The Augmented Piano

A Critical Analysis

Jessica Aslan s0976626 Supervisor: Michael Edwards MSc Digital Composition and Performance School of Arts Culture and Environment University of Edinburgh Edinburgh EH8 9DF
j.aslan@sms.ed.ac.uk

August 19, 2010

Abstract The Augmented Piano is a work for solo piano and live electronics. By exploring the implicit feedback of electroacoustic instruments and extended piano technique during composition, the author approached different forms of interaction between acoustic and digital media. Of import to the work is the practice of electroacoustic performance and its current concerns, which required a brief interrogation of audience expectations and the aesthetics of laptop performance. Also, being largely improvisational, The Augmented Piano necessitates a critical engagement with the nature of spontaneous music, particularly in digital music, in order to successfully advise it. Whilst offering a detailed analysis into the form and materials of The Augmented Piano this paper addresses each of these concerns in context of the work.

Contents
1 2 3 4 5 6 Description Introduction Extending the Piano 3.1 A brief history of Piano Extension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Musical Spectacle Composition/Improvisation 5.1 Fixed Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Instrument Design 6.1 Models of Interaction . . . 6.2 Hardware . . . . . . . . . 6.3 Realtime Processing . . . . 6.4 Non-Realtime Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 4 4 7 9 11 14 14 17 18 20 21 22 23 25 27 29 29 29 30

The Augmented Piano A formal Examination 7.1 Movement One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.2 Movement Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3 Movement Three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion

A First Appendix A.1 List of abstractions and subpatchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A.1.1 Abstractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A.1.2 Subpatchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 1

Description
This submission includes A cd containing: 1. A folder entitled Max Patch containing my main performance patch, entitled ja_ theagumentedpianomain.maxpat abstractions, subpatchers, sound les and text les 2. A recorded version of my work, entitled ja_theaugmentedpiano.wav A DVD containing a pro tools folder containing my mix, entitled ja_theaugmentedpianomix An accompanying folio, containing performance instructions, software and hardware requirements and a notated score entitled The Augmented Piano for solo piano and electronics A critical examination of the work.

Chapter 2

Introduction
The relationship between electroacoustic resources and live instrumental performance has been a difcult one...the instrumentalist has never been far away either as a source for the composers sound-world or as claiming a continuing position as resource and media of expression. (Emmerson, 1998) The Augmented Piano is a work for piano extended with live electronics. It is a tripartite work, with each movement highlighting different aspects of the piano by using different forms of interaction with the electronics. The purpose of this paper is to present the technical and aesthetic decisions employed to create the work, whilst examining the underlying materials and formal development. The reader will initially be introduced to some contemporary piano techniques, and existing works that feature piano and electronics, and I will establish the relevance of my work to certain performance practices. Featuring some improvisational material The Augmented Piano and its creation poses questions about the role of improvisation in composition, and some ideas of relevance to this will be presented. I will then offer a detailed examination of the design of the live electronics, with particular reference to Xenia Pestovas Models of Interaction (Pestova, 2008). There follows a sectional analysis of the work that highlights the processes, materials and form intrinsic to each discrete movement. Finally, I will critically reect on the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the work , and speculate on future directions that it could take. 3

Chapter 3

Extending the Piano

3.1 A brief history of Piano Extension

In the early 20th century a cluster of composers created works for piano exploring new performance techniques. These included actions inside and outside the piano to yield new timbres, gestures and harmonics. The new extensions evolved performance practice, and exhibited distinct musical gestures that often characterised the composers output by determining the form and material of the works employing the new techniques. There is marked evidence of a mutual relationship between technology and musical innovation. Revolutionary timbres and textures offered by new technology contribute to the evolution of musical works, and conversely the pursuit of new musical material advances technology.

Acoustic extension
From 1912 Henry Cowell directed performers towards a different approach to the mechanical action of the piano, with instructions to play passages with sts and forearms. Techniques were also developed for striking and scraping the strings inside the piano, distinguishing Cowells work with polyphonic textures of sonically distinct layers of sound. The form of the compositions was shaped by this sonic identity, the density of the works often building up in a rich 4

3.1. A BRIEF HISTORY OF PIANO EXTENSION

CHAPTER 3. EXTENDING THE PIANO

textural blanket, punctuated by clearer gestures in the foreground. These techniques also allowed a certain level of irony in Cowells work, the The Aeolian Harp, for piano strings, HC 370 (Miller, 1995), for example, distorts modal material with a textural style alien to the harmonies. George Crumb further interrogated the internal soundworld of the piano focusing on latent microtonal harmonics that could be achieved by placing a nger on certain parts of the string whilst playing. This is a technique that is well established amongst other instruments. In the 1940s John Cage popularised the introduction of objects into the piano. By placing metal and rubber between the strings Cage exaggerated the percussive nature of the instrument. The Prepared Piano sculpted Cages material, prompting composition in rhythmic patterns that naturally emphasised latent harmonies created by the preparation. This style of composition accentuates the percussive character of the prepared keys, again supporting the suggestion of dialogue between instrument design and the form and material of the work. The research that I undertook into extended acoustic piano technique gave me a broader understanding of the sonic properties and capabilities of the piano. This informed the design of the electronics within my work, specically with the incorporation of percussive prepared piano samples and exploration into the microtonal harmonics that can be found in the resonances of the notes. The context and implementation of my designs will be discussed later on.

Electronic extension
The advent and subsequent commercial manufacture of recording equipment and oscillators lead to the electronic extension of instruments, so called Electroacoustic instruments. Hugh Davies asserts a denition of these:

[Electroacoustic instruments] contain resonant objects whose vibrations are not only converted by a transducer into audible sound but can also be heard acoustically (Braun, 2002) Stockhausen used an early example of an Electroacoustic instrument in his piano-sourced Mantra (Rosalind Bevan, 1990), combining a live amplied piano with an oscillator in ring modulation. This work exhibits pre-prepared interaction between the electronics and what is being played,

3.1. A BRIEF HISTORY OF PIANO EXTENSION

CHAPTER 3. EXTENDING THE PIANO

with different pitch ranges determining the quality of the resulting ring modulation. Analogue processes such as those used in Mantra are now facilitated by digital media, such as Max MSP software for Digital Signal Processing. As a result the electronic extension of acoustic instruments has become more prolic and now incorporates a high level of dynamic interaction and sonic extension. Electroacoustic instruments have been developed by composers and performers creating soundworlds as distinct as those of Cage and Cowell, often spawning works that are idiosyncratic to each extended instrument. The predilection of composers to create unique electroacoustic instruments has lead to a wide range of contemporary works exhibiting a multitude of styles. The combination of acoustic and oscillators remains rmly in contemporary works, such as Peter Adriaanszs Waves for amplied piano, Ebow and Sinewaves (Adriaansz, 2007), or Johannes Kreidlers Klavierstuck 3 (Kreidler, 2004). Additionally, the ease with which pre-recorded sounds are incorporated allows the composer to layer, loop and create virtuosic musical patterns using the acoustic instrument as source material. Michael Edwards For Magda Cordell for Piano and Computer (Nicholls, 2007), uses 4 part note loops to provide textural and rhythmic interest whilst allowing the performance of the impossibly virtuosic. Highly processed electroacoustic palettes with timbrally detailed electronic parts that the piano plays alongside are favoured among certain composers. Thomas Ciufos Three Meditations (Ciufo, 2010) layers recordings of identiable piano sounds such as scraping of the low keys to create a dense textural blanket and, more subtly, the use of granulation. Alternatively the composer can import sounds previously alien to the piano in order to sculpt their electroacoustic instrument, such as the incorporation of the voice in Katharine Normans Trying to Translate (Norman, 2010). The aural analyses of these works gave me a comprehension of stylistic techniques, and lead me to experiment with sonic ideas rooted in existing works. These include a reference towards Adriaanszs blending of sinewaves within the the work, and recordings of prepared piano samples similar to Ciufos work.

Chapter 4

The Musical Spectacle

Composers of electronic music often face performance problems, particularly in concert situations. Many such composers avoid performer for example. However, performer gymnastics, potential mistakes and particularly (it is hoped) their sensitive performances can add the intensity of live performance otherwise missing from the staleness of tape playbacks. Cope cited in (Pestova, 2008) Ciufo cites Simon Emmersons denition of live as The presence of a live performer who takes decisions and/or actions during a performance that change the real sounding nature of the music (Ciufo, 2007), however static these may appear. Though this may be the case, many performers still incorporate additional theatrical or visual elements to performance to supplement the absence of physical gesture, even if the mechanism of the performance is intrinsically based on live decisions. Incorporating a tangibly live element to the performance sidesteps the plethora of aesthetic issues associated with performances of little or no visual stimulus. Using a combination of an acoustic instrument and electronics allows one to incorporate human gesture into an electroacoustic sound-world, without the need for complex programming of a reactive electronic interface for performance. Designing an electroacoustic instrument around an acoustic one is perhaps paradoxical given our current relationship to digital media as performing musicians. Jody Berland posits that the advent of the laptop musician, particularly the laptop as musician, has rendered live human 7

CHAPTER 4. THE MUSICAL SPECTACLE

performers obsolete (Berland, 2000). Therefore, the inclusion of an acoustic instrument could be perceived to be willfully ignoring the inevitable demise of human performers predicted by some, and not contributing to the evolution of performance practice. This hypothesis, though extreme, does highlight the strengthening presence of laptop performance and Berland nods towards the current progression of audience expectation. Michael Edwards, commenting on his approach to computer music with traditional instruments remarks on the importance of bridging technologies to forge a successful shift between media (Edwards, 2006). This is exemplied by the discontent with which many audiences have accepted the laptop aesthetic. Arguably, the need for transition stems more from the need to evolve aesthetic norms over our ability to gain familiarity and exibility with a new instrument. Caleb Stuart aligns this audience unease with a potential distrust of the relationship between computer and performer due to a lack of apparent causal relationship. He goes on to cite Western bias towards the visual as the root of audiences need for performative gesture (Stuart, 2003). This being the case, shifting audience expectations is akin to challenging hundreds of years of embedded culture and could perhaps remain an ideal preserve for the few.

Chapter 5

Composition/Improvisation

Any activity in the live performance of electronic music ought to compel the practitioner to think about the role of improvisation, as a result of the nature of the medium itself. (Barrett, 2005). The Augmented Piano relies greatly on the performer as an improvisor in two of the three movements, partly because as performer I favour structured improvisation over a xed notated approach, and partly, I argue, due to the ontology of Electroacoustic instruments. In order to engage critically with the composition process I found it useful to improvise and experiment with the instrument throughout its design in order to understand its functionality. The work was formed through a process of primary research; programming an intended sonic idea, then testing and calibrating it directly with an improvised part to examine the musical outcome. The most striking impact of this method is the amount of technical accidents that result in a more interesting outcome than the intended idea. An emphasis towards the need for spontaneous improvisation in order to create even the most xed section of a work arose in my compositional process. These experiments inevitably lead to the shaping of the work, its form and material. Rather than dichotomising the composition and improvisation it illustrates a mutual dependence between them. (Kane, 2006). Implicit in the use of electronic software and hardware in realisation of an idea is the practical

CHAPTER 5. COMPOSITION/IMPROVISATION

impact that technology has on a composition. As with an instrument made of wood or silver, the choice of technology inuences not only the shape, sound and texture of the instrument, but also the way in which it is played, and the type of performance that it encourages. Increasingly, studies into visual culture compared to oral culture highlight the impact that visual bias has had on our music making, particularly the separation of the xed visual score compared to spontaneous improvisation as an historical constitution (Miranda, 2009). Cardews observation of an instruments inherent baggage with regards to the music that is created for them is relevant to the context of my composition, and supports the argument of the semi-improvisational form arising from the instrument (Cardew, 1971). It is appropriate to draw a parallel between literate culture with the notated score and improvisation with oral culture. Notation is a result of our visually biased literate society; the score, like written words is a residue, and our culture demands recall of information. There lies a correspondence between improvisation and oral culture, both being focussed around the present without the need for concrete historical residue. However, Walter Ong argues that orality was always destined to produce writing in order for human consciousness to achieve its full potential, with the written word freeing up the mind from conservative tasks (Ong, 2002). If this is the case the argument suggests that by freeing up the players mind from individual notes and gestures, musical notation actually allows the player more musicality within them. Perhaps more striking is the correspondence between secondary orality and improvisation with an Electroacoustic instrument. Ong denes secondary orality as:

New orality sustained by electronic communications, secondary because they depend for their existence and functioning on writing and print (Ong, 2002). This new form of orality encourages more instant communication with the voice in particular, these correspondences reducing the necessity for the written document. In other words a return to some form of communication without residue. Whilst technological communications are inducing secondary orality to ourish, Electroacoustic instruments lend themselves well to improvisation, partly due to the inadequacy of xed notation for the medium, but perhaps more importantly because the composer can build intended expressions and musical results

5.1. FIXED COMPOSITION

CHAPTER 5. COMPOSITION/IMPROVISATION

into the medium for more immediate access. To contextualise this, Electroacoustic instruments, like telecommunications, are utterly dependent on their written code, hence improvisation still arises from a concrete historical residue. This code is the new form of notation necessary for improvisation. It is also conceivable to align Electroacoustic improvisation with Ongs statement that literate cultures can never truly revisit primary orality. Perhaps we are not returning to improvisation as one would experience in an oral culture, but a secondary form of improvisation, one that necessitates a form of xity, reliant on the foundation of written code to further liberate musicianship. Nevertheless, a return to the present (spontaneity) in music is an apposite reection of contemporary cultural values. As previously discussed, The Augmented Piano was borne out of Structured Improvisation (Pestova, 2008). Ongoing experimentation and improvisations solidied the shape and detail of the composition, with mutual inuence between the electronics and the acoustic. In this work there is some initial difculty in distinguishing what is acoustic and what is electronic. This led to the discovery of musical ideas through crafting the instrument and then improvising with it to explore it. Thus spontaneous improvisation is shaping the work (Kane, 2006).

5.1

Fixed Composition

Combining the acoustic and electronic means that there are two choices of xity that the composer is offered: an electronic tape part and mediation either to another performer or to their future selves, through a notated score. The form of The Augmented Piano, including the improvisation sections, is governed by a pre-composed structure within the electronic part. This is similar to using a loose set of timed instructions in a group improvisation and helps support a uid musical narrative. It is necessary for the performer to have rehearsed with the electronics, to become familiar with the different sections and to anticipate the forthcoming musical sound-worlds. This dialogue between the acoustic and electronics encourages a depth of internal logic into the work and the musical support that it provides can actually liberate the performer from the judgment of the form whilst playing, arguably allowing them to be more in the moment.

5.1. FIXED COMPOSITION

CHAPTER 5. COMPOSITION/IMPROVISATION

Fixed tape parts offer a security and clarity of presentation that can not be guaranteed with realtime processing. Using a xed tape part allows one to arrange all controllable aspects of the sound prior to performance, giving the ability to portray exact textures, gestures and musical ideas. To incorporate an extreme level of detail into an instrumental interface or automated realtime computer part often uses greater processing power than arranging the sounds beforehand, and the level of sonic perfection cannot be guaranteed. Conversely, a xed tape part faces accusations of the mechanised and anachronistic (Pestova, 2008). The use of a xed tape part was rooted in necessity through a lack of accessible realtime processing power. For a composer in 2010, given the advantage of reduced synchronisation issues and a exibility of tempo , it is necessary to question the benet of a xed tape part, or more loosely a xed structure in which realtime processes occur, to which the performer is synchronised (Pestova, 2008). Departing from the idea of a xed tape section I chose a slightly more exible way of xing the electronic part by predetermining the overall structure of the work, and particularly detailing the xed level of the rst section around which realtime processes and improvisation can be anchored. This acts as a structural guide for both the electronic part and spontaneous improvisation, allowing the performer to play in the present and alleviating the burden of one of the most challenging aspects of improvisation: spontaneously creating detailed internal relationships and formal structure. Though still predominant, particularly in Western musical pedagogy (Edwards, 2010), the notated score is suffering increasing numbers of assaults on its hegemony from contemporary music practitioners. An attribute distinct from this is the xing particular notes or whole sections of a work by memory (for a composer/performer), a practice that I found extremely valuable. In terms of performance practice, xing of some sections of the score can make for a more coherent performance, particularly in terms of structure and harmonic content. The question of whether this should be notated at a later date arises when the opportunity comes for another to perform the work, at which time a score is an effective way to mediate ideas. Third party communication of the more improvisatory sections is difcult to reconcile; there are choices that range from a full transcription of a single performance (in the way that many improvised cadenzas are now xed) to the looser direction towards discrete shapes, patterns and phrases for an improvisation to be

5.1. FIXED COMPOSITION

CHAPTER 5. COMPOSITION/IMPROVISATION

framed around (as well as direction towards favoured playing style with the electronic part). I think that the form of communication of the work to another then relies on each performers strengths and favoured mode of playing be they improvisatory, score based or aural.

Chapter 6

Instrument Design

Interaction has two aspects. Either the performers actions affect the computers output, or the computers actions affect the performers output. (Garnett, 2001) Using electronics to augment the sounds of any acoustic instrument presents a chance to explore mutual interaction and an extended sonic palette. The composer is afforded a great deal of choice with respect to how interactive or restrained the Electroacoustic instrument becomes, and in turn the responsiveness of the instrument can largely determine the form and gesture of the nal composition. I approached the computer as an active and creative partner in the actual compositional process (Kane, 2006). For me this led to a process of experimentation with software and practical improvisation leading to further experimentation whilst using code to solidify some of the central aspects of the work.

6.1

Models of Interaction

Here I will explain the models of interaction that I used, which will be placed in context of the work later on. The Max/MSP patches were programmed to provide the electronics with a high level of interactivity with the live performer. Each movement of The Augmented Piano demands

14

6.1. MODELS OF INTERACTION

CHAPTER 6. INSTRUMENT DESIGN

slightly different tools so the electronics adapt to certain compositional choices. I created technological preparations appropriate to my style of playing, but also adapted certain performative gestures to bring out interesting musical detail in the electronics. It was also evident that adding a layer of realtime choice for the computer heightened sonic interest provided by the electronics and the way in which I played, and forged a perceptible cohesiveness to the composition within the improvisatory parts.

Machine Listening and Reading

Machine listening involves the computer listening and reacting to what is being played. Conversely, machine reading refers to the computer reacting to the sounds that it is producing itself. All machine listening and reading parameters are subject to uctuations in accuracy, particularly in different performance spaces with different microphone and speaker arrangements.When performing a preliminary work in the Reid Concert Hall in Edinburgh, the acoustic of the room and different placement and sensitivity of the microphones meant that fundamentals were lost and my pitch detectors could not calculate the frequency being played. At this stage the it became apparent that it was necessary to program in an easy method of software calibration to adapt to differences in acoustic.

Listening Pitch tracking The clear fundamental note of the piano keys allows pitch tracking to a degree of accuracy not attainable for other instruments, such as the violin (Pestova, 2008). Though not rhythmically accurate this pitch tracker can be used to adjust a great deal of parameters within realtime processes, as well as triggering samples of a particular frequency. Amplitude tracking As with pitch tracking this is not a perfect method for accurate synchronisation of a work, though it also works well for realtime parameter adjustment and particularly for the triggering of events.

6.1. MODELS OF INTERACTION

CHAPTER 6. INSTRUMENT DESIGN

Amplitude tracking is particularly effective when controlling the amplitude of an electronic musical line, when designed in the right way the computers sonic response to what it has heard can sound convincingly human. Attack detection, Play speed detection and Density detection These reading methods are less precise than the previous two and so can be used for more arbitrary triggering of events or more random parameters.

Reading Amplitude attenuation At points it its necessary for the amplitude of the piano to be boosted so that it is not overcome by the electronics. To do this the computer measures the amplitude of its output and changes the output gain of the untreated piano signal accordingly.

Synchronisation
The Augmented Piano is entirely automated. Though I was aware that having an assistant to follow me with the electronics could alleviate the burden of synchronicity I decided that rehearsal time for a collaborative duo was not feasible. Sections of my work range from the very xed to the more uid, and each requires different efforts towards synchronisation from the live performer. In parts of my composition the electronics and acoustic performer are necessarily entirely in sync, this being intended to contrast with the improvisation movement in exploration of a different model of synchronicity. For this I used a click track to provide me with a xed point of reference. Other parts of synchronisation are due to machine listening, with the responsive element of the electronics to the improvised section providing the cohesiveness between the two entities. Through practise, however, the performer learns styles of playing that encourage this cohesiveness, and is therefore not devoid of responsibility. Synchronisation can arguably also stem from the choice of materials and placement of speakers, specically with regards to the blend of the electronics with the piano. Machine listening plays a role in triggering the correct samples with the corresponding pitch, and again the per-

6.2. HARDWARE

CHAPTER 6. INSTRUMENT DESIGN

formers sensitivity to the resonance section is desired for successful performance. However, if the piano and the electronics arent synchronised in amplitude the work will not be convincingly cohesive.

6.2

Hardware

Speakers
Emmerson states, In live works the instrument is the anchor and we can never for long leave the realm of its inuence (Emmerson, 1998). Relative to this The Augmented Piano incorporates a set of speakers local to the piano. This is because I chose to extend the instrument rather than creating a discrete electronic collaborator, and anchoring all the sound to a local area allowed me to enhance sections where the piano and electronics exhibit sonic ambiguity for example in the third movement. Spatialisation within the localised speakers was a way in which I could augment the sonic space of the piano according to the textural and gestural characteristics. For example a wider pan could be triggered in the electronic part when I am playing louder, giving the impression of the piano stretching to accommodate larger sonic content. Achieving the correct blend between the acoustic and electroacoustic is a difcult task, particularly due to the large dynamic range of the piano and the fact that calibration is necessary from space to space. Some sections of the electronics are quite imposing, but it is important that there remains a correct balance between this and the piano line. As such the piano is largely unamplied, but in sections where the electronics are in danger of overpowering the acoustic part the piano is slightly boosted to give the effect of a swell in the composition rather than a battle for foreground between acoustic and digital. As the louder sections of the electronics are not necessarily xed this is done by machine reading of its own amplitude and triggering of gain rather than being automated. It is also useful to send out separate lines of amplication, so a sound engineer can blend the sounds more accurately in a different space.

Microphones

6.3. REALTIME PROCESSING

CHAPTER 6. INSTRUMENT DESIGN

This work requires four microphones, two for control of interactivity and two for slight amplication and as a source for realtime recording and processing. For control I use two DPA miniature omnidirectional microphones that can be placed into the piano. With these used only for control I can risk audio distortion by turning them up as this provides a more accurate source of data, particularly frequency data. I then use two gure of eight microphones to record material for later use, which allow the recording of the high and low parts of the key range, and provide some additional spatial representation of the piano (low through left channel, high through right).

Monitoring
In order for collaborative engagement it is important to allow the human performer to hear how the electronics is responding/directing their playing. To maintain cohesiveness monitor speakers are placed on either side of the performer.

6.3

Realtime Processing

Realtime processes that I have used throughout The Augmented Piano include a Phase Vocoder, Ring Modulation, Granulation of a buffer, Delay and Sample Playback. These techniques in themselves are well established, and if used in a straightforward way can easily sound hackneyed. I therefore found it important whilst using these processes to try to push them beyond their original designs. Phase Vocoder I used the Phase Vocoder to record specic parts of my work. Rather than recording each section through, however, I exploited the Phase Vocoders ability to freeze at a particular point in time, and recorded this frozen material into 5000 ms buffers. This created a dense and quite strange texture, still anchored to the sound of the piano but of distorted nature. I then ring modulated this rather than the amplied piano, which added to the tension of the texture. This created the majority of the digital material for section one. The frequency of the sine wave is controlled by the frequency being picked up by the pitch reader, so each instance of a particular phase vocoder

6.3. REALTIME PROCESSING

CHAPTER 6. INSTRUMENT DESIGN

is always slightly altered. Granulation I used the MSP object Mdegranular http://ddm.caad.ed.ac.uk/staff/michael/software/mdegranular/ to contribute a different textural and spectral range to part of the work. The detailed parameters of the granulator are controlled by time rather than by machine listening, and these parameters are cycled through at a xed rate. Delay Whilst using a realtime delay I discovered that changing the speed of playback of a delay changes the quality of the sound so much that it becomes a unique musical line, which behaves as a counterpoint to the acoustic material. This relates naturally to what is being played because it is what is being played, but just at a changing speed, and also because the parameter changes are dictated by the frequency of what is picked up by the microphones. To stop the delay line simply delaying the live signal by remaining at a static playback speed (a tired technique at best) I fed it a constantly moving phasor signal, the ow of which was only disrupted by the parameter change triggered by frequency movement. Sample Playback Sample playback provided me with the most exible source of sound worlds, and also afforded the highest quality processing. The advantages of this are the ability to use very similar (and often simple) patches to trigger diverse and spectrally rich samples, that can be used to identify entirely different sections of the work. Machine listening to trigger and change playback parameters (particularly pointers towards parts of a buffer are to be played back) can ensure that the material still sounds cohesive and live, and that the electronics were still responsive to what is being played.

6.4. NON-REALTIME PROCESSING

CHAPTER 6. INSTRUMENT DESIGN

6.4

Non-Realtime Processing

The sonic palette available to a composer is greatly increased, particularly in quality, by the incorporation of non-realtime preparations of recorded material. My approach to non realtime processing was quite simple, and rather than creating dense new and unique textures using these processes I preserved the natural gesture of the recordings that I had made, and rather used subtle processes to emphasise what was already there. Additionally I processed large sample rate conversions to increase the number of quality samples that could be used within the performance. The advantage of non-realtime conversion is the time available to calculate conversions with many more interpolation points than processes found in realtime. The prepared piano samples are taken from a baby grand piano, edited and lightly EQd and then fed into my patch for realtime manipulation later on. The resonant soundles used to facilitate the end of the piece are real resonances taken from a concert Steinway, with only high pass ltering required.

Chapter 7

The Augmented Piano A formal Examination

I created my electroacoustic instrument before forming my work. During one of my preliminary concerts, institutional protectiveness over the wellbeing of a Steinway excluded any extended techniques inside the piano (in the manner of either Cowell or Cage), and I used this as a formal restraint to adopt for the entirety of the project. By limiting my use of extended techniques I ensured thorough exploration and complete cohesiveness between the piano and electronics. I also limited myself to creating textures using realtime recording and recordings sourced entirely from pianos. This includes a piano that I prepared using screws bolts and rubber and then sampled. The digital importation of the prepared piano was intended to expose the musical potential of the computer as instrument even in the advent of physical restriction. The different electronic extensions fell into three discrete sound-worlds each encouraging different acoustic material, and this lead to the tripartite form of my work. The rst movement is xed and rhythmic with the electronics creating textural swells to interplay with the pre-composed acoustic material. The second is improvisational, and features a responsive interactive electronic line. The third explores the resonant nature of the piano, with the electronics blending to become a unied extension of the piano. 21

7.1. MOVEMENT ONE

CHAPTER 7. THE AUGMENTED PIANO A FORMAL EXAMINATION

Performing the work myself has its advantages but poses challenges.The inherently physical nature of performance through an acoustic instrument necessitates at least a modicum of technical facility for success (despite the underlying support of the electronics). Though my piano playing is modest and the work would benet from a player with greater instrumental dexterity I decided that my practice and familiarity with the instruments outweighed this. Additionally, the electronic instrument has been designed with my playing as the source for triggering and programming, and will have certain characteristics embedded in the way in which I articulate a musical line.

7.1
Form

Movement One

The Augmented Piano begins with a xed acoustic part (provided in the score) alongside a structurally pre-composed realtime electronic part. The pianist plays exposes repetitive single lined motifs, arranged into ve distinct subsections in the conguration A - B - C - B - A (Please refer to page one of the score). The pulse is xed at 140 beats per minute, and the performer synchronises with the piano part through the use of a discrete in ear click track. The time signature is rapidly changing, and each motif is aligned to a particular sequence of time signatures, which its melodic shape is intended to accent. The electronic part is also anchored to this meter. The computer records material at specic temporal points that is to be processed and replayed, also at particular points emphasising the 23 beat cycle present in all three of the motifs.

Machine Listening
This section uses data from the frequency listening tool to determine parameters for the electronic part explained below. It also reads its own amplitude to boost the unprocessed piano signal alongside a swell of loud electronics.

Realtime Processing

7.2. MOVEMENT TWO

CHAPTER 7. THE AUGMENTED PIANO A FORMAL EXAMINATION

A moment of each 23 beat motif, frozen by a Phase Vocoder, is recorded in realtime as it is exposed. These recordings are triggered at xed time points recurrently throughout the work, played back through a slow curving envelope and ring modulated with a sinewave determined by the current frequency of the piano part. The variety and density of their playback increases as the section progresses, contrasting the latent harmonies within each motif in the overall form. In some instances, in order to add to the spectrally mid to low sound of the ring modulated Phase vocoder, I triggered a granulator simultaneously, granulating selected samples from my prepared piano. This also contributes a crunchiness to the otherwise quite smooth swells of noise. The granulated material changes in parameter at a xed pace.

Non-Realtime Processing Apart from the small selection recorded prepared piano samples there is no non-realtime processing within this section.

7.2
Form

Movement Two

The acoustic and electronics in the second section are lead by improvisation. To electronically parallel the piano improvisation in the second movement I utilise machine reading, live parameter mapping and triggering. The work as I perform it is spontaneous in this section, though the way that I play and rehearse alongside the electronics determine a certain character of performance, and learned palette of musical ideas that are potentially fruitful (including threading harmonic shadows of the three motifs played in the rst section). In terms of the improvisatory material played by the performer the style of I intended the improvisation to be quite free (though by musically referencing itself free improvisation is surely a paradox). Bursts of sound and reactive electronic part in the delay counterpoint were gesturally appropriate to my improvised section, signalling unpredictability and spontaneity.

7.2. MOVEMENT TWO

CHAPTER 7. THE AUGMENTED PIANO A FORMAL EXAMINATION

Dividing the improvisation through a xed structure in the electronics of movement two gives the advantage of the pre-composed with the spontaneity of music in the presence. Using the electronics as a structural score is akin to a structured improvisation and features predetermined, though not perfectly xed, musical gestures. Though this does not reect the perfect ideal of a completely notated score (Kane, 2006) it goes some way to ensure that the performer need not be a virtuosic improviser for the music to remain alive; it is an example of spontaneous music supported by code based recall. The electronics are temporally xed into subsections, with two distinct sonic characteristics that interplay with each other during transition. The rst is entirely determined by the instrumental playing at the time, the second calling on prerecorded sound sources for realtime triggering. Through a loose score (please see movement two, page two of the score) players are offered guidance towards musical ideas that enhance interplay between themselves and the computer, alongside instructions to refer in some way back to the rst section and a score of where things happen temporally in the electronics part.

Machine Listening
This section again uses data from the frequency listening tool for various parameters of the electronics detailed below. It also uses attack detection and amplitude readings for arbitrary triggering of playback.

Realtime Processing
The rst of the two discrete electronic parts delays the signal using the constantly uctuating playback speed as described earlier. The musical quality of this is timbrally very crisp, providing a distinct contrapuntal line. The second uses triggering to play back two types of recorded material. The initial appearance of this is bold, and plays back short clusters of ve second buffers of the pre-recorded prepared piano. These have been played randomly into the buffers, and create a chaotic though sculpted gesture. The length of playback of these buffers is structurally determined; as the piece progresses different parts of the buffer can be heard. When decayed, these bold triggered gestures themselves trigger another type of played back sound heard as a shadow or aftermath. This

7.3. MOVEMENT THREE

CHAPTER 7. THE AUGMENTED PIANO A FORMAL EXAMINATION

material comes from a recording of each motif exposed in movement one, played back through a Phase Vocoder at double speed. Varying numbers (from 1 - 5) of these are played back and ring modulated. The frequency of this is related to the frequency being played on the piano at the time. The section of the sample that is played back progresses at a xed rate as with the prepared piano playback.

Non-Realtime Processing
I increased the number of prepared piano samples used for playback using high quality sample rate conversion in Common Lisp Music. These were then divided into high and low, and triggered in parallel. Non-Realtime transposition is advantageous due to the larger number of interpolation points available, and greater mathematical accuracy. This way I could achieve the crispness of a high quality conversion with the live effect of responsive playback.

7.3
Form

Movement Three

Movement three evolved through study of John Cages work The Dream (1949), a work that I adapted for performance by electronically extending the piano to call further attention to the piano as a resonating body. Though not xed it does call for a certain style of playing to emphasise the resonant properties of the piano (please refer to Movement three, page ve of the score). The directed style of playing is slower than the other two sections, fairly linear in gesture, and designed to encourage more detailed listening to the properties of the instrument. A related direction is to reference to the ongoing harmonic content of the three motifs at points, and more so as a coda to the work as a whole. Again the player may choose whether they improvise in a certain score or reference a transcription of my improvisation Movement three uses two subtly different modes of resonating, the rst playing back recordings of piano strikes with the attacks removed, the second adding another layer of ltering to amplify harmonics within the samples. These sections are played successively; their presence is triggered within the xed structure of the work. This section particularly highlights the impor-

7.3. MOVEMENT THREE

CHAPTER 7. THE AUGMENTED PIANO A FORMAL EXAMINATION

tance of blend between the speakers and the instrument: when too loud the listener is privy to process giveaways and does not blend with the piano, when too quiet they risk not being heard and losing the slightly distorted properties of the augmentation.

Machine Listening
This section only incorporates the frequency reader for triggering and some parameter changes.

Realtime Processing
The augmentation of the piano is facilitated by the playback of resonant soundles in a certain range of the piano, triggered by notes of the same frequency. Infrequent inaccuracies in the pitch reader provide harmonic tension. There are two types of soundles, Strikes and Resonances. Strikes are louder and slightly more aggressive in character, Resonances provide more of a harmonic bed. Which of these is triggered is determined by probability, with the selection of each being more likely to follow their own kind. This was to give the electronics part more of a dynamic shape. The rst half of this only features unprocessed samples, whereas the second half processes these les through a resonant lter. This lter uses mostly xed in parameters (such as Q and Gain), but the central frequency of the lters are determined by multiples of the frequency that is being played on the piano at the time.

Non-Realtime Processing
I did not record the resonance of every note within the playback range, and used high quality sample rate conversion to provide the full tonal palette.

Chapter 8

Conclusion
The Augmented Piano explores the complexities of interaction between electronics and the piano. Creating an electroacoustic instrument leads to engagement with both media and the scope of musical material that they can offer, and in particular highlights the importance of blend between them. Creating an electroacoustic instrument to bridge the transition between traditional instruments and digital music is supported by an arguable unease into the aesthetics in the performance of computer music. The much debated need for the visual in a traditional concert setting exposes latent issues still to be resolved within performance practice, and the blending of traditional norms with digital media perhaps fulls current expectations whilst embracing new technology. The nature of this practice, however, will remain consistently challenged and will change with the progression of aesthetic ideals. Embedding improvisation into The Augmented Piano also lead to an examination of spontaneous music making, partly facilitated by notation in the form of coding. The fact that electroacoustic instruments lend themselves well to improvisation is an apposite reection of Ongs secondary orality, and spontaneity reliant on written residue is something that I would be interested to explore more widely.The practical interrogation of the instrument demanded composition by experiment, intertwining pre-composition with improvisation. Furthermore the work solidied through experiment, the materials lending themselves to a particular arrangement and hence

27

CHAPTER 8. CONCLUSION

contributing to the integral form of the work. I feel that the work ows well and forms a coherent whole, though I would like to develop certain musical ideas in more detail. A more thorough investigation into extended techniques is needed for a versatile electroacoustic instrument, particularly with a view to collaboration. Additionally, the models of interactions used are arguably quite simple, and the computer offers far more scope for accurate interaction. This is something that has been and will continue to be widely researched, and The Augmented Piano would benet from utilising some more complex contemporary models. Ultimately, the creation of an electroacoustic instrument fostered a mutual dependence between acoustic and electronic that led me to engage with current issues regarding computer music that informed and sculpted the work.

Appendix A

First Appendix
A.1
A.1.1

List of abstractions and subpatchers

Abstractions

ampreader~ Provides oat amplitude and integer midi velocity values (default setting every 50 ms). bonkreader~ Sends a bang when an attack is detected (default setting every 50 ms). brushes~and brusheslow~ A coll is loaded with directions to replace one of a set of prepared piano samples into a buffer. This is then simultaneously triggered and sent through a volume curve. Volume attenuation lowers the volume of each successive instance of the patcher. It sends a target of the instance number that is then divided logoithmically. densityreader~ Detects the density of attacks every 10000 ms. gatesystem~ A system of gates to control the ow of resonances and strikes to the different resonant lters. pianoresonants~and pianostrikes~ Based precisely on the brushes abstraction though loaded with instructions for renounce and strikes samples with a longer playback amplitude ascent. playbackprob~ Determines probability of strike or resonant playback. Each is more probable to follow its own kind. 29

A.1. LIST OF ABSTRACTIONS AND SUBPATCHERS

APPENDIX A. FIRST APPENDIX

polypianorecord~ Based on the brushes abstraction, though incorporates the ability to record into a specify buffer rather than play back samples. It can also pan and has a slightly different triggering mechanism. polypianorecordpv~ A modied version of the polypianorecord~abstraction but with some playback parameter changes. pvrecordplayback Triggers playback and a volume curve on signal recorded into its individual buffer. There are two playback mechanisms to allow a single buffer to be played back twice at the same time. Playback is then ring-modulated by a multiple of the incoming frequency detected by the machine listener. realtimepianopanning26052010 The length of the buffer produces two random numbers between 0 and 127. These are then panned between in the given length. resonanceltertwo~ A resonance lter bank. Each resonance lter has a xed gain and Q, though has its central frequency determined by the frequency determined by machine listening added to a specic xed number. speedreader~ Detects the average time between notes every 10000 ms. yinreader~ Provides frequency and midi values.

A.1.2

Subpatchers

Brushes This patcher contains two poly playbacks that hold high and low register samples. These are triggered by randomly generated numbers. Incremental record number from pianorecordtimepoints to allow messages through. Samples are then randomly triggered using a series of gates and a number generator. Click track This patcher provides the click track that syncs up the performer and electronics in the rst movement. Each beat is counted, with an emphasis on the rst beat of each bar provided by a more pronounced click. Granular Contains an mdegranular object http://ddm.caad.ed.ac.uk/staff/michael/software/mdegranular/ that has parameter changes set at different timepoints. The buffer is loaded with some prepared piano samples It is heard when the volume curve is triggered by specic timepoints. Granular parameters Granular parameters amplitude, density, grain length, ramp length, transposition, start point and end point changed at certain timepoints within movement one.

A.1. LIST OF ABSTRACTIONS AND SUBPATCHERS

APPENDIX A. FIRST APPENDIX

Listeners This Patcher controls the machine listening of the patch, sending different attributes to the rest of the patch for parameter control. MOVEMENT ONE Contains the patches for movement one Phase Vocode and Granulation. MOVEMENT THREE Contains the resonance, strike and lter abstractions. Uses a specic timepoint to determine when messages are allowed through. MOVEMENT TWO Contains the patches for movement two delays, sinewaves and prepared piano sample playback. Playbackpianotranslator Switches between which parameters control the trigger of the samples. This switch is triggered by the playback count incremental timepoints. A pattr stores information determining which section of the buffer is played back. Randomly triggers numbers for playback point within certain boundaries. Packs the playback points for the poly containing buffers with newly recorded piano samples from the brushes sub patcher. Piano up and down To boost piano amplication when the electronics reaches a certain amplitude. Polypiano record and playback Each poly receives and records signal from the brushes abstraction. It is then played back at given parameters.Targeted messages to the polys instruct each one seperately to record at specic time points. Messages at which point to play are received from playbackpianotranslator and sent to the next free note in each of the polypianorecord polys. Polypianorecordtimepoints Sends incremental counter values set at different timepoints to record buffers into targeted polys found in the polypiano record and playback sub patcher. These also trigger the start and stop of the prepared piano playback that is recorded into them. This patcher also sends incremental counter values set at different timepoints to the playback trigger mechanism named playbackpianotranslator. These counter values serve to change the parameters of the playback as well as how they are triggered. Progression This patcher structures the rst movement by counting bangs created by timepoints of specic bars. The counter opens one of ve gates that allow a toggle message through to ve different patchers (TIME SIGNATURE GATES) each signalling changes in time signature corresponding to the ve sections of movement one. PV playback timepoints Timepoints triggering playback of buffers 1 - 5 at specic points within the structure (Please see appendix two). PV RECORD Contains an FFt freezer http://www.cycling74.com/share.htmlJean-francoisCharles1-freeze-frame and timepoints at which to freeze and record incoming signal into 5 different buffers. The timepoints correspond to notes within new sections within the movement.

A.1. LIST OF ABSTRACTIONS AND SUBPATCHERS

APPENDIX A. FIRST APPENDIX

Pvrecordplay Features gated openings determined by position of the counter in the progression patcher. This determines which buffer is recorded into. PV record two This patcher records the ve different motifs being played into section one into a Phase Vocoder. This is then played back at twice the speed and recorded into ve seperate buffers for later playback. PV record two timepoints This subpatcher Counts the bangs of timepoints to target specic instances of a poly to begin recording. Transport This controls the time signature and counts the bars around which the work is structured. It can be reset with the reset button, and when started with the start toggle proceeds through the patch.

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