#83

imo what terrifies a conservative/judgy audience more than anything is unfamiliar sound, especially when performed by scruffy muso nerds. This type is especially offended by musicians who aren’t overtly emotional or engaging. Doesn’t matter whether you’re running introspective jazz standards on guitar or gazing blankly at a laptop, most people seem to expect a little musical theatre.

Probably more mileage in a thrift store costume raid than a few grand worth of modular if the aim is simply audience engagement…

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#84

More than 20 characters of gold.

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#85

Doesn’t matter whether you’re running introspective jazz standards on guitar or gazing blankly at a laptop

I have no idea what you’re talking abou…

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#86

and[quote=“Toaster, post:80, topic:1748”]
Use the tools you need to get the job done, by all means
[/quote]

it sounds like an artistic intent (which is fine by me)

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#87

Is equipment intent? I guess it can be.

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#88

lately, i’ve been thinking a lot about how audiences watch acousmatic performances.

a few months ago, my partner and i saw a really beautifully crafted ensemble set (playing a terry riley piece). modular rigs, just folks staring at boxes with rats nests of cables popping out. beautiful stuff. there was a piano player present as well, on an acoustic piano. because i’ve been entrenched in learning about modular synthesis and the types of sounds that different modules make, i was able to follow the 45 minute piece actively. really enjoyed myself.

my partner, however, was only able to engage through the piano player; not only was the pianist’s struggle to balance one headphone cup on his shoulder while repeatedly playing a single note SUPER compelling, but (more importantly) my partner already understood the cause-and-effect of playing piano. she walked in with that knowledge, much like i walked in knowing the cause-and-effect of the Doepfer rack’s repatching.

point is, she really disliked the event because it didn’t provide enough of an entry for folks who aren’t already initiated. it seems the band assumed that their audience would have either practiced listening to acousmatic sound or wouldn’t mind not knowing the relationship between what they hear and what they see. but if we (as artists) hope to grow our listeners rather than just celebrate our works among fellow musicians, then a more purposeful approach might be necessary.

this seems to be true of any music performance that doesn’t stick to “traditional” instruments. modulars, laptops, loop pedals – if an audience doesn’t already understand the ins and outs, it can all be magic to them. perhaps the best case scenario, with any acousmatic-leaning music, is to spike curiosity. to warmly invite folks into our performances, whether they’re done with a rack or a computer surrounded by controllers. if we’re performing live, asking others to participate in our work with us, it’s the most respectful thing we can do.

i’m curious if others feel this is as important and how you achieve it.

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#89

It’s been mentioned elsewhere on this forum before, but I always appreciated the way Edison would point a camera at his monome while using it, and projecting that view to the audience. I think a similar approach could really help with audience understanding of modular performances.

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#90

totally. the visibility is helpful for both laptop and modular performances. i don’t think anyone should be ‘dumbing down’ their work to make it ‘more approachable’, but i think there’s a direct correlation with how comfortable we can make an audience’s engaging with ‘weird’ sounds and how much further we can then push those audiences and ourselves.

edit: brian’s demo videos are the most compelling instrument performances i’d ever seen and fully opened the door for me.

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#91

I was reading this thread while listening to Xiu Xiu Plays The Music Of Twin Peaks and the whole thing metastasized into a desire to find new ways to fuse performance of music, really hamming up the drama of said music, and Bill Nye-esque technical education into one very weird way to play computer music… I will report back if this crystallizes into anything.

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#92

I was fortunate enough to get to attend a concert series like this at the University of Maryland back in the 1990’s - there were a couple of “performer and computer” pieces - a heavily-processed clarinet was a standout - but mostly it was empty stage, very-high-quality speakers, and that was it.

A very pure experience.

#93

We really need a Harry Partch of computer music, where the performance is as important as the piece.

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#94

I’ve listened to 21st century art music played on traditional acoustic instruments that was dead boring and impossibly inaccessible. It’s hard to leave the beaten track too far and not lose your audience. Leaving behind traditional instruments (given whatever tradition your audience has), is a step off the beaten track, but as others have pointed out, there are a lot of other dimensions to music that can engage if done well and alienate if done badly. And each listener comes with a different set of expectations about instrumentation, theatrics, and all other dimensions of the performance. So it’s an art.

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#95

I think someone should play a live show where they mirror their computer screen to a projector and then they press play on a piece and then browse the web, check
Email, Facebook etc and stare blankly at the screen while the piece plays in the background. Maybe wearing pyjamas.

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#96

I haven’t done that, but the last time I played live, the final song was generative. I pushed play and got in line for a beer.

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#97
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#98

Hah! Seen him last night. I played a couple slots before him and having had some gear issues during my set I was startled by the simplicity of his set, which involved basically “no gear” (except the pc of course). Though it was a little too abstract for my tastes, it was a very refreshing performance. Time to simplify!

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#99

I think the “performance” aspect of many of the monome videos I watched drew me into this community. There was something tangible about watching button presses and hearing the music.

I find a lot of modular videos leave me cold. I usually don’t “get” the relationship between the sound and what the artist is actually doing.

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#100

As an additional thought, could more powerful tablet PCs help? So at least they are flat on a stand/desk/table next to your gear rather than blocking you from the audience.

#101

A subtle difference? Not sure it’s worth buying a new computer for, but it’s not a bad idea if you needed a new one anyway.

#102

Definitely not worth spending money until the tech gets cheaper and more widely supported I think. I’ll be watching the surface studio with interest I think.