Class Description.pdf

NEW INTERFACES for MUSICAL EXPRESSION Fall 2007 - Wednesdays 6:30-9:00pm Instructors: Gideon D’Arcangelo - gideon@ Jamie Allen - jamie@ Website: /nime/ Office Hours by Appointment: Friday 6:30-8:30 Class Description: The course will focus on the design and creation of digital musical instruments.? Music in performance is the primary subject of this class.?? We will approach questions such as What is performance?, What makes a musical interface intuitive and emotionally immediate? and How do we create meaningful cor- relations between performance gestures and their musical consequences?? Over the semester, we will look at many examples of current work by creators of musical interfaces, and discuss a wide range of is- sues facing technology-enabled performance - such as novice versus virtuoso performers, discrete ver- sus continuous data control, the importance of haptic responsiveness as well as the relationship between musical performance and visual display.? Extensive readings and case studies will provide background for class discussions on the theory and practice of designing gestural controllers for musical performance. Students will design and prototype a musical instrument - a complete system encompassing musical con- troller, algorithm for mapping input to sound, and the sound output itself.? A technical framework for proto- typing performance controllers will be made available.? Students will focus on musical composition and improvisation techniques as they prepare their prototypes for live performance.? The class will culminate in a musical performance where students (or invited musicians) will demonstrate their instruments. Grading Criteria: ? Punctual and regular attendance at class meetings ? Level of participation in class discussion ? Quality and timeliness of assignments ? Ability to collaborate responsibly with other classmates ? Creativity and inventiveness of final musical instrument prototype Recommended Texts: ? Tom Igoe Dan O’Sulliva