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AcademyofMusicandDramaUniversityofGothenburg
PerAndersNilssonPh.D./Professorinmusic
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SystemicImprovisa0on
Anapproachtomusicimprovisa?on
SystemicImprovisa0onThepar?cipantsformintegralpartsofasystemofhumanandvirtualagents,andcharacteris?cmusicemergedependingonthesystemstructureandthenatureofthetransforma?ons.
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Amajoraesthe?c(andsystemic)tenetinmythesisAFieldofPossibili<esisthatmusicalimprovisa?onhasstrongsimilari?estogaming,play,andsports.
SystemicImprovisa?on
Musicasgame
Anotherimportanttenetisthedis?nc?onbetweendesign<meandplay<me.
SystemicImprovisa?on
Musicasgame
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SystemicImprovisa?on
Conceptsfromthefieldsofinterac?ondesignandgamedesignappliedonmusicopennewperspec?vesonmusic.
Musicasgame
Playwesaid,liesoutsidethereasonablenessofprac?callife;hasnothingtodowithnecessityoru?lity,dutyortruth:Allthisisequallytrueofmusic.(JohanHuizinga)
SystemicImprovisa?on
GamingTheories
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•Playisvoluntary•Playcreatesitsownmeaning•Playisautonomousmovement•Inplaywerepresentourselves
SystemicImprovisa?on
Exchangeplayformusic?!
GamingTheories
Agameconsistsof:•Goal•Space•Rules
SystemicImprovisa?on
GamingTheories
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GamemechanicsSta?cproper?esofagame,itsfundamentalrules,objects,andprocedures.
SystemicImprovisa?on
GamingTheories
Gameaesthe?csDynamicsthatoccurbetweenaplayerandagameasaconsequenceofitsrulesandgoal;gamemechanicsgiverisetoac?vityandinterac?on.
SystemicImprovisa?on
GamingTheories
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Gameaesthe?csRuleconsistency,emergence,chance,gamerelimina?on,skill,temp?ngchallengeetc.
SystemicImprovisa?on
GamingTheories
SystemicImprovisa?on
Playertypes
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SystemicImprovisa?on
Musicasagame1:
GiantSteps(JohnColtrane)Playertypes?Aesthe?cs?
SystemicImprovisa?on
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SystemicImprovisa?on
JohnMcNeallsays:“GiantStepsisinteres?nginitself,whichmeansthataplayerisasmuchplayedbythepiece,asplayingit”(ThinkinginJazz,Berliner1994).GiantStepsisaplaythatissetinmo?onbythemusicians,andaccordingtoGadamer:“themovementofplayhasnogoalthatbringsittoanend;rather,itrenewitselfinconstantrepe??on”
Musicasagame1:
SystemicImprovisa?on
Musicasagame2:
ClickPiece(JohnStevens)Theaiminthispieceistoproducetheshortest,mostprecisesoundpossible.PlayerTypes?Aesthe?cs?
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SystemicImprovisa?on
Inessence,theideaisamusicalgamethatasksapianoplayertoguessandplayonechord,outofthreepossible,simultaneouslywitharandomlygeneratedchord.
Musicasagame3:ChasingTheChords
SystemicImprovisa?on
FromasystemtheorypointofviewtheChasingChordsconceptisinspiredofaspectsofevolu?on.InMindandNatureGregoryBatesondescribestheformingoflivingorganismsasthecombina?onoftwostochas?csystems.Ifweregardthemusicaloutcomeasalivingorganism,howisitshaped?
Musicasagame3:ChasingTheChords
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SystemicImprovisa?on
Musicasagame3:ChasingTheChords
Inthefirstsystem,accordingtoBateson,“therandomcomponentisgene?cchange,eitherbymuta?onorreshuffling”.Thecrea?onofthethreechordsinvolvestworandomprocesses,namelyselec?onofoneofthepre-generatedthreechordsplusdura?onun?lthenextsuccessiveeventshalloccur.
SystemicImprovisa?on
Musicasagame3:ChasingTheChords
Batesondescribesthesecondsystemsuchas“therandomcomponentisprovidedbythesystemofphenotypeininterac?onwiththeenvironment.”InChasingChordsthecomputergeneratedchordsaremovingtargets,andinprac?ceitisimpossibletosolvethetask.Theresul?ngmusicaloutcomeisacombina?onofthosetwostochas?csystems;therandomgenera?onsofchordsandthemusician’sstruggletohitthem.
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SystemicImprovisa?on
NaturalArtefactsatCNMAT,March2014
SystemicImprovisa?on
SystemicImprovisa?onisakindofmusic-makingwherenormalmusicalinterac?onistransformedbytheintroduc?onofauralorvisualcuesgeneratedbycomputer-basedvirtualinter-actors.Italsoconnectsto,andrelyupon,thetradi?onofexperimentalmusic.
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SystemicImprovisa?on
Acrucialandsignificantconceptintheexperimentalmusictradi?on,asMichaelNymandefinesitinExperimentalMusic,istask;toperformistosolveaseriesoftasksratherthanself-expressionand/orexpressingconcepts.MichaelNymanargues:“foreachexperimentalcomposi?onpresentstheperformerwithataskorseriesoftaskswhichextendandre-definethetradi?onal(andtheavant-garde)performancesequenceofreading-comprehension-produc?on”.Whatisimportantistheinten?ontofulfillthegiventask.
SystemicImprovisa?on
TheSystemicImprovisa?onprojectaimstoformatheore?calmodelofimprovisa?onsystems,andatool-kitforthedesign,implementa?onandcommunica?onofsuchsystems,toenableothermusicianstoworkwithsystemicimprovisa?on.
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SystemicImprovisa?on
TheBucketSystemisanewkindofmusicalinterac?on/situa?on/work,andacon?nua?onofDahlstedt'sandNilssons'slong-termresearchintotechnology-mediatedmusicalcrea?vityandperformance.
TheBucketSystem
SystemicImprovisa?on
TheBucketSystemisanopenstructureofsigns,anota?on,anditisuptothepar?cipatorstomakeuprulesforeachpar?cularperformance.
TheBucketSystem
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SystemicImprovisa?on
TheBucketSystemrelatestoCardew’sTrea<se(1963-67)suchthatit’sgraphicscoredemandstheperformerstomakeuptheirownrules.Itismen?onworthythatTrea?seistobereadinalinearnarra?vefashion,whereasTheBucketsystemisnon-linear.Tilbury(2008)claimsthatCardewadmiredChris?anWolff’spiecessuchthat:“thesignsdonotrepresentedsounds;theycreatedsitua?onsinwhichtheperformersact,andtheinstruc?onsconsistsmainlyofsugges?onsashowtheplayersinteract”(Tilbury2008).
TheBucketSystem
SystemicImprovisa?onExamplefromTrea?se
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SystemicImprovisa?on
Aplayerreceivesanewinstruc?onwhere(s)heisforcedtohaltorchangewhatevergoingon,andsincethepar?cipantsareinterruptedallthe?me,noonewillbeabletodevelopthingsasusual.Ajerawhile,onegetusedtothis,andchangeapproach:fromplannedac?onsandpersonalexpression,tobemuchmoreawareofthepresent,tobeinthepresent,andtobeopenforwhatitoffers.
TheBucketSystem
SystemicImprovisa?on
Metaphor• Fast=Busy• Medium=Simple• Fixed=ExtendedBehavioral• Fast=Solo• Medium=Interact• Fixed=Vacillate
TheBucketSystem
SimpleHierarchy• Fast=Lead• Medium=Support• Fixed=BackgroundHierarchywithOpposi0on• Fast=Lead• Medium=Support• Fixed=Opposi?on
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SystemicImprovisa?on
Signs,Cycles,SnaresinHalmstad2014.
SystemicImprovisa?on
WorkshopatGinoRobair’splace,2015
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SystemicImprovisa?on
PerformingatNIME,2015
SystemicImprovisa?on
ThankYou!
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