California Institute of the Arts Effusions of Fancy: An Exploration into Improvisatory Live Computer Performance by David Howe A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in the Herb Alpert School of Music Music Technology: Interaction, Intelligence & Design Supervisory Committee Dr. Owen S. Vallis Mentor Dr. Ajay Kapur Committee Dr. Jordan Hochenbaum Committee Abstract Improvisation is one of the innate, fundamental behaviors exhibited by humankind. The art of spontaneity is our instinctual method of “staying in the present moment,” as opposed to “dwelling in the past.” In logically assuming that one must experience the present before they can then dwell in that past, it stands that extemporaneous musical creation must predate all other musical compositional/performance techniques, rendering improvisation likely the oldest musical approach known to man. The affinity for improvisation in music has never ceased its considerable influence over the development of musical forms, systems, and instruments to date. This thesis aims to explore improvisation in music as it stands currently, through a context of live computer music performance. How has improvisation influenced modern electronic musical paradigms? What effusions of fancy are afforded by computer-driven performance that was previously otherwise impractical, if not impossible, or even unimaginable? Moreover, how can computer-driven live performance potentially revolutionize such an archaic, long-held musical infatuation as improvisation? Computers are sought after for their superhuman abilities, namely, precision speed and multitasking. They have essentially incited a musical modus operandi of complete user specification and separation of inputs (instruments/controllers), outputs (type of sound), and their mapping (connection between the two). Computers now allow for a performing musician to “wear many (if not all) musical hats” besides just that of “performer.” With the aid of digital systems, the performer can now be the performer-composer-conductor-mixer-digital luthier- system designer-visual artist and more if he so chooses. It is the scope of this research to analyze current and newly developed software and hardware tools as they apply to improvisation in computer music performance; to determine methods for more complete spontaneous control by applying these superpowers previously unavailable without computers; to explore the boundary between maximum musical control and tasteful effective performance; finally, to wear as many hats as the average computer and (average) musician mind can tolerate, and document it, for the fate of improvisation. v vi Abstract Presented in this work is (1) a brief historic account of the improvisational foundations that have been laid and still adhered to in Western Music, a demonstration of the somewhat symbiotic correlation between the evolution of music technology and musical improvisation, up through a modern account of improvisation in computer-driven audio and audiovisual performance; (2) a handful of select efficient mapping strategies and advanced mapping tools for the performing electronic musician, with the intention of providing some ease and clarity to dauntingly controllable modern musical systems; (3) a couple software and hardware tools built specifically for refining and hopefully redefining improvisation as it stands in different electronic audiovisual performance contexts; (4) an analyses of said tools through live improvisational performance by the author, as well as other musicians. Technologists, musicians, and researchers have tackled these ongoing questions of improvisation periodically throughout Western Music, especially recently as we evolve through a computer-aided society. It is not the expectation of this document to have one correct answer to these improvisational queries and how they apply to the digital age, but it is the hope that researching them academically, historically, and experientially will provide insight for not only current and future electronic musicians infatuated with the effusion of fancy, but more selfishly for myself and my own future improvisational endeavors. This thesis serves to account that despite the prevalence of pre-composed, pre- sequenced, algorithmic, and other popular computer-oriented pre-programed musical processes, innovation in improvisation is still at the forefront of musical performance. Acknowledgments To my mentors, Ajay Kapur, and Owen Vallis, and professors, Jordan Hochenbaum, Martijn Zwartes, Trimpin, Perry Cook, John Baffa, Tom Jennings, Sara Roberts, and all the others, for continuously blowing my mind with some musical idea, concept, knowledge, performance, technology, or other musical weirdness. To past teachers like John Schneider and Putter Smith Adam Howe that kept me musically inspired, and to electronic musical inspirations like Daedelus, Brian Crabtree, and Sergi Jordà (and far too many others to name), that have kept me music-technologically inspired. To my classmates, who have provided me an outlet to vent when my mentors/professors overloaded me with too much work! To my old band mates, like my brother Adam Howe, Timothy Deschaine, and Rob Petricca, Greg Ripes, and Daniel Rizik-Baer, and so many more collaborators, that have given me an outlet to express myself through music. And ultimately to my mom and dad, Carole and Jack Howe, and my brother, Adam Howe, and all of my relatives and friends who have given me more support than I could ever have hoped for through my eccentric endeavors. Thank You! vii Table of Contents ix Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 Motivation ................................................................................................................................................... 1 Computers Extending Humans .......................................................................................................................... 1 The Art Of Improvisation ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Considerations For Improvisation ..................................................................................................... 4 Levels Of Improvisation ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Contexts Of Improvisation .................................................................................................................................. 5 Forms Of Improvisation ....................................................................................................................................... 6 Instruments Of Improvisation ........................................................................................................................... 7 Improvisational Focus of This Work ............................................................................................................... 7 Overview ..................................................................................................................................................... 8 Tools Of The Trade ................................................................................................................................................. 9 Contributions ............................................................................................................................................................ 9 Outline ....................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 2 A Brief History of Improvisation in Western Music Technology ........ 13 Improvisation Pre-electronics .......................................................................................................... 13 Improvisation post-electronics ........................................................................................................ 18 The Hardware angle ............................................................................................................................................ 19 The Software Angle ............................................................................................................................................. 29 The Performer Angle .......................................................................................................................................... 34 The Audio-Visual Angle ..................................................................................................................................... 45 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................. 49 Chapter 3 Mapping Strategies ............................................................................................. 51 Mapability ................................................................................................................................................ 52 Importance of Mapping ..................................................................................................................................... 52 The State of Things .............................................................................................................................................