Time to catch up...

DMSS5 Wk1

NIME = New Interfaces for Musical Expression (nime.org)

The aim of the module will be to ultimately create our own unique instrument and perform it (yay :( *sarcasm off*) for the class. I have a few ideas, but only time will tell if they are really possible; God knows I suck at these sort of modules.

Some interesting instruments seen in the first lab:

• Sonic Banana - bending a tube controlled the length of notes while pushing a button could change the pitch, Mr. Personality himself played it, what a legend :P
• Accordiatron - strange looking springy thing with buttons, was like playing with a slinky only it made eerie sounds - mimetic instrument

We came into the debate of whether something is to be classed as an instrument or a performance system, I suppose it helps with the whole developing our critical opinions arc

Discussed augmented instruments (one's that play by expanding our natural human limits), and talked about the importance of audience awareness and understanding, which really can be both mitigating and pushing factors in opinionising a performance.

As our first piece of homework (possibly in three yrs), we read a Perry Cook paper, which I will make a completely separate post about.

And guess who missed wk2 :(