1. ICMC2008
Exploring New Composer/Performer
Interactions Using Real-time Notation
Chris McClelland Michael Alcorn
SONIC ARTS RESEARCH CENTRE
Queens University Belfast

2. Introduction
Many existing solutions for the composer
Composer
to manipulate the performers sound in
Live Electronics real-time
1
Score
Potential for composer to provide
RTN
instructions to the musician during
performance
Performer

3. Overview
Background & Motivation, Scenarios
Requirements of a Real-time Notation Environment
Existing Solutions
Components of a Real-Time Notation Environment
Composer Tools
✦
Networking & Interoperability
✦
Performer Display
✦
Display
✦
Pages
✦
eScore
Future Work

4. Motivation
New Compositional And Performance Practices
✦
Somewhere In The Middle Of Composition And Improvisation
✦
New Levels Of Interaction And Feedback
✦
Network Performance
✦

5. String Quartet, Live Electronics
& Real-time Notation
Composer
Live Electronics
Cello Violin 1
Viola Violin 2

7. Soloist, Sensors and Real-time Notation
Saxophone
Sensors
Mediator
Live Electronics
Piano
Drums

8. Network &
Audience Participation
Audience
Mediator NETWORK Trumpet
Live Electronics
N
ET
W
O
R
K
Sax Sax
Composer

9. Requirements of a Real-time notation
Environment
Composition Performer
• Interoperability • Display
• Networking • Networking
• Notation • Notation
server client

10. Existing Solutions & Examples
JMSL / MaxScore
Finale, Sibelius, Lilypond
Choloniewski, M. 2001 Didkovsky, N.
✦ ✦
The Bays, 2008 Hadju, G. 2007
✦ ✦
Baird, Kevin C. 2005
✦
LiveScore
Max/MSP, Jitter Wulfson, H., Barrett, G. D., and
✦
Winter, M. 2007
Winkler, G. E. 2004
✦
Active Notation System
Legard, P., Morgan, N., 2007
✦

11. Networking & Interoperability
Open Sound Control
YAML
Ruby

12. OpenSoundControl Hierarchy
/window
/page/1/
bx
/stave/1/
/note/1/
/page/2/
/stave/2/

13. Eg. OpenSoundControl Messages
/window 1400 720
1
/page/add 0 0 800 600
2
/page/add 800 0 800 600
/page/1/stave/add bass 20 100 200
3
/page/2/stave/add treble 20 100 200
/page/1/stave/0/note/add 61
/page/1/stave/0/note/0/dynamic sfz
4
/page/1/stave/0/note/0/remove
/page/1/event1
5

14. Scoring with YAML
“YAML is a human friendly data serialization
standard for all programming languages.”
Event 1
jete
Ev
event 1, Leave No Trace
Event 3
Even

15. Leave No Trace
YAML Score
/page/1/event1
/page/1/event1/pitch 86

16. Real-Time Notation with Ruby

17. Performer Display

18. Pages Display
✦ Preview, and Current area
✦ Read just like a paper score
✦ Composer/Computer will be building the preview area in advance
✦ Composer/Computer/Performer changes page
✦ Large compose time, dependent on page size and tempo

19. Scroll Display
✦ Can be problematic due to graphics becoming blurred when moving at fractions
of a pixel per frame.
✦ Larger chunks of material distracting.
✦ Alternative is to having a scrolling line indicating current position.
✦ This method lends itself to rhythmical material.
✦ composer must be composing slightly out of the peripheral vision.

21. Scatter Display
✦ Material sent immediately to the screen
✦ Response is as quick as the performer can react to the new position.
✦ Not all material is suited to this method of display
✦ improvisatory and shorter passages are more successful.
✦ The compose time is very short
✦ Leave No Trace fragments were generated and displayed in <10 ms

22. Scatter Display in Leave No Trace

23. eScore demo

24. Future Work
User based Studies
Workshop with 4-6 Composers
✦
Varied notation types
✦
Work with performers
✦
Audience and Network participation pieces
✦
Ownership
Large Scale Ensemble Work
End of Year Release
Mac OS X only
✦
Open Source
✦

25. Thank you
Questions?
Contact
c.mcclelland@qub.ac.uk
http://www.sarc.qub.ac.uk/~escore
http://www.realtimenotation.com/escore