Vectorial music
composition... isn't that a strange word in a musical
context? However, to my opinion, it is one of the most
promising concepts for software musical analysis, but also
for learning and experimenting music composition with the
help of a computer. So what is it exactly?
Let us first try a
direct definition of the concept: it is a music approach that
studies what influences and produces note sequences, as an
alternative to studying the notes themselves. Well, the
concept is not bright new. Everybody knows that a chord is a
concept that generates notes. But it takes a new dimension
with the use of computers. However, it is only found in
elementary form in most of today's music software, like
arpeggiators or harmonic progressions. Let us give some
examples of what we mean by this word "vectorial".
If you say to somebody
to build a small brick wall dividing your garden into two
parts, in fact you are speaking in terms of a
"vector". You communicate to him the concept of a
small brick wall and you tell him to start at the back of the
garden and to finish it in front of the house. With these
instructions and his knowledge of what a wall is, he can
build it. If he did not have any idea of what a wall is, you
could explain it by telling him to take one brick and put it
there, then take a second brick and place it next to it, then
the third one,... You would have given him the exact position
of each brick of the all construction.
Those of you who have
already used graphic software probably know that there are
two types of graphics. One of them is the "bitmap"
graphic, where you have a large grid of dots that you can
color to create forms and objects. If you want to draw a
line, you must color each point to form a line. The other
type of graphic is the vectorial graphic, where you place
predefined graphic shapes like rectangles, lines,
ellipses,... To move or resize an ellipse, you can drag its
borders. Their detailed forms (all the dots that must be
colored to produce its visual impression) are then computed
by the software automatically. In a bitmap graphic, when you
have an ellipse and you want to increase its size, you must
estimate the dots you must delete and the ones you must color
and it is not quite easy to do. It is quite difficult to
manipulate.
In this point of view,
most music software like notation software, MIDI and audio
sequencers work mainly on the "bitmap" principles
rather then the "vectorial" principles. As an
example, if you write an orchestral symphony, note by note,
listen to it and decide that measure 251 should have an A
minor chord instead of a D Major, you will have to change all
the notes of that measure to do the modification. It would
also be the case if you had recorded the orchestra in a
studio: the audio file would not permit you to perform the
change. You would need at least that the orchestra play that
passage again with the changed notes and you could try to
"copy/paste" the audio file to insert the
correction in the recording.
A vectorial approach
of the musical score would however permit to change the
"chord" object of measure 251 from D Major to A
minor and the notes of all instruments would be automatically
adjusted to satisfy the harmonic change. This would not
prevent the composer from modifying or adjusting the exact
way the notes are adapted, but it would not force him to do
it all by himself.
The vectorial method
is the description of the global concept that will permit to
derive all details. Often in an art form, it is not an
individual detail that creates the general impression, but
more an assembling of many details that will produce the
global organized impression. The principle of the
"musical vector" is to try to describe that global
structure so as to automatically derive each details that
will produce the global final impression.
With a vectorial
composition method, you could decide that a section of your
music "will contain 8 measures, it will progress
through such and such chords, on the basis of syncopation
between instruments, by moving globally one octave higher but
by several progressive back and forth movements. Strings will
first play and be followed by woodwinds, while brasses will
smoothly help to increase the volume. The passage must have a
global progressive volume increase and move from a legato
play to a staccato play. On the level of notes, an increasing
tension should be used so as to reach a high level tension
and suddenly release the tension so as to end on a peace
impression...".
By giving such a
description to 10 composers, you would probably get 10 very
different musical sections, but all would obey the
description. But imagine now that a software tool could help
you to refine that description in every detail, in such a way
that several composers would reach quite the same final
result. You would then have a real vectorial music
composition tool. You should no more need to work the note
details, but well the details of the form that the notes must
take once assembled and played.
Such a description
works on concepts. By software tools, these concepts may then
generate individual notes that, when played together, will
produce the desired global impression. This is vectorial
music composition. Very few software presently take advantage
of this music and composition vectorial approach. However,
Pizzicato Professional started in that direction many years
ago, paralleling the more conventional, standard,
"bitmap" approach of music notation and MIDI
sequencing.
The common denominator
of the music composition tools proposed by Pizzicato is that
it represents the musical discourse by various influences
that the user can manipulate to see (and also hear) sequences
of notes form themselves on the score, rather than giving the
user the direct responsibility of placing himself each individual
note.
What is in fact the
basic advantage of such a method for the beginner and the
professional?
If you gave the above
description of a music section to a beginner, it would
require from him an enormous work to assemble the notes that
could produce the required effect. He does not have methods,
knowledge and experience to help him build the notes
structure efficiently. However, with some imagination, a
creative beginner could create such description quite easily.
He could then express this description in a precise language
and almost instantly hear the sound results with the help of
a software tool. He can modify it easily and hear the impact
of the difference. The door of music creativity is then wide
open for him. He may engage himself in music composition, for
a full symphonic orchestra, even if he knows nothing about
music composition theory, orchestration, harmony,...
This does not mean
that he will at first compose a wonderful piece of music. He
will need to work his creativity, test, modify, arrange,
start again,... so as to acquire experience as well as his
own style. But at least the door is open and he will not need
to spend 10 years studying theory and getting lost - as many
do - and forget the original intention that was to create a
musical effect and to express himself with music. To have any
major success, in any area, you always need a high
determination and a considerable work. In our
"push-button" society, we tend to believe that it
is not the case, but people who have some success will tell
you this: they work hard!
Regarding the
professional, he will find in that kind of approach a new
creative urge. Being acquainted with composition techniques,
he will even better combine these tools and will imagine
applications that the beginner would never have thought
about. He will so be more productive and creative than ever.
Do you want to know
more about that kind of approach? Do you want to start
composing music, even without being a Master in harmony,
fugue and counterpoint?
Pizzicato does not
offer yet the ideal tools as described in this article, but
to several aspects, it gets closer and closer with each new
version since several years. It all starts at page:
http://www.arpegemusic.com/manual30/EN800.htm
But do not forget our
warning: you will have to work for it if you want to succeed.
It is not a push button system whereby you get a nice piece
of music that could accompany an Hollywood production. By the
way, who - except a simple-minded - would be really satisfied
to compose a piece of music just by pushing a button? The
neighbor's cat could have done the same by biting your
computer's mouse and there would be nothing personal to it.
Music composition
tools obey you, and you are the composer or ... the future
composer. At least this is what I wish you if you really
desire to be a composer deep inside yourself.
Dominique
Vandenneucker
Designer of Pizzicato.
The major
scale of C
The notes series
from C to C is called the major scale of C. Each note of
the scale is called a degree of the scale. The degrees
are numbered from 1 to 7 in Roman numerals (i.e. I to
VII). The last note being the same as the first (C), it
is also called "degree I". Here is the major
scale of C with its degrees:
As we have seen,
each one of these notes corresponds to a white key of the
keyboard. When a black key separates two notes, there is
one tone between these two notes and if there is no black
key between them, there is one half tone. The following
table shows the degrees of the scale with the tones and
half tones which separate them:
This succession of
values (1,1,1/2,1,1,1,1/2) characterizes the major scale.
In this example, the first note is C and it is thus the
major scale of C.
Tonality
This scale defines
a context of notes called the tonality of C major. A
musical excerpt written in C major uses only the notes of
the C major scale, i.e. the 7 notes here above, avoiding
the black keys located between them.
The principle of
tonality is thus to limit the usable notes at a given
moment in the musical discourse and in the same time
intensifying the influence of other notes. The most
significant degree in a scale is the first degree. In our
case, it is the C note. The musical discourse will use
this note as a point of reference.
The most
significant degrees in a tonality are degrees I, IV and
V. The musical sentences will be built by taking these
degrees as a foundation. They will often be found on the
strong beats of the measures. The musical sentences will
have a tendency to move towards the first degree of the
scale.
We will see that
12 different tonalities can be defined and used. Tonal
music is based on using a context of notes on which
melodies and chords are built. During a piece of music,
the context may change to another tonality. This
transition from one tonality to another is called a
modulation.
In theory, in a
tonal music work, it is possible to determine which
tonality is present at any place of the score.
Practically, this tonality system is a theoretical system
used to explain how composers use the notes which are at
their disposal to compose. This system is very helpful to
orient a composer through his first steps, but it should
not be regarded as a strict rule which one cannot
transgress.
All the rules you
will find in music are most of the time deduced from the
observation of what sounds well in the musical works. The
new composer will find in it a lot of interesting advices
that can be used by him as a guide to develop his taste
and musical inspiration. The error would then be to
regard these rules as absolute laws and not as simple
advices. When inspiration or taste indicates you another
path to follow, skip the composition rules !
Let us go back to
tonalities. The essence of classical music is based on
the use of tonality. Most modern variety music (rock,
jazz, disco, blues, funky…) are also based on
tonality. Most music consumed by our modern society is
thus tonal music.
There are of
course music styles that completely escape from tonality
and develop different composition systems. Contemporary
music creates new approaches of music, of sound and of
its notation. It is interesting to note that most
contemporary music composers are people who have a good
knowledge of the tonal system, its possibilities and
limits. It could then be considered as an evolution of
music towards other sound horizons. The point is to
communicate this music in such a manner that it will be
perceived and understood by most people. It will be the
only success test of a music: does it communicate
something which can be understood?
Let us see now how
other scales and tonalities are defined.