Composing
Composing is the art of blending the sounds of different instruments into a pleasing composition. Instruments have always been used to make music. One can imagine early music as a spontaneous combination of rhythm instruments, flutes or strings and singing. In every region of the world, music developed with combinations of folk musicians and more formal music cultures that involved instrument makers, teachers, notation, composers, sponsors and producers of rituals and entertainment. In China, a music culture was well developed by the second millennium BC. In ancient Greece, choirs performed for entertainment, celebration and religious festivals. Music education was considered essential; music theory included the modal scales that became the basis for European classical music. In India music developed along with Upanishads as Ragas, devotional music. Raga theory developed remarkable complexities in terms of scale structure, microtonal distinctions and song structures.
Small ensembles evolved in the European Renaissance with little distinction between vocal or instrumental parts. Music for dance emphasized rhythm and repeating sections with changes in tempo. Liturgical music often involved an organist alternating with a hymn sung by the congregation or choir. The prelude was a short performance piece that involved improvisation on a keyboard or lute. Variations on melodic themes formed the structure of longer pieces. Themes of four to eight measures were repeated but with different counterpoint and different voices.
These simple elements continued to evolve in the classic repertoire with increasing complexity and growing ensemble size until you had orchestras playing symphonies. The progression of European music involved increasing reliance on music notation and obedience of musicians to the instructions of composers.
Progress in European music from the Baroque to the present involved the development of better instruments and enlarging orchestras. The task of composition increased in scope and complexity to include complete orchestral scores. The dynamics of a score begins with the composer's decisions about melody, harmony, rhythm, voicing, loudness and articulation.
Composers with intimate knowledge of instruments and the skills of performers were best equipped to expand their basic ideas of melody and harmony into polyphonic, multi-instrument arrangements. Beethoven, for example, took advantage of improvements in instrument construction that allowed players to develop more virtuoso techniques. Beethoven is credited with progressive innovation in orchestration toward grand, heroic spectacles.
Innovations and Perseveration
Each musical "genius" added his own innovations so that the ideas that drove musical composition progressed, despite the resistance of patrons and audiences. There has always been a battle between audiences who want more of the same and composers who were innovative. Many creative composers suffered repeated rejection and penury.
You can view music as a culture marker and music evolution as a measure of how cultures have evolved, recognizing that the European cultures that spread to and dominated the Americas were and still are quite different from African and Asian cultures. All human societies at every level display a dialectic with innovative changes on one side and stubborn persistence of old culture on the other. You could argue that older is better and that innovations have lead us in the wrong direction. Or you could argue the real progress has been made, especially in the 20th century toward a more civil and affluent world that will be united if not liberated by free electronic communication networks.
Innovations in music have been slow and incremental. I will celebrate fusion as the main method of combining old cultures into new expressions. I will regret at the same time the emergence of noise and confusion as a toxic effect of "music" production in the absence of credentials and esthetic sensibility.
The term perseveration is essential to describe human dynamics. It originates from the Latin verb, persevere, which means to persist. In psychopathology the meaning is extended to repetitious behaviors that persist even when they are no longer appropriate. The other term used in biology is isopraxis ( same movement) which describes the reptilian tendency to repeat behaviors even when they no longer work. If you read the I Ching and cast your horoscope, you will often receive the advice "perseverance furthers one." Common advice suggest if you do not succeed with the first try, you should try and try again. You might realize that perseveration is a universal human characteristic and not the exclusive domain of humans with damaged brains.
We have recognized that learning is based on establishing enduring memories of rewards and punishment. The close linking of a behavior to a reward or punishment is “conditioning.” The real value of learning is to repeat successful behaviors. Life is a repetitious affair. Well conditioned humans act like programmed robots, and have difficulty changing their programming. Repetition is often in the form of recursive loops that repeat at intervals. Recursive loops are patterns of perseveration that all humans display.
The Sound of Music by Stephen Gislason. download from Alpha Online.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Music, Meditation, Cognitive Benefits
I the early days of my experimentation with synthesizers, I encountered patterns of sound that produce meditative experiences, acoustic illusions, mind clearing, and some very annoying experiences.
At the same time I was experimenting with brain biofeedback using sound to reveal brain waves. The basic idea was that amplified brain waves could be evaluated by frequency and amplitude, desirable goals established and a sound signal would inform the subject when his or her brain waves were in the desired range. The most common goal was to achieve slow, symmetrical sine waves from each cerebral hemisphere; the frequency range of about 8 to 12 hertz was called alpha. One feedback that was popular involved a white noise generator whose amplitude was modulated by the alpha brain waves. Your would hear shush shush shush.
White noise is in itself of great interest. White is a color metaphor – white light includes all the visible light frequencies and white noise contains all the audible range of sound frequencies. White noise is inherently relaxing and is often used to mask other noises in acoustic spaces. I accidently discovered that my experienced subjects responded most favorably to a test wave generator that modulated the white noise at 6 to 8 hertz. They thought that they were listening to their brain waves. They described a sense of calm, peace and a clear mind and left the session feeling good.
For many years after, I would treat myself to white noise relaxation and other sound experiences that left me feeling calm and clear. I began to refer to mind sweepers – sound experiences that left you feeling refreshed and ready to tackle complex life problems. I began to appreciate that the listener can be a creative person in the mix of composer-performer-listener. Too much music is tyrannical and leaves little room for the listener to create their own experience. The essence of healing music is not just a calming or soporific effect, but an opportunity for the listener to participate and create. This opportunity requires space between sounds, slow gradual transitions and nuanced understanding of the brain processing of sound.
Some properties of brain sound processing that I utilize both in music and in created meditative (aka healing) sound experiences are:
The brain will produce a beating effect if two similar sounds are presented to each ear (through headphones) with less than 2 Hz frequency difference. More than 2 Hz and individual pitches are heard; the beating stops. The beating effect is a powerful mind cleanser.
Repeating sounds produce habituation (reduced interest in and acuity of the sounds) and a learning effect. If a rhythmic pattern is repeated several times, for example, and then you leave out some of the notes the missing sounds are still heard.
Spatial sound processing is essential for survival. Moving sounds are of great interest and renew alerting, orienting responses. This is excellent cognitive exercise. The Doppler effect involves a decrease in pitch and a change in timbre when an approaching sound passes by.
Complex staccato passages with precise but low amplitude sounds are followed closely by the temporal cortex. I am often amazed by how many notes in interweaving layers my brain is willing to decipher. If the notes form interesting patterns and move in space, then they remain fresh and invigorating. While repetition is good, too much can become annoying. Small variations in a repeating pattern will avoid habituation and annoyance. The occasional, surprising sound will awaken new interest.
I discovered that JS Bach's counterpoint, the most elegant expression of well considered complexity when presented with clear definition of interacting voices, becomes a delightful form of brain exercise. My Counterpoint for Genius series is a collection of albums that has evolved over several years though experimentation with a number of transcriptions of Bach pieces, many from the religious Cantatas, mixed with different voicing and, different tempos and transpositions. The goal is to produce delight and enhance general intelligence in the listener.
Humans spontaneously synchronize movements to rhythmic sounds. This ability is the basis for dance and for the group cohesion that occurs during musical events. Monotonously repeating rhythms have trance-inducing value but also can induce habituation and loose their effectiveness. Even slight variations or periodic interruptions tend to renew interest in a repeating rhythm.
The best melodies tend to be short and simple. They are easily sung and can be learned with a few repetitions. Once a melody is familiar, we tend to recognize it immediately when it recurs and feel positive about the experience. Variations on the melody will also be recognized. The most obvious variation is transposition (key change). Small variations in rhythm will also be accepted but if the variation is excessive, the sense of familiarity may be lost.
Revised Jan 2015
Sound Of Music by Stephen Gislason.
At the same time I was experimenting with brain biofeedback using sound to reveal brain waves. The basic idea was that amplified brain waves could be evaluated by frequency and amplitude, desirable goals established and a sound signal would inform the subject when his or her brain waves were in the desired range. The most common goal was to achieve slow, symmetrical sine waves from each cerebral hemisphere; the frequency range of about 8 to 12 hertz was called alpha. One feedback that was popular involved a white noise generator whose amplitude was modulated by the alpha brain waves. Your would hear shush shush shush.
White noise is in itself of great interest. White is a color metaphor – white light includes all the visible light frequencies and white noise contains all the audible range of sound frequencies. White noise is inherently relaxing and is often used to mask other noises in acoustic spaces. I accidently discovered that my experienced subjects responded most favorably to a test wave generator that modulated the white noise at 6 to 8 hertz. They thought that they were listening to their brain waves. They described a sense of calm, peace and a clear mind and left the session feeling good.
For many years after, I would treat myself to white noise relaxation and other sound experiences that left me feeling calm and clear. I began to refer to mind sweepers – sound experiences that left you feeling refreshed and ready to tackle complex life problems. I began to appreciate that the listener can be a creative person in the mix of composer-performer-listener. Too much music is tyrannical and leaves little room for the listener to create their own experience. The essence of healing music is not just a calming or soporific effect, but an opportunity for the listener to participate and create. This opportunity requires space between sounds, slow gradual transitions and nuanced understanding of the brain processing of sound.
Some properties of brain sound processing that I utilize both in music and in created meditative (aka healing) sound experiences are:
The brain will produce a beating effect if two similar sounds are presented to each ear (through headphones) with less than 2 Hz frequency difference. More than 2 Hz and individual pitches are heard; the beating stops. The beating effect is a powerful mind cleanser.
Repeating sounds produce habituation (reduced interest in and acuity of the sounds) and a learning effect. If a rhythmic pattern is repeated several times, for example, and then you leave out some of the notes the missing sounds are still heard.
Spatial sound processing is essential for survival. Moving sounds are of great interest and renew alerting, orienting responses. This is excellent cognitive exercise. The Doppler effect involves a decrease in pitch and a change in timbre when an approaching sound passes by.
Complex staccato passages with precise but low amplitude sounds are followed closely by the temporal cortex. I am often amazed by how many notes in interweaving layers my brain is willing to decipher. If the notes form interesting patterns and move in space, then they remain fresh and invigorating. While repetition is good, too much can become annoying. Small variations in a repeating pattern will avoid habituation and annoyance. The occasional, surprising sound will awaken new interest.
I discovered that JS Bach's counterpoint, the most elegant expression of well considered complexity when presented with clear definition of interacting voices, becomes a delightful form of brain exercise. My Counterpoint for Genius series is a collection of albums that has evolved over several years though experimentation with a number of transcriptions of Bach pieces, many from the religious Cantatas, mixed with different voicing and, different tempos and transpositions. The goal is to produce delight and enhance general intelligence in the listener.
Humans spontaneously synchronize movements to rhythmic sounds. This ability is the basis for dance and for the group cohesion that occurs during musical events. Monotonously repeating rhythms have trance-inducing value but also can induce habituation and loose their effectiveness. Even slight variations or periodic interruptions tend to renew interest in a repeating rhythm.
The best melodies tend to be short and simple. They are easily sung and can be learned with a few repetitions. Once a melody is familiar, we tend to recognize it immediately when it recurs and feel positive about the experience. Variations on the melody will also be recognized. The most obvious variation is transposition (key change). Small variations in rhythm will also be accepted but if the variation is excessive, the sense of familiarity may be lost.
Revised Jan 2015
Sound Of Music by Stephen Gislason.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Art of the Fugue JS Bach revisited
A New Album in the Digital Bach Series
The Art of the Fugue (Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV1080)is a collection of Johann Sebastian Bach' last compositions. His son, Carl, published the work in 1751, still incomplete. One theme is developed through contrapuntal variations. Much speculation and controversy has arisen as musicologists analyzed the pieces. The last fugue 14 has been of special interest as presumably the last music that Bach wrote and because his hand written score is unfinished at bar 239. His son Carl wrote on the score:" At the point where the composer introduces the name BACH in the countersubject to this fugue, the composer died."
Glenn Gould recorded his versions of the Fugues (piano and organ) and I have enjoyed and followed his approach to studio recording -- the essence of which is creativity and minute attention to detail. In an online review of Gould's recording, David Bryson stated:" One of the most extraordinary things about Bach is how popular he manages to be for all his seeming severity. The Art of Fugue is innocent of the lyricism that was also part of Bach's infinite musical gift, it makes no compromises with us, but I would say to newcomers to the work that Gould's accounts, partial as they are, would be the best place to start to know this unique and towering masterpiece... Gould chose to play the Art of Fugue on the organ, giving the separate voices, indeed, every note, dynamic equality... with sound powerful and regal enough to do it justice but with the clipped, clavichord rhythm that brings out the playful personalities of which these fugues consist, emphasizing as Gould always does the conversational diversity and harmony that is the essence of counterpoint."
While both Bach and Gould receive a lot of attention from fans and scholars with attendant arguments, my approach is (with due reverence) to follow my own instincts, preferences, and creativity. I wanted to achieve a version of the Art of the Fugue that is different from previous versions. I have spent over 2 years developing my arrangements and could issue several albums with quite divergent interpretations.
One melodic theme repeats thru many variations. Four voices interact in contrapuntal relationships that develop quite differently in each fugue. I have orchestrated many of the fugues using synthesizer voices that are both instrumental and also create novel sounds. The basic instruments are grand piano, electronic pianos, vibraphone, trumpet, oboe, acoustic and electric basses. Some purely synthesizer sounds are used in a voice or string like manner for sustaining sounds. I believe I have reached an understanding with Bach and Gould, that these pieces have an infinite quality that cannot be contained in any individual's opinion of them.
More about the Art of the Fugue by Stephen Gislason
Read the Sound of Music
From Persona Digital Studio
The Art of the Fugue (Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV1080)is a collection of Johann Sebastian Bach' last compositions. His son, Carl, published the work in 1751, still incomplete. One theme is developed through contrapuntal variations. Much speculation and controversy has arisen as musicologists analyzed the pieces. The last fugue 14 has been of special interest as presumably the last music that Bach wrote and because his hand written score is unfinished at bar 239. His son Carl wrote on the score:" At the point where the composer introduces the name BACH in the countersubject to this fugue, the composer died."
Glenn Gould recorded his versions of the Fugues (piano and organ) and I have enjoyed and followed his approach to studio recording -- the essence of which is creativity and minute attention to detail. In an online review of Gould's recording, David Bryson stated:" One of the most extraordinary things about Bach is how popular he manages to be for all his seeming severity. The Art of Fugue is innocent of the lyricism that was also part of Bach's infinite musical gift, it makes no compromises with us, but I would say to newcomers to the work that Gould's accounts, partial as they are, would be the best place to start to know this unique and towering masterpiece... Gould chose to play the Art of Fugue on the organ, giving the separate voices, indeed, every note, dynamic equality... with sound powerful and regal enough to do it justice but with the clipped, clavichord rhythm that brings out the playful personalities of which these fugues consist, emphasizing as Gould always does the conversational diversity and harmony that is the essence of counterpoint."
While both Bach and Gould receive a lot of attention from fans and scholars with attendant arguments, my approach is (with due reverence) to follow my own instincts, preferences, and creativity. I wanted to achieve a version of the Art of the Fugue that is different from previous versions. I have spent over 2 years developing my arrangements and could issue several albums with quite divergent interpretations.
One melodic theme repeats thru many variations. Four voices interact in contrapuntal relationships that develop quite differently in each fugue. I have orchestrated many of the fugues using synthesizer voices that are both instrumental and also create novel sounds. The basic instruments are grand piano, electronic pianos, vibraphone, trumpet, oboe, acoustic and electric basses. Some purely synthesizer sounds are used in a voice or string like manner for sustaining sounds. I believe I have reached an understanding with Bach and Gould, that these pieces have an infinite quality that cannot be contained in any individual's opinion of them.
More about the Art of the Fugue by Stephen Gislason
Read the Sound of Music
From Persona Digital Studio
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