Andrew Sorensen Keynote: "The Concert Programmer" - OSCON 2014

Summary

In this live coding musical performance, the artist creates a dynamic and interactive soundscape in real-time using live coding techniques. Blending electronic music with acoustic instruments, such as robotic pianos, synthesizers, and drums, the performance is a unique fusion of technology and music. The artist adjusts the music through recursive functions, harmonic progressions, and stochastic elements, allowing the composition to evolve unpredictably. The live interaction between coding and music demonstrates the creative possibilities of live coding as an art form, engaging the audience with a constantly shifting and evolving musical experience.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker has been engaged in live coding musical performances for the past 10 years.
• 🎶 Live coding concerts involve performing music by writing code in real-time, often with robotic instruments or digital synthesizers.
• 💻 The speaker uses programming to control acoustic robotic pianos and creates performances in various venues, from small clubs to larger venues.
• 🎹 The performance includes a duet with a colleague, Andrew Brown, where they program and manipulate the music live.
• 🔊 The concert is an interactive, experimental form of music blending digital and acoustic elements, with a focus on jazz piano and electronic music.
• 💡 A key technique used in the performance is temporal recursion, where the function calls itself to create looping music patterns.
• 🎶 The performance is structured using harmonic progressions, dynamic changes, and the creation of a right-hand arpeggiation pattern using set theory and scaling.
• 🎛 The live coding process includes adjusting parameters like volume, pitch, and duration to modify the music during the performance.
• ⚡ The speaker introduces various instrumental elements, such as basslines, synths, kick drums, and hi-hats, each with varying probabilities and randomized patterns.
• 🎚 At the end of the performance, the speaker gradually winds down the music, reducing layers and intensity to close the piece.
• 🎤 The speaker narrates and explains their process during the performance, offering insight into the live coding process, while also performing the music.

Q & A

What is the speaker's primary artistic practice?

The speaker's primary artistic practice is live coding musical concerts, where they perform by programming music in real-time in front of an audience.

What kind of venues does the speaker perform in?

The speaker performs in a variety of venues, ranging from small spaces to large ones, including both traditional and electronic music settings.

How does the speaker incorporate technology into their performances?

The speaker uses technology by programming robotic pianos and integrating digital tools in live coding performances, blending acoustic and electronic elements.

What is the specific performance setup mentioned in the transcript?

In the transcript, the speaker performs a duet with Andrew Brown, programming two robotic pianos to create an acoustic performance generated by a computer.

What genre is the music being performed in the transcript?

The genre of the music being performed in the transcript is jazz piano, though it incorporates both acoustic and electronic music elements.

What is the concept of 'temporal recursion' mentioned in the script?

Temporal recursion is a design pattern used in the live coding process, where a function calls itself to create a looping musical structure, playing a note and then calling itself again after a certain time.

What is the role of the root in the harmonic progression?

The root serves as the foundation of the harmonic progression, and its changes are programmed to occur on specific beats (e.g., the first beat of every second bar), influencing the overall musical structure.

How does the speaker manipulate the right hand in the music?

The right hand is manipulated using a cosine function to create an arpeggiated pattern, and it is quantized to a defined scale to ensure it fits harmonically with the rest of the music.

What is the purpose of the 'sparkly' synthesizer added to the performance?

The 'sparkly' synthesizer is added as a layer that mimics the right hand of the piano, playing a fifth of the note 40% of the time to create a shimmering effect on top of the other musical elements.

How is randomness used in the rhythm section of the performance?

Randomness is introduced in the rhythm section by using stochastic processes for the high hats, where a probabilistic element is introduced to create a natural variation in the rhythm.

What is the final part of the performance like?

The final part of the performance involves slowly deconstructing the piece, gradually removing elements while allowing the sound levels to decrease, ultimately leading to a quieter conclusion.