The 12 Bar Blues Array: How to get Guitarists Playing Solos and Code (original) (raw)

Technology continues to change the nature of musical performance, with performers using more extensive audiovisual set ups within live shows, and a number of innovative platforms such as the mi.mu Gloves and ReacTable. There is also evidence that, in some instances a least, audience members consider augmentations to the performance experience (e.g. lighting, lasers and multimedia installations) to be as important as the music. However, despite the number and significance of artists exploring these processes, the majority of undergraduate music performance programmes do not cover the artistic and technical prerequisites needed for participation in these areas. This area needs to be more fully considered by academic provision, and a generation of artist-coders developed, if the currently substantial chasm between popular music education and audio/audiovisual coding is to be bridged. This paper presents the FD Library, a Pure Data visual programming library that aims to get conventional performance and production students coding and performing. This library currently forms a fundamental part of a Music Performance Technologies Foundation Degree programme. Through this library, students with no prior visual programming experience can create digital signal processing devices and/or innovative musical interfaces and instruments. The FD Library adopts a high level abstraction to the following topics: simple sequencing, basic sound generation, graphical principles (basic shape creation, colours, X/Y plots), and a basic use of input devices (mouse/MIDI keyboard/QWERTY keyboard/webcam). Regarding innovative musical applications specifically, the FD Library currently offers the potential for degree students to create sound effects processors, visualisation performance tools (including interactive graphics), implement novel synthesis design mechanisms as well as undertaking original means to emcompasses human interface devices in performance and instrument design. Fundamentally, the high abstractive nature of the FD Library is enabling the typical music student the chance to enter the coding and performance arenas sequentially. For the purpose of evaluating the library, current student progress with the library has been monitored over a three month period. Initial findings of this longitudinal study are presented, and some possibilities for future work are discussed. Current results are encouraging and thus arguably demonstrate an innovative approach to future undergraduate curriculum design and implementation.