Also added is a basic idea of a visual effect I'd like to coordinate with the music.
On.A.Roll.
Prototype
Schedule Update
For Thursday:
1.
2.
4. Make array of notes for cycle of fifths (have all the numbers, just need to input code)
5. Code the different tempos, or note lengths-loudness/ tempo command (convenient)
--[3]
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is usually envisioned as a pair of helices, the sugar-phosphate backbones, winding around a common linear axis. In the famous model of Crick and Watson, one turn of the double helix occurs approximately every 10.5 base pairs.
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we'll round to 10, that's a nice round number, and hey base 10-the code of the code-1010
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7 comments:
Wow! You've been doing a lot of work! Way to go, and keep it up! Good presentation today too. I'd like to see how the music and philosophy of your idea really come together. I though Brixey (ie God...lol) had really good points. This is what I'm struggling with in my piece too. We should sit and chat about it over lunch muah! ^_^
Yeah, impressive work so far, figuring out all those technical widgets! You've definitely picked out a difficult project.
Well I caught you after class the other day, and we had a brief chat, but right here, right now I'm going to blast out all my thoughts on this, however useful they really are:
I think that in order for this to be really good you have to figure out how to transform the DNA information into something interesting. No matter what you do with the basic information that is there, it will probably be really boring if you just map it to a couple elements like pitch or rhythm, or simple visual elements like color, saturation, intensity, etc. Like I was saying earlier, the interesting thing about DNA is how it is expressed, not the information itself.
I think it would be great if you could find an analogy to the process of the expression of the DNA--find a way to transform that boring sequence of--what are they? petptides? hah, I forget my chemistry--into something complex and interesting.
I hope I'm not being too didactic or redundant here, but the idea of fractals has application here--fractals are, at their root, very simple mathematical expressions, but through self-reference and iteration, they become this highly complex mathematical beasts. Biological matter is like that--built out of hundreds of thousands and millions of similar elements that have been repeated and re-arranged into complex patterns which are still logically organized on both the microscopic and macroscopic level (OH NO ITS THE META MACRO SPACE).
If the way you express the information in the DNA doesn't have that sort of interest and complexity I think could possibly turn out to be not very profound. That's why we were suggesting that, if you use sound, you should think of some sort of abstract sound, or some sort of type of synthesis, instead of using a typical musical instrument. If you use a musical instrument sound, I think you'd have to find a way to make all kinds of miniscule alterations and modulations within that instrument's sound to truly convey the meaning you want.
That's the thing--if you can control many elements of a sound--its volume, its frequency/spectral content, whether the pitch is rising or falling, how distant or close it sounds, where it is panned in the stereo (or surround sound) field, the rhythmic distance that separates it from other sounds, the amplitude envelope (how quickly the voluem rises and falls), the musical pitch, even, and ALL of then--then the listener would get the sense of some sort of profound interconnection and unification present in the totality of the sound you were presenting--even if it wasn't specific what was creating that unity.
I think the same thing applies to visuals, if you go that route--all the different elements need to be structured and organized in reference to themselves and each other in a meaningful way, whether through color relationships, brightness, size, shape, or whatever.
Anyway, hope something there was useful. Best luck!
Hi Julia. It was really nice to talk to you after class; I didn't want to impose my ideas on you, or make you feel like your idea isn't fantastic, because it is! However, I got the impression that you do want some guidance or input, and so there were a few things I thought I'd put down on your blog.
Yesterday, you said you were waiting for me to say, "you can do anything." Well, here it is in writing. You can do ANYTHING. That includes any kind of noises and non-noises. Hire some old women to blink in rhythm, or arm some kids with whoopie cushions, or perhaps make the code correspond to IM messages or shutter speeds or muscle twitches or... I don't know, ANYTHING. There. You are not tied to typical instrumentation. In fact, as a non-musician, I would suggest you think yourself as LIBERATED from them.
"Typical" instruments are made to play music. They are evocative with centuries of musical history. This doesn't mean you can't use them, but if you are using a piano to play four notes with little to no rhythmic variation, you might want to think about what that is and why you're doing it.
Are you doing it because you feel you are supposed to? Because when you think of music, you think of a jazz trio with a piano, bass and drum kit? I get this feeling from you that reminds me of how I often feel, a hesitance to really just take the term "experimental" and run with it. Well the word is in our major, so I'm experimenting with letting that be permission enough. I humbly encourage you to go for it, and not to judge yourself in the brainstorming process.
So again. You're not a "musician," but you are certainly versed with sound in some way or another. Think about how that might be. What sounds are you familiar with? What do you like about the music you like?
And, while you can always return to "typical" music, leave it behind for a moment as you brainstorm about what you want the experience to be like. You have this method, and it's a fascinating one. So now, what do you want people to feel when they experience your piece? Even vaguely- do you want it to feel open? claustrophobic? Womb-like? Dizzy? Peaceful? Irritating? How might that translate?
And finally, if you still want to do music in this way, then do it, of-course. I remember you mentioning that you thought music was perfect because it's organized with all these rules just like DNA. That is a very astute and beautiful observation, but you aren't using the theoretical rules we use to organize Western music because you don't know them. I could give you a few bits of information that might help you choose your pitch material. And, I encourage you to play with some of the other "parts" of music if you can. This includes tempo, rhythm, tone color, etc.
Ok. Man. Sorry to bomb you. Especially after Fish just said he did. I just really love your project idea and talking to you yesterday, I got the sense that you were a little lost and wanted some advice. If you don't, then I'm sorry!!! Good luck with everything. I know this is just an experiment, and all of our projects will be much less than we originally hoped for them, but in that vein, use this time TO experiment with a medium you aren't familiar with. I really, really respect you for going to a place that you DO feel a little lost- that is awesome!!! That desire generally makes life and art much more interesting. Ok good luck!
I'm not going to add too much more, John and Alexis have said a lot of good stuff. I agree about adding something more to the dna info. I was surprised to find the sounds already mildly pleasant. Just kinda washed over you like a disjointed scale. Though it is good that this is filler.
I liked John's idea about the micro-macro fractal thing...somehow using that to effect the overall form, so you get a sense of movement not only through the circle of fifths, but an additional layer. Perhaps having it effect the quality of the sound, having that drive different textures maybe? I know you were worried about having an overly synthetic sound, but I think Alexis has a good point as well about exploring different stuff then traditional sounds. Sometimes the digital stuff when setup correctly can sound weirdly organic, even though it does not naturally occur.
Great job so far
I'm sure that your project has developed a lot since your prototype presentation, so my comments here should be read as more overarching, not specific to the prototype you demo-ed for the class:
Though the transcoding you've undertaken could easily stretch your research into genetics and music theory far beyond the impending presentation date, that doesn't mean your product two weeks from now won't be intriguing and beautiful.
I see John has cautioned you several times (a concern Shawn echoed) that the DNA sequence will seem essentially random at the level it is being read. But at the same time, teasing out a macrostructure of a gene strand and representing that whole musically would probably require a much more elaborate knoweldge of genetics than you or anyone in 202 has. Your decision to use T as a randomized note (within a given key), to my ears, actually promoted the illusion of an intelligent (compositional) design.
The link for point 3 of your "Schedule Update" (about geometrical structure of the gene strand) was interesting. Having read it, I must say that I was only familiar with the local structure and knew nothing of supercoiling, etc. I apologize if you feel at all that having followed my suggestion about mapping the helical structure to the repitition of octaves and the circle of fifths has lead you down a path of transcoding you feel may be too limited.
Extracting meaning out of the DNA strand (rather than an impression of randomness) is the ultimate goal of your project it seems and I think that using your visual element to help the audience arrive at this meaning has definitely been a good impulse.
hey! how's ur project coming along? any updates?
i think all the above people had really nice comments that could definitely provide inspiration for taking your project to greater heights. Personally, I think sound is a hard medium through which to communicate genetics simply because they are so disassociated in some people's minds. I remember us discussing a visual component, and I remember your prototype image example. Have you worked on the image further. One think I was thinking...your image, or at least part of your image, could be a "biomusical" score.
In your project, you are creating a musical interpretation of chromosomes, therefore you must have developed some sort of system. There is a system for coding of DNA, as well as a system for coding music. Both involve symbols that represent increments or individual parts. Why not put this to use? I think it would help the connection between music and biology. I think this could be a really nice and tangible addition to your project. It also lays the groundwork for future biological compositions and provides a language through which others may follow and compose if they wish!
aww... everyone covered anything i could possibly say. but hey, good job so far!! :)
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