Maciunas' Learning Machines

Download or read book Maciunas' Learning Machines written by George Maciunas and published by Gilbert and Lila Silverman Fluxus Collection/V. This book was released on 2003 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Below the level of the musical note lies the realm of microsound, of sound particleslasting less than one-tenth of a second. Recent technological advances allow us to probe andmanipulate these pinpoints of sound, dissolving the traditional building blocks of music -- notesand their intervals -- into a more fluid and supple medium. The sensations of point, pulse (seriesof points), line (tone), and surface (texture) emerge as particle density increases. Soundscoalesce, evaporate, and mutate into other sounds.Composers have used theories of microsound incomputer music since the 1950s. Distinguished practitioners include Karlheinz Stockhausen and IannisXenakis. Today, with the increased interest in computer and electronic music, many young composersand software synthesis developers are exploring its advantages. Covering all aspects of compositionwith sound particles, Microsound offers composition theory, historical accounts, technicaloverviews, acoustical experiments, descriptions of musical works, and aesthetic reflections. Thebook is accompanied by an audio CD of examples.