Matt Cole
Student No: 10178746
Bachelor of Music (composition and music technology)
Second Year
Edith Cowan University
Semester 1-2014
1. Interactive Music
1.1 Aletheia
1.2 Arduino
2. Collaborations
2.1 Easter Passions Play
2.2 Artist Jason Dirstein
2.3 Lighting department
2.4 Sam Gillies
2.5 Hip-Hop
3. Work in progress
4. Semester Summary
5. Performances
1. Interactive Music
1.1 Aletheia
The two Aletheia performances were interesting in that I have never been in an improvisation ensemble of such a large size. Previously playing in improvisation ensembles ‘Crystal Voyager’ (3 piece), ‘Woodwose’ (3 piece), ‘Celestial excursions’ (3piece), ‘Bury the Heard’ (3 piece) and ‘Dinner with the Pharoah’ (duo) I found that the larger ensemble required a much more subtle approach and leant more on light textural playing and played less often to try to influence the density and movement of the performance. Compared to my smaller improvisational ensembles where there is less chance of new material springing up and a more engaging playing style can more easily persuade the music in new directions I found Aletheia required a more intimate contribution bor fear of too many ideas being introduced and effecting the form and natural evolution of the piece.
1.2 Arduino
Simple Laser Harp.
Our groups initial aspiration was to build a fire breathing animatronic pony based off of the frame of fur-real friends pony. Unfortunately we were unable to source the pony despite some weeks of effort so we settled on a simple laser harp. The first problem we encountered was the availability of a laser, recent laws making them difficult to acquire. Fortunately I was able to source one from WAAPAs lighting department. Despite the projects simple nature and components we were unable to source the components from 2 separate electronics stores and had to make some substitutions including using an unfamiliar breadboard which may be the source of our problem. The instructions we are following were so simple that they included step by step photographs but no circuit diagrams so we were unable to physically solder the project ourselves. The only breadboard available was one of a different nature to the one supplied in the photograph thus we have had to experiment with the patching and as of yet have been unsuccessful.
2. Collaborations
2.1 City of Perth Easter Passions Play
City of Perth Easter Passions Play. This play was underscored by myself and Timothy How for a four piece ensemble consisting of piano, electric guitar, percussion and saxophone. We worked from a script and focused largely on effects and drones to compliment the movement and narrative occurring on stage. At times we also worked on mimicry to emulate pop culture references such as the star wars theme and Hallelujah chorus. A large part of my role was creating live foley for the action on stage as well as designing effects for the guitar parts. Our approach sometimes had to be quite minimalistic as the amateur theatre company some difficulty coordinating movement to the music. In the end we functioned to add a layer of depth to the shows final presentation.
2.2 Art Collaboration with Jason Dirstein
Jason was working on a piece focusing on sensory deprivation followed by charcoal drawing in a room with the floor and walls covered by paper. This was filmed from the ceiling with a go pro camera. During his initial meditation he was listening to brown noise for several hours. I was asked to use brown noise to start the piece and try to capture the sense of sensory deprivation. I began by using brown noise and gradually began blending in the sound of charcoal scratching on paper focusing on hard panning as well as the crisp crackling of dying embers in a slow combustion fire. I decided that when the charcoal scratching was introduced that the brown noise sounded too static and more like interference rather than a coherent part of the piece so I began panning it from right to left in a consistent pattern to add some textural interest to this part. To add another dimension to the sound I added some triangle notes, heavily gated, compressed and with some light distortion to obscure its identity as an instrument.
I added some temple bowl notes treated in the same way as the triangle part panning the different pitches apart adding delays and using extended techniques to add more variety to the colour field.
At this same time I gated some sine waves to the hard panned left and right scratching and added distortion to add to the lower end of the presented sound frequency spectrum. The pitches, originally played at 40hz and 60hz though I then deliberately de-tuned this to avoid harmonic association as I wanted this to remain a noise based piece. The piece then breaks down layer by layer to its conclusion. The piece was made to be listened to in headphones as that was the original presentation plan.
Student No: 10178746
Bachelor of Music (composition and music technology)
Second Year
Edith Cowan University
Semester 1-2014
1. Interactive Music
1.1 Aletheia
1.2 Arduino
2. Collaborations
2.1 Easter Passions Play
2.2 Artist Jason Dirstein
2.3 Lighting department
2.4 Sam Gillies
2.5 Hip-Hop
3. Work in progress
4. Semester Summary
5. Performances
1. Interactive Music
1.1 Aletheia
The two Aletheia performances were interesting in that I have never been in an improvisation ensemble of such a large size. Previously playing in improvisation ensembles ‘Crystal Voyager’ (3 piece), ‘Woodwose’ (3 piece), ‘Celestial excursions’ (3piece), ‘Bury the Heard’ (3 piece) and ‘Dinner with the Pharoah’ (duo) I found that the larger ensemble required a much more subtle approach and leant more on light textural playing and played less often to try to influence the density and movement of the performance. Compared to my smaller improvisational ensembles where there is less chance of new material springing up and a more engaging playing style can more easily persuade the music in new directions I found Aletheia required a more intimate contribution bor fear of too many ideas being introduced and effecting the form and natural evolution of the piece.
1.2 Arduino
Simple Laser Harp.
Our groups initial aspiration was to build a fire breathing animatronic pony based off of the frame of fur-real friends pony. Unfortunately we were unable to source the pony despite some weeks of effort so we settled on a simple laser harp. The first problem we encountered was the availability of a laser, recent laws making them difficult to acquire. Fortunately I was able to source one from WAAPAs lighting department. Despite the projects simple nature and components we were unable to source the components from 2 separate electronics stores and had to make some substitutions including using an unfamiliar breadboard which may be the source of our problem. The instructions we are following were so simple that they included step by step photographs but no circuit diagrams so we were unable to physically solder the project ourselves. The only breadboard available was one of a different nature to the one supplied in the photograph thus we have had to experiment with the patching and as of yet have been unsuccessful.
2. Collaborations
2.1 City of Perth Easter Passions Play
City of Perth Easter Passions Play. This play was underscored by myself and Timothy How for a four piece ensemble consisting of piano, electric guitar, percussion and saxophone. We worked from a script and focused largely on effects and drones to compliment the movement and narrative occurring on stage. At times we also worked on mimicry to emulate pop culture references such as the star wars theme and Hallelujah chorus. A large part of my role was creating live foley for the action on stage as well as designing effects for the guitar parts. Our approach sometimes had to be quite minimalistic as the amateur theatre company some difficulty coordinating movement to the music. In the end we functioned to add a layer of depth to the shows final presentation.
2.2 Art Collaboration with Jason Dirstein
Jason was working on a piece focusing on sensory deprivation followed by charcoal drawing in a room with the floor and walls covered by paper. This was filmed from the ceiling with a go pro camera. During his initial meditation he was listening to brown noise for several hours. I was asked to use brown noise to start the piece and try to capture the sense of sensory deprivation. I began by using brown noise and gradually began blending in the sound of charcoal scratching on paper focusing on hard panning as well as the crisp crackling of dying embers in a slow combustion fire. I decided that when the charcoal scratching was introduced that the brown noise sounded too static and more like interference rather than a coherent part of the piece so I began panning it from right to left in a consistent pattern to add some textural interest to this part. To add another dimension to the sound I added some triangle notes, heavily gated, compressed and with some light distortion to obscure its identity as an instrument.
I added some temple bowl notes treated in the same way as the triangle part panning the different pitches apart adding delays and using extended techniques to add more variety to the colour field.
At this same time I gated some sine waves to the hard panned left and right scratching and added distortion to add to the lower end of the presented sound frequency spectrum. The pitches, originally played at 40hz and 60hz though I then deliberately de-tuned this to avoid harmonic association as I wanted this to remain a noise based piece. The piece then breaks down layer by layer to its conclusion. The piece was made to be listened to in headphones as that was the original presentation plan.
2.3 Lighting Department
A brief experimental collaboration was done with the lighting department focusing on percussion improvisation and lighting interaction. A large electroacoustic percussion set-up was constructed including a large drum set, marimba, orchestral bass drum and auxiliary percussion. The bass drum was lit strongly from behind to produce a silhouette while the clear tom skins where lit with warm colours from underneath. The marimba was lit strongly from underneath to create beams from between the bars in fog and strobing was introduced to reflect building tension in the improvisation and and the piece concluded with bathing reds and golds throughout a feedback section consisting of running sound through the bass drum and tam-tam into microphones, through effects and back out the speakers. This came together in an incredibly short time period (less than a week from the pieces original conception to its current state.) It was lit by Brayden Daniels, Alex Woodmansy and Tim Baker, recorded by Kyle Long and filmed by Josh Wells. The musical performance features feedback loops created with my desk and pedal set-up that I have become comfortable using over the last year or so.
A brief experimental collaboration was done with the lighting department focusing on percussion improvisation and lighting interaction. A large electroacoustic percussion set-up was constructed including a large drum set, marimba, orchestral bass drum and auxiliary percussion. The bass drum was lit strongly from behind to produce a silhouette while the clear tom skins where lit with warm colours from underneath. The marimba was lit strongly from underneath to create beams from between the bars in fog and strobing was introduced to reflect building tension in the improvisation and and the piece concluded with bathing reds and golds throughout a feedback section consisting of running sound through the bass drum and tam-tam into microphones, through effects and back out the speakers. This came together in an incredibly short time period (less than a week from the pieces original conception to its current state.) It was lit by Brayden Daniels, Alex Woodmansy and Tim Baker, recorded by Kyle Long and filmed by Josh Wells. The musical performance features feedback loops created with my desk and pedal set-up that I have become comfortable using over the last year or so.
2.4 Sam Gillies Improvisation
I was asked to play background music at a mental health and well-being expo for 3 hours, after 2 saxophonists and a guitarist couldn’t make it (intending to do a drum-kit duo improvisation) I asked Sam and he said yes. I decided to use marimba as my main instrument so I brought it along with my electro acoustic set-up and some small percussion. We set up so that Sam could take any of my raw, effects or loop channels for electronic processing and he used his cycle~440 patches on them. We tried several approaches in different tonal systems, sometimes building beats and using set tempos and other times completely free.
2.5 Hip-Hop
After some whimsical pursuit into hip-hop I received some interest from Perth producer ‘Dazastah’ who has previously worked with Layla SBX, Downsyde and others. The concept for the album tells the story of an extra-terrestrial coming to earth in search of an allied species to assist with the defence of his home planet from an enemy alien invasion in pursuit of resources. The album breaks different chapters of the story into different tracks referencing my musical roots in multiple styles. One of my biggest influences in hip-hop the ‘Constructus Corporation’ and Watkin Tudor Jones make reference to great black butterflies and a butterfly butcher suit. Another influence I will be referencing is Arnold Schoenberg in one song we will be sampling Mondestrunken. A poem from the cycle Pierrot Lunaire, the original text also references giant black butterflies blocking out the sun. I plan on referencing these lyrics and using the strong imagery they create, augmenting it with my own ideas and aspects that I think will enhance it’s new graphic nature through use of strong descriptive language which is a new goal for me. The album follows the alien from the initial invasion of his home planet using foley effects that people are familiar with like subtly mixing in iphone and game console controller vibrations to try and suggest a presence of actual vibrations. Delivered from a first person perspective it will utilize classical techniques such as Wagners abstinence from harmonic resolution in ‘Tristian and Isolde’ to carry the sense of tension. The alien comes to earth with no idea of the hierarchy of species so he begins conversation with all manner of life and discusses philosophies of the universe with creatures like ants and what their perception of the universe might be like. We see the alien find a skin and journey earth experiencing human behaviour and ideas for the first time as a developed and mature being with no pre-existing associations with our ideas of right and wrong.
3. Works in progress
Recital semi-graphic score
A piece based on the score style of my 2nd year electro acoustic piece, this piece is utilizes a linear, time based score for piano, double bass, saxophone, electronics and walking on broken glass. The piece uses a fragmented and reharmonized version of a bass line that will re-appear as a contemporary classical piece later on in the show which was based on a piano piece I wrote last year though it will be expanded for the ensemble and extended. The semi graphic score will have traditional notation written as fragments to play at specific time points and graphic parts to express what cannot be written in traditional notation, specifically the textural glass part. It aims to be visually striking so I decided on a large A2 size for the score as well as adopting the ‘kiki and bubu’ principal for the graphic notation.
I was asked to play background music at a mental health and well-being expo for 3 hours, after 2 saxophonists and a guitarist couldn’t make it (intending to do a drum-kit duo improvisation) I asked Sam and he said yes. I decided to use marimba as my main instrument so I brought it along with my electro acoustic set-up and some small percussion. We set up so that Sam could take any of my raw, effects or loop channels for electronic processing and he used his cycle~440 patches on them. We tried several approaches in different tonal systems, sometimes building beats and using set tempos and other times completely free.
2.5 Hip-Hop
After some whimsical pursuit into hip-hop I received some interest from Perth producer ‘Dazastah’ who has previously worked with Layla SBX, Downsyde and others. The concept for the album tells the story of an extra-terrestrial coming to earth in search of an allied species to assist with the defence of his home planet from an enemy alien invasion in pursuit of resources. The album breaks different chapters of the story into different tracks referencing my musical roots in multiple styles. One of my biggest influences in hip-hop the ‘Constructus Corporation’ and Watkin Tudor Jones make reference to great black butterflies and a butterfly butcher suit. Another influence I will be referencing is Arnold Schoenberg in one song we will be sampling Mondestrunken. A poem from the cycle Pierrot Lunaire, the original text also references giant black butterflies blocking out the sun. I plan on referencing these lyrics and using the strong imagery they create, augmenting it with my own ideas and aspects that I think will enhance it’s new graphic nature through use of strong descriptive language which is a new goal for me. The album follows the alien from the initial invasion of his home planet using foley effects that people are familiar with like subtly mixing in iphone and game console controller vibrations to try and suggest a presence of actual vibrations. Delivered from a first person perspective it will utilize classical techniques such as Wagners abstinence from harmonic resolution in ‘Tristian and Isolde’ to carry the sense of tension. The alien comes to earth with no idea of the hierarchy of species so he begins conversation with all manner of life and discusses philosophies of the universe with creatures like ants and what their perception of the universe might be like. We see the alien find a skin and journey earth experiencing human behaviour and ideas for the first time as a developed and mature being with no pre-existing associations with our ideas of right and wrong.
3. Works in progress
Recital semi-graphic score
A piece based on the score style of my 2nd year electro acoustic piece, this piece is utilizes a linear, time based score for piano, double bass, saxophone, electronics and walking on broken glass. The piece uses a fragmented and reharmonized version of a bass line that will re-appear as a contemporary classical piece later on in the show which was based on a piano piece I wrote last year though it will be expanded for the ensemble and extended. The semi graphic score will have traditional notation written as fragments to play at specific time points and graphic parts to express what cannot be written in traditional notation, specifically the textural glass part. It aims to be visually striking so I decided on a large A2 size for the score as well as adopting the ‘kiki and bubu’ principal for the graphic notation.
TV wall installation instrument
A visually striking noise generator in which a wall of old vacuum televisions is constructed with a strong magnet on rope clattering across the glass controlled by a motor. The magnet affects the RGB colour display and leaves rainbow coloured distortion in the static where it has been in a very liquid fashion.
Recital layout
Skeletons for other recital pieces exist in their basic forms, enough so for me to begin deciding how I wish to occupy the space (currently the Chrissy Parrot space). Several home built, noise generating instruments are planned like the TV wall above as well as smaller sculptural instruments. The goal is to visually dramatic and engaging, I have been in contact with the lighting department and plans are in place to swing light globes across the space and electronically manipulate the sound of them smashing on surfaces as well as dramatic lighting in other aspects of the performance. A large number of cymbals will be suspended from the ceiling as well as a number on stands with rope going from the top of them on an angle to a single fixed point, reminiscent of blood spatter analysis research.
Cymatic Gong piece
I am looking at performing a multi percussion piece centred around a tam-tam, lying flat on its playing surface on top of a speaker playing sounds through the instrument with a substance in the gong to respond visually to the sound played by the speaker. I am considering different substances in the gong like salt, rice and small bearings to try and achieve different amounts of noise generation to make the piece more conducive to a unified reason between the visual and audio aspects of the piece. The piece will also contain physical playing of the tam-tam as well as other small gongs and cymbals around the set up. One concern I am having is the visual presentation of the piece as the cymatics would be obscured from a medium sized or seated audiences view. I am considering use of a camera for this.
A visually striking noise generator in which a wall of old vacuum televisions is constructed with a strong magnet on rope clattering across the glass controlled by a motor. The magnet affects the RGB colour display and leaves rainbow coloured distortion in the static where it has been in a very liquid fashion.
Recital layout
Skeletons for other recital pieces exist in their basic forms, enough so for me to begin deciding how I wish to occupy the space (currently the Chrissy Parrot space). Several home built, noise generating instruments are planned like the TV wall above as well as smaller sculptural instruments. The goal is to visually dramatic and engaging, I have been in contact with the lighting department and plans are in place to swing light globes across the space and electronically manipulate the sound of them smashing on surfaces as well as dramatic lighting in other aspects of the performance. A large number of cymbals will be suspended from the ceiling as well as a number on stands with rope going from the top of them on an angle to a single fixed point, reminiscent of blood spatter analysis research.
Cymatic Gong piece
I am looking at performing a multi percussion piece centred around a tam-tam, lying flat on its playing surface on top of a speaker playing sounds through the instrument with a substance in the gong to respond visually to the sound played by the speaker. I am considering different substances in the gong like salt, rice and small bearings to try and achieve different amounts of noise generation to make the piece more conducive to a unified reason between the visual and audio aspects of the piece. The piece will also contain physical playing of the tam-tam as well as other small gongs and cymbals around the set up. One concern I am having is the visual presentation of the piece as the cymatics would be obscured from a medium sized or seated audiences view. I am considering use of a camera for this.
3. Other Works
3.1 Pistillum
An electro acoustic piece consisting of a splash cymbal on a record player as a bright, lush noise generation as well as electronic manipulation of rocks being crushed into a microphone for electronic manipulation as well as extended techniques and electronic manipulation on temple bowls. The piece also contains a short no input feedback section to bridge the piece and add colour while assisting the form.
3.1 Pistillum
An electro acoustic piece consisting of a splash cymbal on a record player as a bright, lush noise generation as well as electronic manipulation of rocks being crushed into a microphone for electronic manipulation as well as extended techniques and electronic manipulation on temple bowls. The piece also contains a short no input feedback section to bridge the piece and add colour while assisting the form.
3.2 Dinner with the Pharaoh
I have been experimenting with Amy Salter on Saxophone in creating very aggressive freeform electro-acoustic ‘terror’ jazz. Playing with my usual electro acoustic setup on drum-kit, marimba and saxophone I can route individual components through the set-up for an altered sound. When we began we had a very hard sound, using distortions and stark modulation effects while playing hard and fast in odd and changing time signatures. While we still love the sound we initially produced we have been consciously trying to pull back into softer sounds swapping out a snare for a woodblock and adding lush reverbs and deep modulations to it and the kick drum while giving Amy large delays so she can layer lush chords build a warmer calmer wall of sound to envelop the listener more gently.
I have been experimenting with Amy Salter on Saxophone in creating very aggressive freeform electro-acoustic ‘terror’ jazz. Playing with my usual electro acoustic setup on drum-kit, marimba and saxophone I can route individual components through the set-up for an altered sound. When we began we had a very hard sound, using distortions and stark modulation effects while playing hard and fast in odd and changing time signatures. While we still love the sound we initially produced we have been consciously trying to pull back into softer sounds swapping out a snare for a woodblock and adding lush reverbs and deep modulations to it and the kick drum while giving Amy large delays so she can layer lush chords build a warmer calmer wall of sound to envelop the listener more gently.
3.3 Ephemeral
Last year’s performance of ephemeral in the spectrum gallery led to a video of the work being played on the big screen at the Perth cultural centre in Northbridge.
Last year’s performance of ephemeral in the spectrum gallery led to a video of the work being played on the big screen at the Perth cultural centre in Northbridge.
6. Semester Summary
I feel this semester that I have branched out more intellectually then before where my compositional process has been more organic whereas now I am more consciously dissecting my own work and employing devices to achieve certain results. While I do not think this will replace my organic approach all the time it is sometimes helpful to think about composition in this manner. I have also been involved with other people in other areas more where we share a creative goal but do not cross each other’s paths to achieve this, rather we approach the same goal along two different paths which complement one another. I also feel that I am taking aspects of my work seriously in a different kind of way, rather than glossing over aspects of work and humouring them for fear of being melodramatic or cheesy, I am confronting them in a serious manner and finally feel that I have enough integrity to successfully full it off. This emotional vestment in my work has also led me to question the legitimacy of a composer’s emotion in music, in conjunction with my recent analytical approach to composition it seems to align with Stravinsky’s views that a composer could not express themselves through music, rather learned a musical association to an emotion through exposure and trial, then rephrased it.
I feel this semester that I have branched out more intellectually then before where my compositional process has been more organic whereas now I am more consciously dissecting my own work and employing devices to achieve certain results. While I do not think this will replace my organic approach all the time it is sometimes helpful to think about composition in this manner. I have also been involved with other people in other areas more where we share a creative goal but do not cross each other’s paths to achieve this, rather we approach the same goal along two different paths which complement one another. I also feel that I am taking aspects of my work seriously in a different kind of way, rather than glossing over aspects of work and humouring them for fear of being melodramatic or cheesy, I am confronting them in a serious manner and finally feel that I have enough integrity to successfully full it off. This emotional vestment in my work has also led me to question the legitimacy of a composer’s emotion in music, in conjunction with my recent analytical approach to composition it seems to align with Stravinsky’s views that a composer could not express themselves through music, rather learned a musical association to an emotion through exposure and trial, then rephrased it.
7. Performances.
Solo: Artifactory Perth 29th of December Dinner With the Pharaoh: The Ellington 2014 Wednesday nights March and April Celestial Excursions: The Velvet Lounge Friday 28th of March Defying Gravity: Fremantle Arts Center, Friday 28th of March Defying Gravity: "Fiesta", MA on campus at WAAPA Tuesday 29th of April, 1:00pm matinee Thursday 1st of May, 7:30pm Friday 2nd of May " Saturday 3rd of May " Resonator: The Great War, MA on campus at WAAPA Bury the Heard: The Rosemount Hotel Wednesday 7th of May Thursday 22nd of May Sam Gillies and Matthew Lyall Cole: Armadale Town Hall Tuesday 27th of May Aletheia: Sound Spectrum Soundflower Studios Defying Gravity: MA on campus at WAAPA Thursday 9th of June |