Performing the Super Instrument:

The genre of contemporary classical music has seen significant innovation and research related to new super, hyper, and hybrid instruments, which opens up a vast palette of expressive potential. An increasing number of composers, performers, instrument designers, engineers, and computer programmers have become interested in different ways of “supersizing” acoustic instruments in order to open up previously-unheard instrumental sounds. Super instruments vary a great deal but each has a transformative effect on the identity and performance practice of the performing musician. Furthermore, composers can empower performers by producing super instrument works that allow the concert instrument to become an ensemble controlled by a single player. The existing instrumental skills of the performer can be multiplied and the qualities of regular acoustic instruments extended or modified. Such a situation provides the performer extensive virtuoso capabilities in terms of instrumental range, harmony, timbre, or spatial, textural, acoustic, technical, or technological qualities. The discussion will be illustrated by a composition case study involving augmented musical instrument electromagnetic resonator piano.

Content

Author and article information

Contributors

Maria Kallionpää

Conference

Publication date: July 2016

Publication date (Print): July 2016

Pages: 28-33

Affiliations

[1 ] Aalborg University

Department of Communication and Psychology, Musikkens Plads 1, 9000

Aalborg, Denmark

Article

DOI: 10.14236/ewic/EVA2016.7

SO-VID: e69ba356-5bd2-4b9a-954f-eac690058aa5

License:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Conference name: Electronic Visualisation and the Arts

Conference acronym: EVA

Conference number:

Conference location: London, UK

Conference date: 12 - 14 July 2016

Conference sponsor: Electronic Workshops in Computing (eWiC)

Conference theme: Electronic Visualisation and the Arts

History

Product

1477-9358 BCS Learning & Development

Self URI (article page): https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14236/ewic/EVA2016.7

Self URI (journal page): https://ewic.bcs.org/

REFERENCES

N. Awde 2008 Mellotron: The Machines and the Musicians that Revolutionised Rock Bennett & Bloom, UK
J. Banowetz 1985 The Pianist’s Guide to Pedaling Indiana University Press Bloomington, IN, USA
D. Bernstein 2002 Music I: to the 1940’s D. Nicholls Cambridge Companion to John Cage Cambridge University Press Cambridge, UK
S. Berweck 2012 It worked yesterday: On (re)performing electroacoustic music Doctoral Thesis. University of Huddersfield UK
B. Bloland 2011 The Electromagnetically-Prepared Piano and its Compositional Implications Proceedings of the Electroacoustic Music Studies Conference Sforzando! New York, NY, USA
J. Chadabe 1996 The History of Electronic Music as a Reflection of Structural Paradigms The Leonardo Music Journal 6 The MIT Press 41 44
J. Chadabe 1997 Electric Sound: The Past and Promise of Electronic Music Prentice Upper Saddle River, NJ
N. Cook 1990 Music, Imagination, and Culture Oxford University Press Oxford, UK
J. Demers 2010 Listening Through the Noise: The Aesthetics of Experimental Electronic Music Oxford University Press Oxford, UK
A. Dolge 1911 Pianos and Their Makers: A Comprehensive History of Development of the Piano Dover Publications New York, NY, USA
S. Emmerson 2012 Location - Dislocation -Relocation (“Where is Electronic Music?”). IV Seminário Música Ciência Tecnología: Fronteiras e Rupturas Sao Paulo, Brazil 02-04 July 2012 716
D. L. Harrel 1976 New Techniques in Twentieth Century Solo Piano Music: an Expansion of Pianistic Resources from Cowell to the Present DMA thesis. University of Texas Austin, TX, USA
E. Hämeenniemi 2007 Tulevaisuuden musiikin historia Basam Books Helsinki, Finland
J. Herbst Mellotron Mk Service Manual 5 ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://www.cem3374.com/docs/Manuals/Misc/Mello tron_MkII_SM.pdf">http://www.cem3374.com/docs/Manuals/Misc/Mello tron_MkII_SM.pdf 16 December 2014
R. Ishii 2005 The Development of Extended Techniques in Twentieth-Century American Music Doctoral Thesis. Florida State University College of Music. FL, USA
M. Kallionpää 2014 Beyond the Piano: the Super Instrument. Widening the Instrumental Capacities in the Context of the Piano Music of the 21st Century Doctoral Thesis. University of Oxford UK
M. Kimura 1995 Performance Practice in Computer Music Computer Music Journal 19 1 64 75
E. McNutt 2003 Performing electroacoustic music: a wider view of interactivity Organised Sound 8 3 297 304
A. McPherson 2010 The magnetic resonator piano: electronic augmentation of an acoustic grand piano Journal of New Music Research 39 3 189 202
A. McPhersonY. Kim 2010 Augmenting the acoustic piano with electromagnetic string actuation and continuous key position sensing Proc. NIME Sydney, Australia
A. McPherson 2012 Techniques and circuits for electromagnetic instrument actuation Proc. New Interfaces for Musical Expression Ann Arbor, MI, USA
H. Neuhaus 1958 The Art of Piano Playing KAHN AVERILL London United Kingdom 1998
The Edinburgh Literary Journal; Or, Weekly Register of Criticism and Belles Lettres 6 1831 ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://books.google.at/books?id=JnQAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA257">https://books.google.at/books?id=JnQAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA257 2 April 2016
K. A Saxon 2000 New Kaleidoscope: Extended Piano Techniques, 1910-1975. D.M.A. thesis. dissertation. University of Alabama AL, USA
L. D. Stafford 1978 A Study of Innovative Piano Technique in Published Works of Selected Composers from 1950-1975. D.A. thesis. Ball State University, IN
E. Schwartz 1989 Electronic Music: A Listeners Guide Da Capo Press New York, NY, USA

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] N. Awde 2008 Mellotron: The Machines and the Musicians that Revolutionised Rock Bennett & Bloom, UK

[2] J. Banowetz 1985 The Pianist’s Guide to Pedaling Indiana University Press Bloomington, IN, USA

[3] D. Bernstein 2002 Music I: to the 1940’s D. Nicholls Cambridge Companion to John Cage Cambridge University Press Cambridge, UK

[4] S. Berweck 2012 It worked yesterday: On (re)performing electroacoustic music Doctoral Thesis. University of Huddersfield UK

[5] B. Bloland 2011 The Electromagnetically-Prepared Piano and its Compositional Implications Proceedings of the Electroacoustic Music Studies Conference Sforzando! New York, NY, USA

[6] J. Chadabe 1996 The History of Electronic Music as a Reflection of Structural Paradigms The Leonardo Music Journal 6 The MIT Press 41 44

[7] J. Chadabe 1997 Electric Sound: The Past and Promise of Electronic Music Prentice Upper Saddle River, NJ

[8] N. Cook 1990 Music, Imagination, and Culture Oxford University Press Oxford, UK

[9] J. Demers 2010 Listening Through the Noise: The Aesthetics of Experimental Electronic Music Oxford University Press Oxford, UK

[10] A. Dolge 1911 Pianos and Their Makers: A Comprehensive History of Development of the Piano Dover Publications New York, NY, USA

[11] S. Emmerson 2012 Location - Dislocation -Relocation (“Where is Electronic Music?”). IV Seminário Música Ciência Tecnología: Fronteiras e Rupturas Sao Paulo, Brazil 02-04 July 2012 716

[12] D. L. Harrel 1976 New Techniques in Twentieth Century Solo Piano Music: an Expansion of Pianistic Resources from Cowell to the Present DMA thesis. University of Texas Austin, TX, USA

[13] E. Hämeenniemi 2007 Tulevaisuuden musiikin historia Basam Books Helsinki, Finland

[14] J. Herbst Mellotron Mk Service Manual 5 ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://www.cem3374.com/docs/Manuals/Misc/Mello tron_MkII_SM.pdf">http://www.cem3374.com/docs/Manuals/Misc/Mello tron_MkII_SM.pdf 16 December 2014

[15] R. Ishii 2005 The Development of Extended Techniques in Twentieth-Century American Music Doctoral Thesis. Florida State University College of Music. FL, USA

[16] M. Kallionpää 2014 Beyond the Piano: the Super Instrument. Widening the Instrumental Capacities in the Context of the Piano Music of the 21st Century Doctoral Thesis. University of Oxford UK

[17] M. Kimura 1995 Performance Practice in Computer Music Computer Music Journal 19 1 64 75

[18] E. McNutt 2003 Performing electroacoustic music: a wider view of interactivity Organised Sound 8 3 297 304

[19] A. McPherson 2010 The magnetic resonator piano: electronic augmentation of an acoustic grand piano Journal of New Music Research 39 3 189 202

[20] A. McPhersonY. Kim 2010 Augmenting the acoustic piano with electromagnetic string actuation and continuous key position sensing Proc. NIME Sydney, Australia

[21] A. McPherson 2012 Techniques and circuits for electromagnetic instrument actuation Proc. New Interfaces for Musical Expression Ann Arbor, MI, USA

[22] H. Neuhaus 1958 The Art of Piano Playing KAHN AVERILL London United Kingdom 1998

[23] The Edinburgh Literary Journal; Or, Weekly Register of Criticism and Belles Lettres 6 1831 ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://books.google.at/books?id=JnQAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA257">https://books.google.at/books?id=JnQAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA257 2 April 2016

[24] K. A Saxon 2000 New Kaleidoscope: Extended Piano Techniques, 1910-1975. D.M.A. thesis. dissertation. University of Alabama AL, USA

[25] L. D. Stafford 1978 A Study of Innovative Piano Technique in Published Works of Selected Composers from 1950-1975. D.A. thesis. Ball State University, IN

[26] E. Schwartz 1989 Electronic Music: A Listeners Guide Da Capo Press New York, NY, USA

Celebrating 65 years of The Computer Journal - free-to-read perspectives - bcs.org/tcj65

Performing the Super Instrument: : Reaching Beyond Technical and Expressive Capabilities