Experimental Music
Myers Beaird
MUSC109: Intro to Experimental Music
Final Exam/Response Question
Fall 2013
In the words of John Cage, “I compose music. Yes, but how? I gave up making choices. In their place I put the asking of questions.” Just having performed John Cage’s Musicircus, I found it only fitting to relate my own piece to the excerpt above. What questions did I have prior to developing the piece? I was curious about the sounds that could be created if I were to amplify the situation of shaving my facial hair. How did these questions change over the course of developing my piece? I realized I could use different types of razors- both standard and electric- and was curious about the variation in the sounds from the different razors. And how did these questions evolve through the course of the actual Musicircus performace? I was simply curious what the audience was experiencing when viewing and hearing my piece. My responses to these three questions are simple, but within their simplicity lies the ironic and interesting phenomena of Experimental music- complexity and variation within simple ideas and situations. During the course of developing and performing my Musicircus piece, I sought to find place and context for my piece within the identify of Experimental music. From exploring the 10 different aspects of Experimental music, the Experimental concepts of processes and systems, and evaluating various quotes and ideas from influential composers, I found a comfort and context for my own piece- Close Encounters of the Quattro Kind.
When seeking identity and context of my own piece within the Experimental music framework, I first referenced the 10 aspects or general characteristics of Experimental music (Matthusen, Lecture 9/5). Did my piece start from scratch? Yes, it does not get more basic then natural facial hair. Did my piece seek to discover/test something? Yes, the different sounds that could amplified when shaving. Did my piece incorporate the use of
MUSC109: Intro to Experimental Music
Final Exam/Response Question
Fall 2013
In the words of John Cage, “I compose music. Yes, but how? I gave up making choices. In their place I put the asking of questions.” Just having performed John Cage’s Musicircus, I found it only fitting to relate my own piece to the excerpt above. What questions did I have prior to developing the piece? I was curious about the sounds that could be created if I were to amplify the situation of shaving my facial hair. How did these questions change over the course of developing my piece? I realized I could use different types of razors- both standard and electric- and was curious about the variation in the sounds from the different razors. And how did these questions evolve through the course of the actual Musicircus performace? I was simply curious what the audience was experiencing when viewing and hearing my piece. My responses to these three questions are simple, but within their simplicity lies the ironic and interesting phenomena of Experimental music- complexity and variation within simple ideas and situations. During the course of developing and performing my Musicircus piece, I sought to find place and context for my piece within the identify of Experimental music. From exploring the 10 different aspects of Experimental music, the Experimental concepts of processes and systems, and evaluating various quotes and ideas from influential composers, I found a comfort and context for my own piece- Close Encounters of the Quattro Kind.
When seeking identity and context of my own piece within the Experimental music framework, I first referenced the 10 aspects or general characteristics of Experimental music (Matthusen, Lecture 9/5). Did my piece start from scratch? Yes, it does not get more basic then natural facial hair. Did my piece seek to discover/test something? Yes, the different sounds that could amplified when shaving. Did my piece incorporate the use of