Hello;
question about one of the issues that I obsess about with SC, I guess it’s because I come from the world of the classical tradition of tonal music, but I’m obsessed by it.
Nowadays I use formal schemes conditioned by numerical proportions of mathematics, e.g. Golden Ratio, Euclidean numbers, simple proportions, in short everything I can think of, but I haven’t found yet the perfect form that suits my needs. Since it is a fundamental part from my point of view of musical creation, and as far as I know I can’t find much information about it. I ask you what processes do you follow for your compositions. And any video or written source that explains these processes in algorithmic composition would be appreciated. Regards
I cannot say I am using it yet, but I am enjoying reading: The Geometry of Musical Rhythm: What Makes a “Good” Rhythm Good?, Second Edition, you can find a PDF of the first 15 pages here: https://cgm.cs.mcgill.ca/~godfried/publications/geometry-of-rhythm.pdfand the book itself here: The Geometry of Musical Rhythm: What Makes a "Good" Rhythm Good?, Second Edition (AK Peters/CRC Recreational Mathematics Series): Toussaint, Godfried T.: 9780815370970: Amazon.com: Books
Didn’t see that question back then. Agreed, form is one of the things often not discussed in the electronic domain. Having a classical background myself, I’m also very much interested in the topic. I think one of the reasons it’s so hard to go through it systematically is that the working processes with the computer can vary so widely. For that reason, general answers, particularly when based on formal ideas from the instrumental domain, are often not adequate.
On the positive side, with computers, we can test musical form empirically, which is a great chance! Finally, it’s all about judgment and trusting your ears. To check the formal consequences of an algorithmic idea, test it out. I’m sceptical about numerical proportions delivering a sustainable base for formal decisions. There’s nothing magical about the golden ratio or other numbers. They may work or not; their status primarily stems from their long tradition in art history.
I can briefly sketch how I appreciate form: I let it depend on the changes of timbre that are possible with specific setups. For critical parameters, one could define changes gradually or discretely. My favourite vehicles are Envelopes, within SynthDefs, or in combination with Patterns.
Although I had it in mind, I didn’t mention the term “form” in this thread’s post. For me, the selection of parameters for timbral control and the formal decisions are closely related. But of course, that’s just my choice.