalongthe
waywhilstexistingasshortpiecestoperform.
Thereisacleardevelopmentofturntablisttechniquealongsidebasicmusical
skillsintheshortexercises.Bynotatingtheexercises,Ihavedocumentedthem–
documentationisanongoingissueforturntablists–whilstalsoprovidinga
teachingtoolforparticipantstoworkfrom.Iwouldarguethatnotatingthe
exercisesisimportant,astherearemanyvariouswaysinwhichpeoplelearnlike
Fleming’sVisualAuditoryReadingandKinaesthetic(furthermorereferredtoas
67Theseexercisesarediscussedinmoredetailintheappendices.68Bartok,B.1926-39.Mikrokosmos,Volume6.[MusicalScore]London:BooseyandHawkes.
30
VARK)modeloutlines69.Byusingmeansofvisualaids,auditoryaids,readingand
writingandappliedpractice(kinaesthetic),Ihavebeenabletosuccessfullyteach
exercisestoparticipants,allwithvaryingskills.Theuseofwrittenexercisesin
teachingalsorelatestoDavidKolb’sLearningStyles70wherethereisafourstage
learningcycle:
Learningistheprocesswherebyknowledgeiscreatedthroughthe
transformationofexperience.71
Kolb’stheoryisinfoursteps:Stepone,ConcreteExperience,whereanew
experienceisencountered;Steptwo,ReflectiveObservation,ofthenew
experience;Stepthree,wherereflectionleadstonewideas;Stepfour,wherethe
learnerappliesthechangestofindresults.Exercise8haspointswhere
participantsareabletoreflectontheirlearningandapplytheirown
interpretationofthescore.72
Ihavelearnedaboutandappliedthistheorytomycommunitypracticeasa
freelancemusicianinanumberofworkingrolesandprojectsandfoundthisa
clearandusefulstructuretocomplimentmyworkshopplanning.
3.5Performance
Thenextstepinmycompositionalmethodologyincludesmypragmaticapproach
tocomposingmusic.Icomposemusicthatwillchallengemyabilities(evenifit
69Fleming,N.2001.TeachingandLearningStyles:VARKStrategiesWebsite.[Online].[Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:http://vark-learn.com/70Kolb,D.1984.ExperientialLearning:Experienceasthesourceoflearninganddevelopment.NewJersey:Prentice-Hall.71Ibid.72PleaseseeAppendicesforSkratchExercises.
31
meansnottouchingtheturntable),lookingtoexplorenewwaysofcreating
soundsthroughdifferenttechniquesandapplyingseveraldifferentskillsinboth
turntableensembleperformancesandperformanceforturntableand
instrumentalensemble.AnexampleofthisisTRAXfromNOISESTRA,wherea
soloturntablistandsoloharpistimprovisewithoutreferencetoanynotationand
areaccompaniedbyascoredensembleofturntablistsandinstrumentalists.Much
likeMauricioKagel’sPrimavista73,symbolswereemployedandspecific
boundarieswithinwhichtointerpretthesesymbols.WorkingwithNOISESTRAin
workshops,weexperimentedanddevelopedaspecificsetofsymbolswith
specifictechniquesandchanges.Thiswasanartisticdecisiononmypart,whereI
wantedaconsistencyinsoundsproducedbytheparticipants.Thisneedfor
claritywasfurtherreinforcedbyfeedbackreceivedfromtheperformers,asthey
wereuncomfortablewithoutaspecificsetofperformancenotestoplayfrom.
Thusthenotationservedtwopurposes,thefirstartistic,thesecond,pragmatic
anddidactic.
Usinggraphicscoresallowsroomforinterpretationasasoloistandasan
ensemble,bearinginmindthevaryinglevelsofmusicalabilityandunderstanding
intheturntableensemblecomparedtothatofApartmentHouse.
Incontrast,whenwritingEsfa,Iemployednotationforallinstruments.Inpart3
ofEsfa,borrowingideasfromAlvinLucier’soscillatordronesinMusicForCello
WithOneOrMoreAmplifiedVases(1993)74andPeterAblinger’sclickingrecords
73Kagel,M.1964.PrimaVista[MusicScore]London:UniversalEdition.74Lucier,A.2005.MusicForCelloWithOneOrMoreAmplifiedVases.AnthonyBurrandCharlesCurtis.AlvinLucier:[CD]London:Antiopic.
32
ofWeisslich1375,IusedasampledoscillatortrackonawarpedSeratorecordto
playalongsidethesustainedsoundsofsilkribbonedelectricfansusedonthe
pianostringsandharp.Iwantedtouseanoscillatorsoundwithaslittle
interactionontheturntableforthetexturalqualityofthewarpedrecordand
sample.Isetmyselfthechallengeasaperformertoconstrainandwithhold
manipulationoftheturntablewhenusedasaninstrument,muchlikeOttorino
Respighi’suseoftheturntableinPinidiRoma(1924)whereitisusedtoplaya
nightingale’ssongwithnomanipulation.
3.6Compositionalevaluationandreflection
Thefinalstepinmycompositionalmethodologyisevaluation.Lookingbackon
theturntableworksI’vecomposedsince2008,therearepointsoflearning,areas
toadjustandmusicalmomentsthathaveworkedwell.UsingKolb’sprocessof
learning,step4,reflection,23fromNOISESTRAisadifficultworkformeto
evaluate.Reflectingontheperformancewasmoreproductivethanlookingatthe
score.Whenrehearsing,Iwasunhappyandunsureoftheworkhowever,there
wasadeadlineandIultimatelyhadtohandoverthescoretotheperformersand
rehearsetogetthemostoutofthesituation.Thefocusonmovingmelodic
materialthroughtheinstrumentationinthisworkisimitativeofsamplingandthe
samplebasednatureofturntablism.Manypracticalissuesarosefromthe
rehearsalofthispiece.Theseincludeddirectingandconductingtheturntable
ensemblewhilstalsoperforming,workingwithhighlyskilledperformersthat
75Ablinger,P.1995.Weisslich13[Online][Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:http://ablinger.mur.at
33
couldnotreadmusic,conductingtheinstrumentalensemblewithcuepointsand
thelivesoundbalanceofacousticinstruments,amplifiedacousticinstruments
andaturntableensemble.Thefixednatureoftherhythmstylisticallyisatoddsto
theharmoniclanguageandtexturalintentionsIinitiallyhad.Thispiecewasfully
notatedusing5linestavesforallinstrumentsandIamunsurewhethernotating
inthisformatwasunsuitableoriftheideasforthepieceitselfwerenotstrong
enoughinitially.
Chapter4.AuthorshipinaParticipatorySetting
Methodsofwritingpercussionmusichaveastheirgoaltherhythmicstructureofacomposition.Assoonasthesemethodsarecrystallizedintooneorseveralwidelyacceptedmethods,themeanswillexistforgroupimprovisationofunwrittenbutculturallyimportantmusic.76
Acriticalpartofmycompositionalprocessincludesthenotationofmy
compositionforturntables.Usinggraphicscoresinvariousformatshas
advantagesanddisadvantagesingroupsettings.
Iresearchedvariousmethodsofcommunitymusicpracticetoadaptfor
NOISESTRA,primarilyusingJohnStevens’handbookSearchandReflect77.One
exampleofadaptinghisexercisesincludedaworkshopwhereNOISESTRAwere
skratchingindividuallyatdifferenttimestoformachainofskratches,neededfor
SqrinchSqratchOrquestra.Thiswasthencontrastedwithindependentfree
rhythmskratchesusedinTRAX.OnespecificexerciseIusedbyStevensisClick
76Cage,J.1961.Silence:LecturesandWritingsbyJohnCageHanover:UniversityPressofNewEngland/WesleyanUniversityPress.77Stevens,J.1985.SearchandReflect–AMusicWorkshopHandbook.London:BPCommunityMusicLtd.
34
Piece78.Theaimofthisexerciseisto‘producetheshortest,mostprecisesound
possible.’Iadaptedexerciseonetoachieveasimilaraim,toproduceadistinctive,
articulateandaccuratesound’withturntablesusingspecificskratches.Stevens
asksthatthegroupbegininsilenceandindividually,producetheshortestsounds
theycan,usingseveralattemptsuntiltheperfectsoundisproduced.Iadapted
thissothatwithinthegroup,theDJswouldalldovariationsofthebabyskratch
withtheirownchosensound,butlookingfortheirown‘signature’babyskratch
soundsothatina‘collage’ofskratches,theirownwouldstandout.Thiswasthen
furtherelaborated,muchlikeStevens’secondexercise,the‘signature’baby
skratcheswererepeated,eachtimeexactlythesameandprecisely.Thislinked
neatlyintothethirdexercise,wherephysicalgestureandplacementofthe
instruments/soundsourceisfocusedon.Thefinalexerciseemphasisesindividual
playingwithfreerhythminagroupsetting.Iinitiallythoughtthiswouldbeof
greatdifficultyforthegroup,however,thestepsintheexercisesmeantthat
sufficientfocusandskillwasbuiltbytheindividualparticipantsthattheywere
thenabletoworkindividually,focusingonthemselves,andthinkindependently
ofagroupdynamicandrhythm.Thisexerciseisalsoaninterestingreflectionon
howIhaveworkedwithNOISESTRAasamusicleader,lookingfroma
macroscopicperspectiveofthegroupperformance,allowingtheparticipantsto
findtheirownindividualsoundandcharacterwithinboundariesofthepieces.
Inthespringof2012,Iwasinvitedtoworkwithanensembleofimprovisersto
performJohnCage’sImprovisationIV79oncassettesforBBCRadio3atCityHalls,
78Ibid.p6379Cage,J.1983.ImprovisationIV.[MusicScore]London:EditionPeters.
35
Glasgow.PartoftheconcertincludedaperformanceofCage’sChildofTree80by
IlanVolkov.ThiswasthefirsttimeIhadseenaworkwithliveplantsandsuch
extensiveuseoftheIChingwithinacomplicatedtextscore.Thispieceisagood
introductiontoanin-depthmethodologyofindeterminacythatwillsolely
determinetheeventualoutcomeoftheworkandthescorewasatopicthata
numberofperformersdiscussedinformally.Cagehand-wrotethepiece,makingit
difficulttoreadinthefirstinstance,thentherearedifficultrulestofollowand
interpret.VerymuchlikeStockhausen’sPlusMinus81,theperformermustwork
outtheirownroleandperformanceinadvanceandthescoreisnotalwaysclear.
SomepeoplewouldarguethatadeepunderstandingofJohnCage’sworksis
essentialwheninterpretingsuchascore,howeverIwouldarguethatthisshould
notbethecase.Anycomposershouldbeabletoclearlycommunicatetoany
performerexactlywhattheywishtoseeinaperformancewithoutany
backgroundresearchintothecomposersandtheirpreviousworks.Whetherthey
achievethisornotisadifferentmatter.Asacomposer,IliketothinkthatIwrite
pragmaticallyforperformers,andrehearsaltimesareagoodtimetoeaseoutany
ambiguitiesorissuesinawork.Atthispointinmycompositionalcareer,Idon’t
believeinmakingaprocessdifficultforaperformerforthesakeofmakingit
difficult.DidCageintentionallywritedifficultinstructionsoristhereanunvoiced
lessonwrittenintothescorethatadeeperphilosophicalargumentneedstobe
learnedinasubversivemanner?WeknowthatCagewasaprofoundphilosopher
andthinker,challengingothermusiciansandcomposersashislectureTheFuture
80Cage,J.1975.ChildofTree[MusicScore]London:EditionPeters.81Stockhausen,K.1963.PlusMinus[MusicScore]London:UniversalEdition.
36
ofMusic(Credo)82explicitlydemonstrates.Couldthescorehavebeenwrittenin
anotherwaysothatitisn’tasdifficulttounderstand?Lookingathislaterworks,
especiallytherelationshipofBranches83toChildofTree84,Ithinkthatthiswas
oneofmanyexperimentswhereCagewasdevelopinganarrativeandhisideas
were‘notaflashofinspiration,fullyformed.’85InMusicofChanges86,Cageused
theIChingaspartofhiscompositionprocessandby1976,inBranches,heopens
uphispiecetotheperformers,furtherdevelopingtheuseofindeterminacyby
lawsofprobability,increasingthelikelihoodofaradicallydifferentperformance
witheveryperformerandconcert.NeatlysummarizedbyChristophCox87from
JohnCage’sSilence:LecturesandWritings88,Cagesortedopencompositionsinto
‘twogeneralcategories…indeterminatewithrespecttocomposition,determinate
withrespecttoitsperformanceanddeterminatewithrespecttocomposition,
indeterminatewithrespecttoperformance’.Branches,ChildofTreeandMusicof
Changesaredeterminatewithrespecttocomposition.Thoughpartofthe
performanceofBranchesandChildofTreeinvolvesinterpretationbythe
performer,thereneedstobesignificantdetailintheinstructionsforthe
performerstoworkouttheirpartsthoroughly.Theperformancewillbe
indeterminateasthedurationsandinstrumentswillbeopentointerpretation
basedonthecompositionalstructureandtherelianceontheIChingtodefine
82Cage,J.1961.Silence:LecturesandWritingsbyJohnCageHanover:UniversityPressofNewEngland/WesleyanUniversityPress.83Cage,J.1976.Branches[MusicScore]NewYork:EditionPeters.84Cage,J.1975.ChildOfTree[MusicScore]NewYork:EditionPeters.85Prendergast,M.2000.TheAmbientCentury.London:BloomsburyPublishing.p4486Cage,J.2951.MusicOfChanges[MusicScore]NewYork:EditionPeters.87Cox,CandWarner,D.2004.AudioCulture:ReadingsinModernMusic.London:TheContinuumInternationalPublishingGroup.p16588Cage,J.1961.Silence:LecturesandWritingsbyJohnCageHanover:UniversityPressofNewEngland/WesleyanUniversityPress.
37
compositionalelements.ItiscredittoCagethattheprocessitselfiscomplicated
andhehasexplainedthestepsinawaythatcommunicateshiscomplexideas
clearlyandIdon’tthinkrequiresadeepgroundinginpreviousworksofCage’s.
AsthedirectoroftheNOISESTRAensembleandthecomposerofthegraphic
scores,IwasabletochoosehowmuchcontrolIhadoverallaspectsofthe
performersskillsbase,interpretationsanddecisionswhenfacilitatinggroup
decisions.IhadinitialthoughtsabouthowmuchinputandinterpretationIwould
allowperformerstohave,thoughthisevolvedastheworkshopsranandthe
demandsofeachgraphicscorewererefinedthroughmypersonalevaluation.
NOISESTRAwerestillrelativelynewtointerpretinggraphicscoresandthis
juxtaposedwithApartmentHouse’sexperiences.Thisimmediatelychallenged
measacomposer,astherearecertainexpectationsforandfromaprofessional
improviser.
DavidTooptalksabout‘Seasonedimprovisers–musicianswhoarefamiliarand
comfortablewithanad-hocwayofworking–tendtooperatewithunspoken,
evenunconscioussetsofconditionsthatdifferaccordingtotheplayersandthe
overallenvironment.Atitsmostbasictheformulais:rule=norules.’89
Anexpectationofanopenmindtoworkwithgraphicscores,orworkingwith
anotherensemblepresentschallenges,particularlywhenanensembleare
amateurswishingtobeandneedingtobedirectedinperformances.
Theyareusedtovariationsinqualitybutattheirsophisticatedlevel,disastersareunusual.Musicianswhoprefertoworkfromclearlydefinedstructuresbutwhoinvolvethemselvesperiodicallyinstructuredperformancesoftenexpressextremereservationsaboutthechaosthatcanensue.
89Toop,D.2004.HauntedWeather;Music,SilenceandMemory.London:SerpentsTail.p35
38
Inotherwords,workingwithinexperiencedplayersriskspublichumiliation90
Asanimprovisermyself,Iamawareoftherisksyoutakeworkingwithanynew
ensemble,buttherisksaresignificantlyhigherwhenworkinginaprofessional
contextwithyoungpeoplewithnewandlimitedgroupimprovisationskills.
Onewayoftacklingthisapprehensionandanxietywastoapproachthegraphic
scoreswithasetofperformancedirectionsthatwouldappeasetheworriesof
NOISESTRAperforming,defineasetframeworkforApartmentHouse,andstill
affordspaceforindividualcreativitywithinagroupcontext.
Authorityingroupimprovisationsisimportant.Ifsomeonedoesn’ttakethefirst
stepandleadthegroup,therecanbealargegroupofpeoplewaitingfornothing
tohappen.
Atworst,itcanleadtoanamorphousmesswherenoonehasthecouragetotakealead,soeveryoneendsupposedontheedgeofexplosionwithoutconsummatingtherelationship91
Havingworkedandtrainedincommunitymusicpractice,IhaveusedRoger
Hart’sLadderofYoungPeople’sParticipation92consciouslyinparticipatory
settingsandwantedtoapplyelementsofhistheorytomyplanningandwork
withNOISESTRA.Theladdermodelhas8rungs93;Rung1,youngpeopleare
manipulated;Rung2,youngpeoplearedecoration;Rung3,Youngpeopleare
tokenized;Rung4,Youngpeopleareassignedandinformed;Rung5,Young
peopleareconsultedandinformedoffinalresults;Rung6,adultinitiated,shared
decisionswithyoungpeople;Rung7,Youngpeopleleadandinitiateaction;Rung
90Ibid.p3491Ibid.p3292Hart,R.1992.Children’sParticipation:TheTheoryandPracticeofInvolvingYoungCitizensinCommunityDevelopmentandEnvironmentalCare.London:Earthscan.93Ibid.
39
8,Youngpeopleandadultssharedecisionmaking.Thismodelleadsmetodebate
whichoftheselevelsofparticipationismostmeaningfulinthecontextofthe
NOISESTRAensemble.Hartexplainsthat,ultimatelyineverysituation,adifferent
rungoftheladderiscorrect,towhichIagreeandwouldaddthat,itisalso
constantlychanging.
FUMPisanexampleofagraphicscorewhereIspecificallydesignedandmodelled
thegraphicstorelatetomydesiredmusicaloutput.Inthiswork,the
experimentationlayswiththecellist,nottheturntableensemblewhoaredirected
throughout.Initialsketchesofthegraphicscorewere2Donpaper,similartothat
ofCardew’sTreatise94.Treatiselacksexplicitinstructionininterpretingthe
scoresand,instead,suggeststhatinterpretersdeviserulesforthemselvesin
advance.ThisideologyjuxtaposeswiththeideasofFUMP,whereIwasexplicitin
theexactdetailsoftheturntablesinterpretationfollowinggroupdiscussions,
whichcorrespondstorung4ofHart’sLadder,whereyoungpeopleareassigneda
specificrolebutinformedofwhyandhowtheyareinvolved.
Thelightsshiningontheneckofthe’cellowereinspiredbythecontoursoflight
graffitiworksbyLichtfaktorandtheirlightpaintingphotos,wherecolouredlights
areusedtodrawmultiplelinesandoutlines95,similartothatofstringsona’cello
ora5-linemusicalstave.
InfluencedbythedarkbackgroundandlightlinesoflightpaintingartistBarbara
Morgan’sPureEnergyandNeuroticMan96,Idevelopeda3Dvideoscore,using
94Cardew,C.1970.Treatise.[MusicScore]London:EditionPeters.95Lichtfaktor.2013.Lichtfaktor.[Online].[Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:http://www.lichtfaktor.com96Morgan,B.1940.PureEnergyandNeuroticMan.[GelatinSilverPrint].AtNewYork:MOMA.
40
CorelMotionStudio3D97,withlinesslowlyappearingandevolvingintoatreeto
representtheindividualturntables.Inotedthatallturntablesweretousestring
sounds,however,afterinitialrehearsals,Ilaterspecifiedthatarangeofstring
soundsrecordedonCindifferentoctavesweretobeused.Thisdecisionwas
pragmatic,toensureabreadthofrangeinthepitches,tosoftenthe‘screaming’
qualityof12high-pitchedrecordswhenmanuallyspeededupandtoaddanextra
dimensioninthesoundqualityoftheturntablesinthefirststagesofthescore.
JohnBlacking’sresearchin‘HowMusicalisMan’isafascinatingpaperinwhich
partofmybeliefinparticipatoryandcommunityworklies.
Testsofmusicalabilityareclearlyrelevantonlytotheculturewhosemusical
systemsaresimilartothatofthetester98
Removingtheideaofa‘taught’musicianwhilstapproachingnewmusicalskills
throughturntablism,everyoneinthegrouphashadtheirownstrengthsand
talents.
97CORELSTUDIO.2010.[Online][Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:http://www.corel.com98Blacking,J.1973.HowMusicalIsMan?Washington:UniversityOfWashingtonPress.p9
41
Chapter5.Works
With a phonograph it is now possible to control any one of thesesounds and give it rhythms within or beyond the reach ofimagination.Givenfourphonographswecancomposeandperformaquartetforexplosivemotor,wind,heartbeatandlandslide.99
Theturntableisnowacceptedasaninstrumentwithinpopularandcontemporary
music practices, with thanks to the compositions and writings of John Cage
throughtoKatzandSmith.Alargeproportionofrepertoireforturntablelacksa
core grounding in basic skills progressing to intermediate and advanced skills,
framing the turntable as a ‘gimmick’ inmost instances.Thispresentednotonly
just problem but also an opportunity to develop some simple exercises for
teaching purposes. Looking back at the history ofmusic tutelage and how the
rudimentsofmusicaretaughtthroughtraditionalandacademicmeans,Idecided
to borrow principals and construct a standard set of exercises and workshops
that can be used to formally teach core music skills alongside DJ skills. The
skratchexercisescanbefoundintheAppendices.
Mydevelopmentofturntablerepertoirealsoincludesresearchintoturntable
notationwhichIhaveconstantlyexploredthroughoutmycompositionalcareer
andprocesses.Mypreviousresearchintoturntablenotationinmy
undergraduateBA100andMasters101degreestudyisalsoechoedintheworksof
99Cage,J.1961.Silence:LecturesandWritingsbyJohnCageHanover:UniversityPressofNewEngland/WesleyanUniversityPress.100Rezaei,M.2006.TurntablePerformancePractice:DevelopmentofTechniquesandNotation.BAThesis,UniversityofLeeds.101Rezaei,M.2007.TurntableComposition.MAThesis,UniversityofDurham.
42
Katz102andSmith103.BothmakereferencetoDJRadar’sConcertoFor
Turntable104,TheTurntableTranscriptMethodology105byJohnCarluccio,Ethan
ImbodenandRaymondPirtleandDJATrak’snotetakinggraphicnotation106.As
partofmyexplorationintonotation,Ihavealsoaskedtoseeanumberofother
worksforturntablesandhowtheyhavebeenwritten.Ihavepreviouslyworked
alongsideGabrielProkofiev,outsideofaturntablistcontext,andincasual
conversationwetalkedabouthisTurntableConcerto107.Prokofievhasnotated
hisscoreswithlargeopenandblanksectionsfortheturntables.Therestofthe
orchestralscoreisfilledwiththeblankturntablesectionsleftasapart-
improvisedopportunityfortheturntablistinnegotiationwithProkofiev.Ithink
thatthisapproachtonotationindicatesthatProkofievishappytoacceptthefull
historicaltraditionofturntablismasanimprovisatorypractice,thatturntable
notationsaredifficultandthatonesizedoesnotfitall.Ifurtherexploretheidea
thatonenotationalsystemdoesnotfitallturntablecompositionthroughoutmy
works.
5.1NOISESTRA
TheNOISETRAproject–boththenamefortheensembleandthework–isa
102Katz,M.2012.GrooveMusic.TheArtandCultureoftheHip-HopDJ.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress.103Smith,S.2013.Hip-HopTurntablism,CreativityandCollaboration.London:Ashgate.104DJRadar.2000.Antimatter.[Vinyl]California:OMRecords.105Carluccio,J.Imboden,E.Pirtle,R.2000.TheTurntablistTranscriptionMethodologywebsite[Online][Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:www.battlesounds.com106TurntableTVVolume6:ReverseOysterBeard.1998.[Film]Qbert.dir.USA.ThudRumble.107BBC.2011.ConcertoforTurntables.[Online].[Accessed1stOctober2016.]Availablefrom:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38atRejUORM
43
communitymusicensembleandacompositionprojectwithaunique,
experimentalandbespokeworkingstyle,bringingtogetheracommunity
turntablistensemblewithaprofessionalcontemporarynewmusicensemble.
Workingwiththeyoungpeopleinthegroup,theworkNOISESTRAevolvedovera
largenumberofweeklyworkshops.Usingyouthleadershipskillsanddeveloping
newskillswiththeyoungpeopleinthegroup,theensembledeveloped
performanceideasfromvinylrecordings,penandpaperdrawingsandopen
discussionsaboutmusicaltimbres.Iworkedcloselywiththeturntableensemble
discussingthecompositionideasIhadfortheworksandhowIwantedtousethe
turntableindifferentwaysasanensemble.
Overtheinitialninemonthsofworkshops,theturntableensemblelearneda
combinationofbasicDJmixingskills,basicbeatjugglingandbasicskratches
includingbaby,laser,rub,patting,forwardandreversecut,flareandchirps.
Alongsidethis,theensembleexperimentedperformingtext/graphicscores,
includingscoressuchasCageACollectionofRocks108,WalsheThisisWhyPeople
ODonPills109andJumpOfftheGoldenGateBridge...,,Shlomowitz’sLetterPiece
#1110,Stockhausen’sHelicopterStringQuartet111,Cardew’sTreatise112andCage’s
ImprovisationsIV113.Idecidedtoruntheworkshopprocessoveralongerperiod
forpracticallearningreasons.DerekBaileydiscussedthemeritsoflongterm,
108Cage,J.1986.ACollectionofRocks.[MusicScore]London:EditionPeters.109Walshe,J.2004.THISISWHYPEOPLEODONPILLS/ANDJUMPFROMTHEGOLDENGATEBRIDGE.[MusicScore]NewYork:MilkerCorporation.110Shlomowitz,M.2007.LetterPiece#1:NorthernCities,Arsenal,Bahrain,Chihuahua,Darjeeling&Eisenhower.[MusicScore]Unpublished.111Helikopter-Streichquartett.:ArdittiStringQuartet.1999.[DVD]Paris:MediciArts112Cardew,C.1970.Treatise.[MusicScore]London:EditionPeters.113Cage,J.1983.ImprovisationIV.[MusicScore]London:EditionPeters.
44
practicalworkwithateacherasthisdevelopsmusicalunderstandingthrough
trialanderrorandhowthisisexemplifiedinIndianmusic.
Appreciatingandunderstandinghowimprovisationworksisachievedthroughthefailuresandsuccessesinvolvedinattemptingtodoit.Indianmusicwithitslongcomplexrelationshipbetweenteacherandpupilhastheonlymethodologyorsystemwhichacknowledgesthesebasiccharacteristicsofimprovisations.114
IagreewithBaileyonthispracticeandchosetoadaptthe‘traditional’methodsof
howturntablismhasbeentaught.Ilearnedmyturntablistskillsthroughvideo
tutorials,decipheringcassettetaperecordingsandtheoccasionalmagazine
interviewaffordinganaccuratedescriptionofaskratch.Throughthese
inaccurateandabstractedprocesses,mostDJswillinterprettechniques
incorrectly,thoughthiserrorhasbeenknowntosparkabrilliantcreative
process,creatingnewskratchcombinationsandpatterns.Thesemethodsof
sharingareaclearreflectionoftheeraandthedemographicofpeopleinvolved;
turntablismwasalittle-knownhobbywithasmallgroupofinterestedpeople
spreadoutglobally,predominantlythroughoutthe1990s.Itisnowmore
commonforturntablismtobetaught,withmanycolleges,musicclassesand
academiccoursesnowexisting.Whetherthisnewformalisedacademicmethodof
teachingisstillcorrectlyinformingparticipantsisstillupfordebate.
Workingwithyoungpeopleischallenginginanumberofrespects.Iknewbefore
theprojectstartedthatitwouldbechallengingtokeepeveryoneuptodateand
ontopofallthegroupdecisionsasattendanceisalwaysachallenge.Toovercome
thisIusedaprivateFacebookgroup,YouTube(videoingofgroup
114Bailey,D.1975.Improvisation:ItsNatureandPracticeinMusic.London:DaCapoPress.p8
45
rehearsals/ideas/progress)andemailstokeepincontactwiththewholegroup.
Bydocumentingevidenceofwork,participantsregularlyupdated,allowedtime
forreflectionandevaluationwhilstgivingyoungpeopletheopportunitytotakea
stepbackandlistentothemusiccreated115.
ThefulldebutperformanceofNOISESTRAincludedtwofulldaysofrehearsals
withApartmentHouse,ademandingscheduleofanyprofessionalletaloneyoung
people.ThetouringperformanceoftheNOISESTRAprojectsettledatEdinburgh
NapierUniversityinJanuary2013.Workingwithadifferentensembleinformed
myunderstandingofhowthegraphicscoresworkwithadifferentsetof
musicians.WorkingfortwodaysinEdinburghwiththehelpofDrJohnHails,
NOISESTRAworkshoppedtheself-titledworkwithanensembleofstudent
musicians,anotherinterestingcommunitymusicsettingwherethegroupwere
sharingmoreskillsandexploringthechallengesofanewmusicalensembleto
workwith.
ThesuccessoftwolongdayswithNOISESTRA(12and14hoursrespectively)
showsthededicationandpridethegrouptookinthesuccessofNOISESTRAasa
project.Iamstillinregularcontactwiththeindividualsfromthegroupina
professionalcapacityandthegroup,likemyself,wouldliketocontinueandwork
togetherondifferentmusicalprojectsasNOISESTRA.Forme,thisisthereal
successofNOISESTRA.
TheworkNOISESTRAisin6parts.ForeachworkIexperimentedwithdifferent
waysofvisualisingthescoresfortheturntableensemble,ofwhomonly3outof
12weremusicians,theinstrumentalensemble,ofwhichtwocouldnotread
115Rezaei,M.2012.NOISESTRARehearsals[Online][Accessed1October2016]Availablefromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXrc4NAnnkE
46
music.
5.2NOISESTRA:TRAX
InMarch2011,IattendedaconcertbyexperimentalharpistRhodriDavies,atthe
MordenTowerinNewcastle.Davieswasperforminghisnewestalbumatthe
time,WoundResponse116,aheadofitsofficialrelease,foraround6hourswith
short,intermittentbreaks.ThiswasthefirsttimeI’dseenDaviesmoveaway
fromimprovisingwithauxiliaryobjectsontheelectricandacousticharpand
couldseehiscompositionalprocessupcloseonthelapharp.Therearestrong
elementsofminimalismwithrepetitionofmotifsandvariationsonthemes.The
harpsoundsverymuchlikeanelectricguitarthroughampsbuthasaunique
timbrewhereyoucanhearthestringsarepluckedbyfingerswitharticulation
anddynamicsakintothetraditionalharp.SeeingDaviesperformandcomposein
thismannermademethinkofhowbesttoworkwithhimwhenitcameto
workingwithNOISESTRAonTRAX.ForTRAX,IwantedDaviestoworkwiththe
electricharp,howeverIdidn’twanthimtoperformthescore,Iwantedthetwoof
ustochallengeeachotherasanimprovisingduoandseehowthiswouldwork
paralleltothecomposedgraphicscoreoftheturntableensembleandthe
instrumentalensemble.
Thepresentmethodofwritingmusic,principallythosewhichemploytheharmonyanditsreferencetoparticularstepsinthefieldofsound,willbeinadequateforthecomposer,whowillbefacedwiththeentirefieldofsound117
116Davies,R.2014.WoundResponse[Vinyl]Newcastle:AltVinyl.117Cage,J.1961.Silence:LecturesandWritingsbyJohnCageHanover:UniversityPressofNewEngland/WesleyanUniversityPress.
47
ForsoloControllerOneTurntable,soloAmplifiedHarp,NOISESTRAand
ApartmentHouse.Thisgraphicscoremixedtogethertheturntableensembleand
instrumentalensemblethensplitthemintotwoequallymixedgroups.
An‘anti-concerto’ofsorts,thetwosoloists,ControllerOneturntableand
AmplifiedHarp,playthroughoutthewholework,startingandendingthework.
Themixedanddividedensemblegroupswereassignedeitherthetoporbottom
slide.Fourdifferentcoloursusedintheslidesofthescoredenoteachange
betweenfourchosengesturesforeachindividualperformer.
Knowinglycomposingthisworkwithaspecificgraphicnotationinmind,I
adaptedworkshopsandintroducedideasmuchlikeDerekBaileytalksabout.
Simplestatements,someideas,onwhichwecanworktoprovokethem.Thiswas(sic.)freeimprov,thenwelookedatsemi-improvisedmusicfromgraphicscores.118
Byworkingwiththismethod,thegroupwerecomfortableworkingtogetherto
assigngesturestosymbolsthatweretranslatedintosimilargesturesfor
instruments.
Therearegeneralinstructionsforinterpretingthescore,forexample,aline
representssustainedpitches.Astraightlinerepresentsasinglesustained
pitch.Acurvedlinerepresentsasustainedpitchthatglissandos/changes.
Eachperformerisabletochoosewhichdirectiontoreadthescore;thereforethe
pitchrangeisinterpretedindividuallybyeachperformer.
NOISESTRAworkedtogetherasagroupandagreedoninterpretationsofthe
symbols.Mostofthespecificinterpretationsfocusonpitchandrhythm.An
exampleofthisutilisesthebuttonsoftheturntable,changingbetween331/3
118Bailey,D.1975.Improvisation:ItsNatureandPracticeinMusic.London:DaCapoPress.p123
48
rpmand45rpmwhenlinesofdottedsquaresappearinthescore.Another
exampleofthisisanexaggerateddownwardsglissandoof45rpm,+8%downto-
8%,then33rpm+8%downto-8%,followedbythepowerswitchedoff
representedbyarhombusshape.Astheturntablesarepoweredby
electromagnets,theslowdownspeedoftheturntablesisuniqueeverytimethe
turntablesareswitchedoff.
TakinginfluencefromKagel’sPrimaVista119score,Iwantedtheperformersto
reacttowhateverappearedonthescreen,workingoutwhatthesymbolsmeant,
performingthemandsuddenlystoppingwhenthescreenchanged.Iallowedthe
performerstojoininwhenevertheychosehoweverIfoundthatallperformers
playedalmostimmediately,assoonastherewasaslidefortheirgroupto
perform.
IresearchedCage’sButWhatAboutTheNoiseofCrumplingPaper…120where
systemsofsymbolsareusedasagraphicscore.Thisvisualaestheticsofthis
scorecontrastsclearlytoChildofTree,121whereasimplekeytogesturesandthe
rulesforthosegesturesareexplicitandtheperformanceisdeterminate.Within
thegestures,thereisroomforinterpretationbytheperformersbuttherewill
alwaysbestrikingsimilaritiesineachperformance.Forme,thisisagreat
exampleofhowsimplicityingraphicsandclearinstructionsscoreworkwellfor
performersofallcalibresandgenres.Cageisgivingtheindividualsboundaries
withinwhichtheyhavefreedomtochoosetheirownideaandtoformtheirown
119Kagel,M.1964.PrimaVista.[MusicScore]London:UniversalEdition.120Cage,J.1986.Butwhataboutthenoiseofcrumplingpaperwhichheusedtodoinordertopainttheseriesof"papiersfroisses"ortearinguppapertomake"papiersdechires?"Arpwasstimulatedbywater(sea,lake,andflowingwaterslikerivers),forests.[MusicScore]London,EditionPeters.121Cage,J.1975.ChildOfTree.[MusicScore]NewYork:EditionPeters.
49
identity.Partofmyworkwithsymbolsandrelatingthistoturntablegestures
wasexploredinworkshopswithNOISESTRA.Therewasaprimaryconcernthat
gesturesandusingsymbolsmightmaketheperformancedifficult,however,after
afewrehearsalswithonlyahandfulofgesturestoremember,NOISESTRAwere
fluentandcapableofworkingwiththegraphicscore.Insteadofchanging
mediumlikeCagedoes(forexample,betweenstrikingmetalandawaterbased
gesture),wedecidetoswitchbetweensoundssourcesandusing
crossfader/faderlessskratches.
Theshapesinthescoresarebasedonelementsfromtheenvironmentaround
NewcastleandGatesheadcentralbuildingsandlandmarks,muchliketheworkof
Villa-LobosinNewYorkSkyline122.Iaskedtheyoungpeopleintheensembleto
bringinpicturesoftheNorthEast.UsingAdobePhotoshoptomanipulatethe
photos,highlightingshapes,texturesandcoloursofinterest,wechose20shapes
andusedtheminaworkshopwithRhodriDavies,improvisingusing
predominantlyrhythm,pitchandchanginggestureswithNOISESTRA.Fromthe
resultingworkshops,Ipickedtheshapes/symbolsIthoughtwereofmost
interestandcontrastfromtheirsonicinterpretationsreadyforrehearsalswith
ApartmentHouse.
122Villa-Lobos,H.1957.NewYorkSkyline:pourpianosolo.[MusicScore]Paris:EditionsMaxEschig.
50
ExampleofNOISESTRA’scontributionstoresearchandTRAXgraphicscore.
ExampleofTRAXgraphicscore.
5.3NOISESTRA:NOISEstra
InfluencedbythelocalnoisesceneandtheensembleTapeThatandtheirtape
51
catalogueperformances,NOISEstraisabluntcontrastoftwovideoworksthat
serveasascoretotheturntableandinstrumentalensemble.Buildingawallof
soundwithvariousrecordscollectedfromallovertheworld,theturntable
ensemblestartwithonerecordthatismanipulated,tryingtomakethemusical
contentunrecognisable.Usingborrowedmusic,theturntableensembleusebasic
skratchingskillsonanindividualbasistolayerupsamplesandsoundsuntilthey
areundecipherable.Watchingthevideoonthelefthandsideofthescreen,on
cueofarecordbeingremoved,theleadturntablistmustremovetherecordon
theirturntable,passittotheperformerontheirleftandpickuparecordfrom
theperformerontheirrighthandside.Thiswascarefullychoreographedsothat
itformedachainofsoundandwasrehearsedforthisreason.Intuitionisusedby
theperformerstomakesurethattherearen’tanygapsinthesoundasthe
recordsarepassedalongthegroup,aunanimousdecisionmadebytheensemble
ininterpretingthescore.Inworkshops,weexperimentedwitheveryDJ
followingthevideoscorecuestoremovetherecord,andtheresultingsilenceand
auxiliarysoundsofthelogisticalchangesofrecordsinterruptedtheperformance.
ThegrouprehearsedseveralversionsofthechainofsoundsandIdecidedto
workwithintuitionandsmallpartnershipsbetweenDJs.Thismeantthatthere
wasnowaconstantflowofsoundthatalsowouldbuildinvolume,timbreand
changeofgenre.Interestingly,thegenreofrecordsrangedandwereconsciously
orderedbyNOISESTRAfromBaroqueandClassicalmusic,jazz,instructional
records,easylistening,popmusicandhiphop.Thebettermanufacturingquality
ofthenewerrecordsmeanttherewasanaturalriseinthevolumeofthe
ensemblealongsidethepragmaticriseinvolumeinplayingmorerecordsina
52
chain(asteadyincreaseof1to14recordsbytheend).
OntherighthandsideisavideocollagemadeupofTVsnowandprotestfootage
fromaroundtheworld.Theinstrumentalensemblearetobeginperformingas
soonastheTVsnowvideochangestoprotestfootage.Throughouttheprotest
footage,imagesarehighlighted.Theseimagesindicateachangeofmusical
gesturefortheensemble.Theonlyperformanceinstructionwastochange
musicalgesture.ThemusicalgesturesfromApartmentHouseareclearand
intrusiveontheturntableensembleatthebeginningoftheworkandbytheend,
arealmostunheardastheturntableensembleareoverpowering.Thisstruggle
betweenthetwoensemblesisintentionalandreflectsthefrustrationsand
rebellionoftheyouthculturetodayagainsttheinstitutionalised,agedand
historicaltraditionsofgovernmentinplacetoday.
5.4NOISESTRA:FUMP
Thereisratheraninevitablenaturalcomplexityinthings(i.e.thestructureofatree)anditcannotfinallybepreciselyindicated,controlledorisolated.Toinsistondeterminingittotallyistocreateadeadobject123
Thisworkisforsolocelloandturntableensemble,usingarangeofsampledand
loopedstringensemblesounds.Usingfingerlightsaspartoftheperformance
andpartofthemusicmaking,thisworkfollowsananimatedgraphicscore.
Createdfromaseriesof2Dsketches,the3DvideographicscoreforFUMPclearly
denotestheconstructionofatreefromtubes.Theslowprogressionand
appearanceoflines/tubesthroughthevideoistobeinterpretedasturntable
voicesfortheensemble.
FUMPasksthecellisttowearfourdifferentcolouredlightsontheirlefthand,to
123Wolff,C.1965.OnForm.DieReihe.7.p48.
53
shineontheneckoftheinstrument.Correlatingtothecolouredshapesonthe
screen,thecellistshinesthelightonthecelloandwherethecorrespondinglight
hitsfirstisthestartingpointforanimprovisation.Turningintoacatandmouse
chasealongthecelloneck,thecellistmustkeepshiningthelightontheneckand
followingthis.
Theturntableensembleareeachfollowingindividualtubesonthescreen,with
individualentriesstaggeredatthebeginning.Followingworkshopsand
discussions,theturntableensembleinterpretedthelinesasspecificskratches
usingspecificstringssoundstocompliment,i.e.notcontrastthecellist.
Usingpredominantlyfaderlessskratcheswiththeimportancerestingonthe
tonalityoftheturntables,thereisabreadthoftonalmaterialgenerated.
Glissandosandslidesusingthepitchadjustersontheturntablesallowthesounds
totrulyglissandothroughquarter,thirdandeighthpitches.Contrastingsonically
withtheotherNOISESTRApiecessofar,thisworkisthemost‘instrumental’
basedofallontheturntables.
Thereisaclearinterpretationofthepitchoftheturntablescorrelatingtothe
upwardsbuildingofthegraphics/treeintheanimation.Thisinterpretation
deviatesandtheturntablestakeontheirowninterpretationoftheirindividual
‘branches’.
Thisgraphicscoreisanothercombinationofstrictdirectionswithabalanceof
interpretation,byboththecellosoloistandturntableensemble.Likethe
AmericancomposerChristianWolffdescribes,toprescribeeveryelementofthis
workwouldtakeawaytheintriguingcomplexityandunexpectedsonicevents
thatoccurred.Withincertainboundaries,auniformtreecanbedrawnbutthe
54
individualbranchesandcharacteroftheperformerscanstillberecognized.The
additionofthesolocellocontrastedintimbre,pitchandrhythmagainstthetree,
achievingwhatIhadsetouttomake.Thefreeflowingofthecelloagainstthe
differingstrandsoftheturntableswasunifiedthroughtheuseofstringsamples
butthenjuxtaposedwiththeelectronicsamplesandtheliveharmonicsand
acoustics.Thissettingandcombinationofmultipleturntablesisnotpossibleto
achievebyonepersonaloneandplayedtothestrengthsoftheperformersand
NOISESTRAasanensemble.
AntonLukosviezeandNOISESTRAperformingFUMP.
5.5ESFAOriginallyasketchforturntables,harpanddoublebass,ESFAbecamea
commissionforharp,pianoanddoublebass.Premieredin2011byJohnTilbury,
MichaelDuchandRhodriDavies,Ihaverewrittenthisworkwiththeinitial
55
turntablesketchideasinmind,returningtothesonicideasforturntablesthatI
wantedtoimitatewithpiano,harpanddoublebass.
Takingitsnameandharmonicidentityfromdastgah-eBayat-eEsfahan,ESFA
worksthroughprinciplesofthedastgahwhilstdeconstructingelementsand
reappropriatingfunctionsofpitchsothatthedastgahisunrecognisablyeastern.
DastgaharederivedfromRadif,largecollectionsofmusicalstructuresand
compositionsinIranianmusic.Thereareseveralmaintypesofdastgah,including
thatofDastgah-eBayat-eEsfahan.
Eachdastgahisacollectionofmelodies,havingitsowntonalityandmusicalmotifthatfunctionasitssignaturetodifferentiateitfromotherdastgah.124
Inthedastgahprinciple,therearethreefunctioningharmonicpivots,theForud,
theSahedandtheAqaz.Inshort,theForud,isthenotechosentobeusedasa
transitionorcadencewhenswappingbetweendastgahs.TheSahedisthedastgah
versionofatonicnoteandtheAqazisthetoneonimprovisation125.InEsfahan,
thisnoteisthesameandIdecideddeconstructthisprinciplethroughoutESFA.
OtherfundamentalelementsofthedastgahthatIhavemanipulatedincludethe
diatonicnatureofthemelodicmovement,theensembleandlackofopen
improvisationinthiswork,andalsotointroduceastrongglissandofeature
throughoutthework.
124Nettl,B.1980.MusicalValuesandSocialValues:SymbolsinIran.AsianMusic,Vol.12,No.1,Symposium,onArtMusicsinMuslimNations.p132. 125Farhat,H.1990.TheDastgahConceptinPersianMusic.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.p76
&Dastgah-e Bayat-e Esfahan
F,S,A
˙ ˙B ˙˜ ˙ ˙ ˙b ˙ ˙ ˙B ˙# ˙
56
ESFAisinthreeshortpartsandtheturntableusedinthispieceistheVestax
Controller1.Theturntableusesloopedsamples,recordedonCataspeedof33
1/3rpmat0%pitch.UsingtheCmajorscaleonthecontrollerone,Ihadaccessto
performallofthenotesIneededplusasmallbendingcontroltoglissando
betweenasemitoneaboveandbelowthenotesontheturntable.
Asthisworkiswrittenforaturntablethatcanplaynotes,Ihavescoredthe
ControllerOnepartaswesternnotation.Thepitchesarechangedusinga
combinationofthemidibuttonsandsemitonepitchadjuster.
Theworkisbasedon9chords;borrowingpitchfromDastgahandstretching
rules,itwascomposedatthepianowiththeharmonicsofthebowedharp,harp
pedalling,doublebassandebowonthepianostringsinmind.
Thesechordsaremostrecognisableinthepianopart,howevertheyare
deconstructedandrecycledthroughoutthedifferentinstruments,withgreater
emphasisonquarterpitchesfoundinDastgah-eBayat-eEsfahanintheController
OneturntableandDoubleBassparts.
PartITheturntableplaysasupportingroletothebowedharpedatthebeginningofthis
workwithabasstrombonesample.
Thereissubtleuseofdynamicsfortheturntablehere.Theresultingsoundsare
preparedincludechangingpitchontheturntable,loopingtherecord,changing
&?
œœ# œœ œœ# œœœ# œœœ#n# œœœ## œœœ œœœ# œœœ
œœœœ# œœœ
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œœœœœœ## œœœ œœœ œœœ
57
frombuttontopitchadjustercontrol,changingthe%ofpitchadjusterfrom8%to
60%andsoon.
Inthispiece,theupfaderoftheturntableisbeingusedtocontrolthedynamics.
Amixtureofskratchesandtechniquesareusedontheturntables,including
poweringdowntheturntablemotorforasharpglissandoeffect(e.g.bar9).
Atrilleffectismadebythetrillskratch,tappingfingerslightlyontherecord
surfacemakingasubtlewhirringeffect.
Bar34,quietandsubtletransformerskratchesperform,mirroringtheshoestring
fansplayinginsidethepiano.Usingalowerpitchsampleforthisworkleavesan
openspacefortheharpanddoublebasstofillwhilstcontrastingthedelicatefans
soundingonthepianostrings.
PartII
Theturntableperformssolowithincellsofthetrio.Followingthenominated
leaderofthepianist,theturntableperformsasolowhilstwatchingforasubtle
indicationfromthepianotomoveontothenextsection.
Thethreeinstrumentschaseeachotherintermsofpitch,wherepitchesare
swappedbetweenpartsandoctavesthroughoutthedevelopmentofthecells.
Thereisaclearinstructionthattheperformersaretoperformnoteswithinacell
structurethenwaittomoveontothenextcelltogetherasanensemble.
Usingacellorecordedbowingatthebridge,theControllerOneplaysarecorded
sample.Theturntableplaysindependentlyofthis.
Withtheconstraintsofplayingasanensemble,waitingtomoveforwardtothe
nextsectionwiththefreedomtoglissandobetweenpitchesandfreerhythms
withinthecellbrackets,performingthisworkraisesthequestionwhetherornot
58
thereshouldbeanyfreedomtointerpretpitchmaterialorrhythmwhenthereare
clearideasrelatingtospecifictimbres.
PartIII
ThethirdandfinalpartofESFAhasadroneeffect,wheretheDoubleBassisthe
soloinstrument.
Mirroringtheebowsinthepianoandharp,theControllerOneturntableplaysan
oscillatortoneusedtocomplimentthedelicatetimbre.
ThedoublebasssolointhisworkborrowsideasfromthetraditionalDastgah,
whereanarrativeisfoundinthemelodicline.Unlikethetraditionofdastgah,the
doublebasspartjumpsbetweenoctavesandhasalargerange,including
harmonics;therearesimilaritiesbetweenelementsofthemelodicshape,
includingswoopingbetweenthetonictothirds,fourthsandsixth.
5.6NOST
Thispiecewaswrittenwithafewmainideasinmind;toimproviseonturntables
withlimitedsamples,asetthemeworkingwithpre-composedsoundswitha
communitychoirtodeveloptheirskillsbase,todevelopmychoralwritingin
respecttocommunitymusic,workingwithuntrainedmusiciansandtolookat
vocaltimbreinrelationtosmallbodypercussionparts.Itwaswrittenspecifically
forexperimentalcommunitychoir,NOIZECHOIR,basedattheStarandShadow
CinemaandTheOldPoliceHouse,withimprovisingturntablesand
cassettes/DictaphonesperformedbymyselfandJoeMurray,respectively.
Theonlydescriptionforthesamplebasedinstruments,turntablesandcassettes
improvisationsweretwowords:birdsandnostalgia.Thetwoimprovisersare
59
allowedtoseeandusethescoreinanywaythattheylike.Thechoirperformin
smallgroupsoftwoorthreearoundmicrophonesandthechoirscoreis
conductedbyachoirleader,whichprovedtobeavitalroleintheworkshop
process.
Theperformancebeginswitha30secondsilencewiththechoirandbeginswith
improvisationonturntablesandcassettes,alltimedwithstopwatches.Thescore
isnumberedinfoursectionswhicharesanginnumericalorder.
ThroughouttheworkIwantedthechoirtoreplicatesoundsofbirdsinbirdsong,
birdbodysounds,asindividualsandasaflock,soundsofbirdsinflightandbirds
communicatingwitheachother.IlookedatworksbyMessiaen126andTulikkito
informthetimbreandvocalpaletteforvocalimprovisationworkshopswith
NoizeChoir127.
Graphic1,basedontheshapeandgroovesofrecord,usescirclesasacleflessstaff
withmultiplelines.Thepitchesareapproximatedinrelativeproximitytoeach
other,changingthroughsustainedsoundstoglissandos,whicharereiteratedin
theimprovisationoftheturntableandcassettes.Ihavemixedtogetherglissandos
ofvowelsoundsatvariouspitchestocreatesoundsthatarereminiscentofbirds–
morespecificallyowls–hootingandtweeting.Owlsdothisingroupsandthe
choirimitatethis.Thevocalpartsarefreefromstrictrhythmandareopento
interpretation.Theconductorcontrolswhenthechoirstarts,stopsandmoves
fromonesectiontoanother.Thescorehasquietdynamicsatthebeginning,with
thechoirblendinginwiththesamplesofoscillatorsandthedistortedlive
bendingofthetapesinthecassettes.
126Messiaen,O.1944.VingtRegards.[MusicScore]London:UnitedMusic.127Tulikki,H.2010.AwayWithTheBirds.[InteractiveMusicScore][Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:http://score.awaywiththebirds.co.uk
60
Graphic2seesachangeoftimbrefromsustainedsoundsinthevoicestoshorter,
variedrhythmicalandglottalsounds.
At0h01’40”intherecording,thereisachangeoftimbrewithsubbasses
introducedbytheturntables.Thecassettesaresamplingthesoundsofthechoir
andturntables.Thereisashortbird-likediscussionbythechoiratthispointwith
shortpitchessustainedandlayeringovereachother,again,reminiscentof
hooting.
At0h02’20”,thechoirbeginexploringtheshortglissando-ingvowelsoundsof
graphictwo.Withstaggeredentriesacrossthegroup,thechoirbuildsupand
fadesoutsounds.
At0h03’15”intherecording,thechoiraremid-waythroughgraphictwo.Thereis
acombinationofclicks,pops,ingressivevocalsandwhistlesfromthechoir,
reminiscentofbirdsskratchingaroundwiththeirfeet,contrastedwithtwosub
bassesclashingintheturntablescreatingasubtlerhythmicpulse.Movinginto
whistlingmelodicmaterialtranscribedfromnightingalesong,thechoirare
performingwithstaggeredentriesagainandsubtlytransformsthetimbrefrom
whistlingtosustainedamplifiedvocaltrillsandtonguerollsatvariousbutclose
pitches.Findingawaytocombiningthesevocalsoundswasaninterestingtopicin
workshopsandstaggeringtheentriesphasedthesoundssubtlety.Theextreme
contrastinphysicalmouthshapeofwhistlingtovoicetrillsandtonguerollswas
interestingtoovercome.Ichosethesetwoextremesofsounds,asIoftenthink
musicusingbirdsandbirdsongsalwaysborrowthe‘prettier’birdsoundsandI’m
interestedinallaspectsofthesoundsabirdmakes.Thinkingofpigeonsgurgling
onthestreet,flyingaroundfromposttopostandoftenwalkingintopeoplewitha
crazedsound,Iwantedtoapplytensionandworkwithalessobviousbirdsound.
61
Itisatthispointthatcassettesplayreallifebirdsong.Hereisaninstancewhere
thechoirandinstrumentshaveswappedrolesmomentarily.Thisisan
interestingpointtodiscussintermsoftherelationshipbetweencombining
notatedmusicandimprovisationinthesameperformance.Thecassettes
performerwasnotawarethatthechoirwouldbeatthispointinthescoreor
makingthesesounds,asthisisthefirstrehearsalofthisworkhewasinvolvedin.
Givingaloosedirectionofbirdandnostalgiatoturntablesandcassettesgavethe
performersanideaofmaterialtoprepareinadvanceoftherehearsal.Itwasby
chancethatthecassettesplayedthismaterialatthispoint.
Tonguerollsfurtherdeveloptoincludeaglissandotoneandareinterspersed
withwhistling.Theturntablesarestillfocusedonplayingtwosubbasseswhilst
thebirdsoundsdevelop.Buildingtension,around,repeated10timeswith
staggeredentriesandconstantlyaccelerating,isintroduced.Whatstartsas
randomsoundsbyindividualsquicklyformsintoamenagerieofbirds,hysterical
andmanic.
Atthefinalcrescendoingchord–theturntablesbreakfromsubbassesandthe
cassettesreturntoabirdsoundscape.Turntablesskratchbirdwingssounds
swooping.
Thechoirthenactasindividuals,singingtheirownbirdsongs,combining
whistlingwithbasicbodypercussionoftapping,clicking,mouthpoppingand
hittingthechest.Thetimbreofthechoirchangessignificantlyasthepiecefades
out,havingreturnedtoaversionofthepitterpatterandrandombirdsongwe
heardatthebeginningofthework.
62
5.7Ance
Writtenfor8turntablesand8cassetteplayers,Anceisa20metrelong,paper
graphicscoreofwhichonlytwometreswereinterpretedfora26-minute
performanceatTUSKFestival,October2013.Thisgraphicscoredoesn’thave
explicitperformancedirections,thusrelyingonperformerstousetheir
experiencewithgraphicscoresandimprovisationintheirinterpretation.Like
Cardew’sTreatise128,therearenopublishedperformancedirections,asIdidn’t
wanttheretobeadirecttranslationofshapesassymbolicmusicalgestures,
musicalinstructionsorperformancedirections.Theshapesareinspiredby
mechanicalpartsfoundinaTechnicsSL-1200turntable,cassettesandrecords.
Myinterestintheinterpretationofthisscoreliesinthephysicalrealisationofthe
scorethroughmultipleinstrumentsinanimprovisatorysettingwheretheremust
bepreparedmaterialsreadytomanipulate.Thisisonetraitthatbothturntables
andcassetteplayershavethatmostotherinstrumentsdon’tandisuniquetoour
duoasWaxMagnetic.
ListeningbacktotheTuskperformanceofthiswork,Ihaveanalysedtheprinciple
elementsofmusicthroughthisparticularinterpretationofthescore.
Thefirststepofinterpretingthescorewaschoosingwhereinthescoretofocus
on,ifnot,thewholeofthescore.Myperformancepartner,JoeMurray(a.k.a.
Posset)choseatwometresectionofthework.Iaskedhimwhyhechosesucha
smallsectionandheexplainedthatpartofmakingthisdecisionwasthevisual
aesthetics,theamountofsmalldetailandhowthedirectionsofthescorechanged
somuchinasmallerarea.Heparticularlylikedthecirclesandthoughtthe
contrastofafewcirclesbuildinguptovariationsinsize,colour,shade,placement
128Cardew,C.1970.Treatise.[MusicScore]London:EditionPeters.
63
onthepaper(direction,angle,high,low,etc.)anddensitywasappealing.The
placementonthepageimmediatelyremindedmeofMortonFeldman’sProjection
I129forsolocellowhereFeldman‘dividestherangeoftheinstrumentintohigh,
middleandlow,allowingforvariouschoicesofpitchwithintheranges
indicated’130.Thisfocusonpitchrangewithintheconstraintsofaninstrument’s
register–orrather,howpitchchangesareproducedthroughelectronics–isa
simpleandobviouswaytointerpretthescore.Joedecidedtoperformthis
throughmanipulationofthetapeplayersandalso,throughuseofspecifictapes
forparticularpitchesandmaterial/sampleshewanted.Thisinterpretation
workedwellasthecassetteplayersaretactileandcanbecustomisedsothatthe
speedoftheplayerscanbeadjustedinstantly.
Joechosetoperformthechosensectionofthescorefromrighttoleft,incontrast
tomyinterpretation,readinglefttoright.Thismeantthatwewouldmeetinthe
middlewithapredicted‘cacophony’ofsound.Thisactuallymanifestedasa
simplerhythmicframework,whichwasbuiltfrom8oscillatorson8turntables,
usingpitchslidersandupfadersforvolumecontrol,withfeedbackonseveral
walkmansandaclearchangeofmaterialoncassettes.
Withthe8turntables,Ichosetoworkwiththesamesmallselectionofsounds,
takinginfluencefromAlvinLucier’suseofoscillatorsandspokewithJoeabout
mixingupcassette‘skratching’withturntableskratchingtechniques,namely
needledropping,trills,patting,scrapingtheneedle,babyskratchesandquick
pitchadjustments.Thismixingofthecassetteandvinylskratchingtechniquewas
129Feldman,M.1951.Projections1[MusicScore]New York: C F Peters Corporation.130Sutherland,R.1994.NewPerspectivesInMusic.London:SunTavernFields.p140
64
certainlyachieved(14minutes)andtheconstantchangingofsoundswas
sustainedforseveralminutesasalargecrescendoacrossallinstrumentsensued.
Onreflectionofourperformance,myimproviser’sinstincttellmethatthedrones
ontheturntablesandcassetteswerenotsustainedlongenough.ToreallydoAnce
justiceasaperformance,Ithinkthedurationshouldhavebeendoubledand
choralgesturesshouldhavebeenmoreclearlyarticulated.Iamkeenon
durationalworks/performancesandwishtopickoutsmallandarticulatedetails
withinimprovisations,anideaIamfocusingoninmyownimprovisational
practice.
Theoneturntablesustainedforsixminutesatthebeginningcouldhavebeen
easilylengthened,howevermyinstinctatthetimeasanimproviserinfrontofa
largecrowdwastocarryon,moveforwardquickerandimprovisemorewiththe
8turntablesinfrontofme!
TheopennessanddifferinginterpretationsofthegraphicscorebymyselfandJoe
andmyuncertaintyofdurationhasledmetothinkaboutwhetherIshouldwrite
anyperformancedirectionsforanothergraphicscore,similartothis,inthe
future.Itfeelsasthoughallowingimproviserstodowhatevertheylikewiththe
scoreisactuallythemostpowerfulandcontrollingdecisionofall.Ihavewilfully
handedoverallassumptionsandallresponsibilitytotheperformers,wipingmy
handscleanofallresponsibilityforthemusicalgestures.Nonetheless,Iamstill
intrinsicallyboundtothemusicinterpreted,asthegraphicscomposeddidhavea
sonicimageinmind(asmuchasIwouldliketodenythis),hencethevisual
constructionofthegraphics.Willmysubvertedmusicalgesturesbecorrectly
interpretedbytheperformersandperformed?DoesitreallymatterwhatIwant?
65
Thejuxtaposingreflectionsofthispieceasthecomposerandthenasan
improviseroftheperformanceareunnerving.Iamerringonthesideofcaution
withtheargumentinside,asaperformer,theopennessofthescoreinstinctively
leadstometothinkthatIcanandwilldowhateverIlikefortheperformance,
withtheinstrumentationgiven.Theuseofcircles,inmy‘improviser’mind,does
clearlyrepresentrecordsandtapewheelsandeveryinstanceoftherecurring
shapesignalsanewgesturewithadifferentturntable.Asliteralasitmayseem,
thiswashowbothJoeandIchosetointerpretthescorethroughoutthe
performance.
Leavingascorecompletelyopentointerpretationisaboldchoice,butonethatI
standby.IbelieveinthepoweroftheimproviserandtheirinterpretationandI’m
willingtoaccepttheopeninterpretationsofthescore.Ihavefoundthat,given
theopenopportunitytointerpret,improviserssurprisemeandwillperform
somethinginawayImightneverhaveimagineorhadinitiallyconceived.Ican
learnmorefromimprovisersandfrommyowncompositionalpracticeinthis
instance.
5.8BAWWWY
BAWWWYiswrittenforoneperformerwith4turntables,usingtwooscillators
overtwoturntableduos,setupwithtwoDJmixerswithadjustable/smoothly
graduatingupfaderstouseasvolumecontrols.Itisthemostsophisticatedofthe
turntablecompositionsdiscussedinthisthesesandistheresultofaninteresting
compositionalperiod,includingresearchfromconcertsandcomposerslookedat
inthebeginningstagesofthisportfolio.
66
Drawingtogetherexperiencefromimprovisingwithmultipleturntables,drones
andthedisciplineusedasaperformerindurationalandmixedmedia
performances,thescorewasinitiallycomposedfromapracticalperspective.The
piecereliesheavilyontheperformerknowingandunderstandingthelimitations
andcapabilitiesofturntablesandoscillators.Icomposedthispieceusing
oscillatorsonvinyl,soastoplaywithandpullontherhythmicandtonal
propertiesoftwocontrastingduosofoscillatorswithalimited+/-8%pitchrange
ontheturntables.Therewereaddedexperimentswithoscillatorsplayedoutof
syncbyloopingupsamplesonvinyl.Thischanceelementisimperativetothe
work,makingituniquetotheturntableatthesametimeasacceptingnewsonic
possibilitiesuncontrollablebyeithertheperformerorthecomposer.John
Butcherwritesaboutthisaspartoffreeimprovisatorypractice,
Thephysicalityofsoundproductionisinescapablyconnectedwiththecreation,notjusttheexecution,ofthemusic.131
Thisisoneofthemostexcitingelementsofworkingwithturntablesin
performance.Istruggledwiththechanceanderrornotionsofperformingfora
numberofyearswithinimprovisationandcompositionforturntables.However,
having‘matured’asimproviser,InowembracethisnotiontothepointwhereI
amnowcomfortablewritingforthistooccur.
MyresearchintothemusicofElianeRadiguehasbeenaccidentaland
predominantlythroughliveperformances.Heruseofdroneshashadaprofound
effectonthispiece.IfirstcameacrossElianeRadigue’sworkwhilstworking
alongsideRhodriDavies.‘OccamI’wasacommissionedworkwritten
131Butcher,J.2014.FreeImprovisation.[Online][Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:http://ahadmaster.blogspot.co.uk
67
specificallyforDaviesandsincethen,anumberoffurtherOccamworkshave
beencommissioned.MyconversationswithDavieshaveincludedtalkingabout
thenotationofnewworksthatarewrittenspecificallyforperformersthatcan
resultinthemostsublimeandarticulateperformances.Iwaspresentata
performanceatGlasgowTectonicsFestival2015atCityHallsofOccamX,Occam
RiverX,OccamRiverIV,andOccamDeltaVIII,performedbycellistCharlesCurtis,
harpistRhodriDavies,tubaplayerRobinHaywardandbassoonistDafneVicente-
SandovalandbroadcastontheBBCRadio3132.IndiscussionwithbothRhodri
DaviesandCharlesCurtis,bothrevelaedthatthemusicisnottypicallynotated
butinfactaverbalcommunication,whichcouldbedescribedasthe‘essence’of
Haikupoetry.Radiguehasbeenworkingwiththesespecificmusiciansinperson
atherhomeinParisovervaryinglengthsoftime,workingwithspecific
instrumentstoexplorehermethodofcommunicatingnotjustthecomposition,
buttheotherworldlyandetherealpresenceofthemusicshewrites.AsmuchasI
admiretheRadigue’smethodofcompositionalongwithitsresults,inthecontext
ofwritingforotherperformers,thatmaybefromacommunitysetting,to
communicatethespecificideasIhaveIneedtousewrittennotation.Insearchof
the‘otherworldly’soundsRadigueemploys,Iresearchedextendedinstrumental
techniquestobegintounderstandthesoundworldandhowexperimentation
developsnewsounds.IspokewithexperiemtnalguitaristandcomposersNeil
Davidsonabouthisuseofstones,spatulas,dowelsandebowonanacousticguitar
tomakenewsounds.Ihadpreviouslyseenglimpsesofperformersworkingwith
132BBCRadio3.2015.BBCRadio3Website.[Online][Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b063zphx
68
auxiliaryobjectsontheirinstrumentsbutlisteningtoNeilDavidson’sGrain133
wasthefirsttimethatIhadheardinstrumentalsoundsthatIwasn’tableto
immediatelyrecognise.ItmademethinkaboutJohnStevens’Triangle134,where
threeperformerssatinatriangleareaskedtoperformfreeimprovisationwith
theirrighthandonaninstrument,divertingtheirattentionfromthispracticeand
instead,listentotheperformerontheirleftside,andreacttotheirperforming
withtheirlefthand.Bydividingtheperformer’sattentionfromfree
improvisationandfocusingontheleftsidewheretheyareclearlyrespondingto
anotherperformer,thereisaremovalofattentionfromtherighthandsideand
thismakesacuriousmixtureofconsciousandunconsciousperforming,ina
circularmanner.Frommyexperimentsofthisexercise,thisresultsinabizarre
echoeffectofbeatingrhythmsandanincreaseintempo.Triangleiscertainlya
differentwayofplacingimportanceongestureratherthantheresultingsoundfor
aperformerincomparisontohowNeilDavidsonperformswithhisguitar,but
theybothinfluencedmyworkwiththeturntables,inparticularBAWWWY.
OnefurtherelementthatintriguedmewasDavidson’suseofgestureandhis
patienceanddeterminationtorepeatthegesturetocreateadrone.Assimpleas
itmaysound,hismeasureandjudgmentofdurationbroughttolifethecoloursof
thegesturethroughrepetition,whichIchosetoborrowbyloopingtheoscillators
usedinBAWWWY.
133Davidson,N.2006.Grain.NeilDavidson.Grain.[CD]Glasgow:NeverComeAshore.134Stevens,J.1985.SearchandReflect–AMusicWorkshopHandbook.London:BPCommunityMusicLtd.
69
WhensketchingBAWWWY,Iinitiallyusedseveraldifferentdrawingsand
notationalsystemstonotemywork135.OnesystemissimilartothatofCathy
Berbarian’sStripsody136.Aftercomposingthepiece,Isettotask,writingthescore
buthadtodecidetheboundariesandrules.Idebatedwhichelementsofthe
workwereopentointerpretation,tryingasmallsetofsimplerulesforeach
turntable,calculatingiftheprobabilityofthedesiredrhythmicpatterns,subbass
rumblingsandhighpitchtuningontheturntableswouldbeachieved.Ithentook
thegesturesfromthescoreandadaptedthemtoafourpartgraphicscore.This
presentedanumberofoptionsforthepiece.Thedurationofthewholeworkwas
nowflexible,thetimingoftheentriesopen,withahighprobabilitythatthe
desiredgestures(madebetweeneachpairoftwoturntables/twooscillators
interacting)willoccur,thoughnotguaranteed.Thisscorealsopresentstheoption
oftheworktobeperformedonotherinstrumentsandthepossibilityofa
predominantlysilentperformancewithanumberofsmalldurationalgestures,
similartothedirectionsofJohnCage’sImprovisationIV137.
Throughoutmyresearch,Ihaveaddressednotatingforturntablesandhowthisis
differentforeverypiece.Inthecaseofthiswork,Iconsideredwhetherthe
turntablistcouldbeaperformerthatdoesn’treadmusic,withlittleexperiencein
turntableworkbutstrongmusicalskills.Thispiecedoesnotfunctionwithan
ensembleorteaminmind,itisnotdesignedtoexplicitlyteachturntablistskills
(liketheskratchexercisesdo)sinceitsfocusisonthesonicqualitiesofthe
oscillators.Ialsoconsideredanddiscussedtheworkwithanumberof
participantsfromNOISESTRA,oneofwhomdidperformtheworkandpreferred
135PleaseseeAppendicesforbothgraphicscoresketches.136Berberian,C.1966.Stripsody[MusicScore]London:EditionPeters.137Cage,J.1980-2.ImprovisationIV[MusicScore]London:EditionPeters.
70
theinitialsketchedgraphicscorewithasetdurationandvisualdirections.There
wasageneralpreferenceforgraphicsthatleavesomeroomforinterpretation.
Workingwithanundefineddurationmadethegroupunsureandtheyfelt
uncomfortableperformingthis.Theywereworriedthattheirinterpretationmay
be‘wrong’or‘unsuccessful’andfoundtheresponsibilityofperformingwithfour
turntablesintimidating.Confidencewaskeyinthisdiscussion,thoughthegroup
havebeenpreviouslycomfortableusinggraphicscoresandimprovisingwith
skratchingandbeatjuggling.BAWWWYdemandsmoreoftheperformers,so
despitethesimplicityofthegestures(incomparisontointricateskratches),the
longerdurationalnatureofthegesturesplusthecoordinationoffourturntables
andtwomixersforvolumecontrolwasoverwhelming.
OneinterestingpointfromthediscussionswithNOISESTRAwasthattheuseof
wordstodescribethegesturesalongsidere-appropriatedmusicalsymbolsfelt
welcomingand‘user-friendly’.Thoughthisisn’timprovisatory,therearea
numberofelementstobededucedinthescoreforafinalizedperformanceand
thisremindedmeofJohnButcher’s15SimpleStatementsonFreeImprovisation:
Freeimprovisedmusicisnecessarilyspontaneous,butisbuiltonabackgroundofyearsofstudy,experiment,thoughtandexperience.138
Butcher’spointcanbereversedtofurtherreinforcethegroup’sopinion,i.e.that
thefamiliarityandrelationtomusicalsymbolsinagraphicscoregavethemthe
confidencetoimprovisefromthegraphicscore.
138Butcher,J.2014.FreeImprovisation.[Online][Accessed1October2016]Availablefrom:http://ahadmaster.blogspot.co.uk
71
DespitetheclarificationfromNOISESTRAandtheircomfortusingthegraphic
score,thesketchdoesnotspecificallycapturethedesiredsonicgesturesandthe
riskofthesegesturesnotbeingachievedwoulddefeatthecompositionofthis
work.
Ihavelookedatnumerousgraphicscoresandalongsidethemusicaland
philosophicalideas,havefoundthevisualaestheticsofEarleBrown’swork
appealing.Thedichotomyofcontrolasacomposerandfreedomasaperformeris
atplayhereandIhaveadmiredBrown’sargumentsthroughhisworks.Inthe
prefatorynotesto4Systems,Browndiscussestheimmeasurablequalitiesoftime,
frequency,timbre,modesofattack,andhowthiscannotbeaccuratelycontrolled
ormeasuredthroughnotationoraperformer.
Nometricsystemornotationbasedonmetricsisabletoindicateallofthepossiblepointsinthecontinuum,yetsoundmaybeginorendanywherealongthisdimension.139
Hefurtherelaborates:
Anambiguousbutimplicitlyinclusivegraphic‘notation’,andalert,sympatheticperformers,areconceivablecatalystsforactivatingthis‘process’withincontinua140
Withthisinmind,Iexperimentedwithagraphicnotation,wherethenumberof
eventsperturntableoccurredwithinaclearlydefinedspaceonpaper.Idecided
thattherhythmicbeatingelementsneededtoberepresentedandusedlineswith
varyinglengthstorepresentthis.Alongcontinuous,thickerlinerepresents
continuityandsmall,blackenedshapesrepresentedgestureswithadefinitive
beginningandend.Thesizesoftheshapesarerelativetotheirduration(small=
shorterduration,large=longerduration),thoughtheseideasonceputinto
139Brown,E.1986.4Systems[MusicScore]London:AssociatedMusicPublishers.140Ibid.
72
practice,leftmethinkingthescorestilllackedmydesiredclarity.Iagreewith
Brown’snecessityforaperformertobealertandsympathetic,howeverIstill
thinkthatthisversionofagraphicscoreistooopen,particularlyindurationand
rhythmtoachievespecificgestures
Iinitiallydrewtheturntablesastwoseparateduets,whichIbroughttogetherin
anexperimenttousemultipleinstancesofthesameoscillatoronseveral
turntablesatdifferingspeedstoexplorerhythmicbeatings.Ithencombinedtwo
differentoscillators/frequenciesastwoturntableduostofurtherdevelopand
broadenthenarrative,asIhavepreviouslyexperimentedwithonesoundon
severalturntablesinAnceandinliveimprovisations.
Thesesketchesareroughchartsthataccuratelyclarifydurations,dynamics,pitch
onturntables,butpurelyserveafunctionalpurpose.Theydonotspecifythe
rhythmicbeatingsthatoccurwithmultipleoscillators,butsetupthecorrectand
specificconditionsinwhichthiswoulddefinitelyoccur.Goingbacktothe
previousdiscussionsIhadwithNOISESTRA,thechartiscomplicatedanddifficult
toread,especiallyasitisanumberofpageslong,readingfourlinesatatime
throughoutforfourturntables.Thereisanargumenttobemadethatperforming
withfourturntablesisdifficultinperformancepractice,whichIwouldarguein
thecaseofNOISESTRA’scomments.Thegraphicscoreisclearandservesa
straightforwardfunction;however,Isketchedthemusicinthisway,initiallyasan
improviser,wantingtorememberhowImadespecificsounds,hence,the
functionalpurposeofthegraphics.Thechartsdonotsatisfymeaestheticallyasa
composer,nordotheyconveythesoundtobemade.Ihavethereforecontinued
tolookforabettermeanstonotate.
73
IfrequentlycomebacktothemusicofAlvinLucier,mostoftenatlive
performancesandrecordings,notthroughhisscores.WhenIdidexplorehis
scores,whatIhavefoundmostinterestingistheclarityandarticulatenatureof
hisinstructionsinhistextscores,whereheisexplicitandcoherentwithheadings
anddesiredeffectsfromtheinstructionsgiven.
InMusicforPianowithMagneticStrings,underthe‘Performance’heading,he
writes:
Listenforharmonics,audiblebeating,occasionalrhythmsproducedbymagnetsvibratingagainstadjacentstring,andotheracousticphenomena.Formsingletones,intervals,chordsandclusters.Fromtimetotime,createunisons(byplacingmagneticontwostringofasingletone),fifths,octavesandtwelfths,whichmayproduceaudiblebeatingduetoslightdiscrepanciesintuning141
SimilartoBrown,Lucierisexpectinganinformedandalertperformertobe
involved,thusallowingspaceforinterpretationalongsidespecificinstructionsfor
desiredgestures.IadmirethedetailandaccuracyofLucierhere;however,Iwish
toconveysimilardetailwhilstatthesametimeaddingelementofdurationand
boundariesforspecificgestures.
RobertAshley’sWolfman142textscoreislongerthantypicalLucierscoresandhas
manymorespecificdescriptionsofgesturesandvocaltechnique.LikeLucier,he
hasbrokendownthescoreunderspecifictitles,includingvocalpart,
amplification,procedureandperformance,andpresentation.Thesubdivisionof
instructionsbringsclarityandcohesiontothescorewhilstofferingpersonal
141Lucier,A.1995.MusicforPianowithMagneticStrings.[MusicScore]FrankfurtamMain:MaterialPress.142Austin,LandKahn,D.2011.Source–MusicoftheAvant-Garde,1966-73Berkley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,Berkeley.p143.
74
insightsfromthecomposer,hisexperiencesinperformanceandvisualdiagrams,
astofurtherexplainthetext.
InmytextscoreforBAWWWY,Ihaveusedfourtitles,description,preparation,
diagramofturntablesandperformance.Ibelievethatthisaccuratelyconveysmy
intentionsasacomposer.
Ispecifythatthetotaldurationoftheperformanceistobebetween30to60
minutesandrefertodurationsofturntables2,3and4toberelativeto
turntable1.Byusingatimelineastherelativecomparativemeansforthe
durationwithoutusingastopwatch,thisallowsaperformertodeterminetheir
owndurationandworkflexiblywhilstperformingthescore.Theinstructions
haveanaddedelementofworkingdurationandtimingofgesturesonthe
turntables,however,ithasbeenwrittenfromapragmaticperspectiveand
previouslyperformedlive.
Inhisscore,Ashleyelaboratesonthereasonsbehindspecificgesturesandsound
sources,suchasexploringthevocalbeatings.InpreviousdraftsIhadincluded
notessimilartothis,forexample,‘exploretheimpactthatmultipleturntables
withtwoduosofsinetoneswillhavelive’.Onreflection,thesenoteswere
omittedasIwanttheperformertodiscover,exploreandexperimenttherichness
oftheresultingsoundsintheperformanceexperience.
Thespecificationofaperformersympathetictoaspecificgenreorperspectiveof
performingisimportanttoLucier,however,unliketheinitialgraphicsthatI
sketchedforBAWWWY,theinstructionsarestillfunctional,settingthecorrect
circumstancesandconditionsforthedesiredgestureswithanaddeddescription
fortheperformertounderstandthatthemusicalgesturesachievedshouldbe
specificallyexplored.
75
Chapter6.Conclusion
Workingthroughthisportfoliohasledmetoseveralconclusionswithrespectto
thetopicscoveredinthepreviouschapters:Participatoryworkisavalidand
usefulmethodwithincompositionthatIwillcontinuetoworkwith.Ihave
attendedanumberofconferencesconcerningparticipatorywork,itsbenefitsto
participants,toartistsanditsvalidityinthearts.Asmycommentaryandwork
reflects,IamkeenonJohnStevensandhisapproachtoparticipatorywork;
however,IknowItakeforgrantedthatStevens’doesn’tbelieveinsimplifyinghis
musicalgoalsormissingoutdifficultmusicalconcepts.Hesuccessfullyproves
thatcomplex,experimentaland‘highart’ideascanbetranslatedinto
participatoryworkwithoutbeingpatronisingorsimplistic.Heacceptsthat
participantsareequalsandthatitisonlyamatterofunderstanding,methodof
communicatingandideathatwillleadtosuccess.Iagreewhole-heartedlywith
hismethodology.
Bylearningmoreabouttheautomaticcomplexityofthehumanbody,wemaybeabletoproveconclusivelythatallmenarebornwithpotentiallybrilliantintellect,oratleastaveryhighdegreeofcognitivecompetence,andthatthesourceofculturalcreativityistheconsciousnessthatspringsfromsocialcooperationandlovinginteraction.143
JohnBlacking’sresearchintohowmusicalpeoplearewithandwithouttraining
fromallovertheworldsupportsmybeliefthateveryoneismusical,we’rejustnot
alltrained.
Thereisevidencewhichsuggeststhat,althoughhumancreativitymayappeartobetheresultofindividualeffort,itisinfactacollectiveeffortthatisexpressedinthebehaviourofindividuals.144
143Blacking,J.1973.HowMusicalIsMan?Washington:UniversityOfWashingtonPress.p115144Blacking,J.1973.HowMusicalIsMan?Washington:UniversityOfWashingtonPress.p106
76
LikeBlackingIalsobelievethatgroupworkandcommunityservetoenhance
people’smusicalabilities.Bysharingskillsandspendingtimetogetherinan
ensemble,mynewworksandresearchintoideashasbecomemorepragmatic
andknowledgeableofperformancepracticesfromdifferingperspectives.Iam
nowwritingandperformingsoloandgroupturntableworksthatarefromthe
differingperspectives,ideasandpracticesofdifferentmembersofNOISESTRA,in
awayIcouldneverhaveimaginedbefore.
ThebenefitsofthisworkhavebeenunpredictableandIknowthatthisportfoliois
contributingtotherepertoireandfutureofturntablisminawaythatIcouldn’t
haveimaginedbeforehand.Iamnowabletoworkwithothercontemporariesin
collaborativework,involvingbothcommunityparticipantsandprofessionals
fromawiderangeofdisciplines,includingtheatreanddance.
ThroughouttheportfolioIhaveexploreddifferentnotationsandexperimented
withwhichnotationalmethodsbestsuiteachindividualcomposition.Iconclude
thatforeveryturntablework,thereisadifferentnotationalsystemthatwillwork
successfullyandwillclearlyarticulatemyintentionstoperformers.When
evaluatinghowbesttowriteapiece,thereneedstobeanevaluationofwhothe
performersareandhowbesttonotateforthem.Havingaflexibleapproachtomy
writing,inlieuofmycurrentcareerincomposition,isarealityofworkinginthe
Artsindustry.Ibelieveitisimportantthatmusicisplayed,performed,consumed
andmaderelevanttotheperformersandaudienceofthattime.Musicwillbe
writtenformanyvaryingcircumstancesandsettings,butparticipationanda
participatoryapproachisjustasequallyvalidintheRoyalOperaHouseorthe
communitycentre.
77
Whilstresearchinganddevelopingnewworks,sketchesthathaven’tbeen
finishedhaveoftenbroughtmanymoreideasforward,sometimeideasIhad
previouslyconceivedorthoughtof.Oneofthoseideaswastheuseofmultiple
turntablesbyoneperformerandhowtothentranslatethatintodifferentcontexts
withdifferentinstruments.Iamnowcontinuingtoworkonnewworksfor
multipleturntablesandvaryingprofessionalensembles.Inaprofessional
context,thoseensemblesarenowexpandingandtheroleofthemultiple
turntablesisbecomingmoresophisticated.
Thereisastrongfutureaheadfornewmusiccompositionwithturntables,butit
isuncertainwhetherornotitwillbereliantonnewtechnology.Frommy
perspective,thereisanappetitefromensemblesandaudienceswithrespectto
analogueinstrumentsanddifferingsoundmediaformats.Thereisadesiretosee
amixtureofmediausedasinstruments,andinthisscenario,Ithinkacasecanbe
madethatwewillnowenteranewphaseinmusicwhereformats,oldandnew,
willbeusedtogethertotheirstrengths.Thecomplicatedloops,combinationsand
methodsthatperformersarenowconspiringarebecomingmoreandmore
sophisticated.Thereareunderlyingnarrativesininstrumentalchoicesand
playingstylesthathaveasmuchdepthintheirintegrityasthecompositionsthey
areperformingtoo,andIbelievethatthiswillalsobesymptomaticofthiscurrent
generationofcomposersandperformers.
78
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