SECRETARIO(A) TÉCNICO

Orchestration is the selection of sonic elements for participa-

tion in the performance of musical thought. There is a unify- ing strength to establishing a fi xed ensemble of sounds and restricting any unsupportive sounds that do not belong to that ensemble. There are participants in the sonic ensemble that fulfi ll the traditional roles of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass performers. There is a predictable clarity to the voicing of an ensemble where the soprano and alto voices can move faster and can be stacked closer together than the tenor and bass voices. If you want the sound texture to get thick and muddy, then stack lower voices close together.

The process of musical expression has several steps. Sampling is a way of assembling a performance vehicle, an ensemble, a sonic palette. It is common and natural that in the process of sampling and the manipulation of samples, a melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic musical idea is discovered. These dis- coveries can be the seed of the organization, development, or expansion of the sonic resources. Manipulation of sampled sounds is one way of getting to know the full resources of the ensemble. Sound sampling, of itself, is not a fi nished composition. It is only a step in identifying the ensemble, exploring the features of an ensemble, and then participating in the performance of a musical idea.

You don’t really know the resources available inside a sound sample until you take it through all of the manipulations. Play it forward/backward, faster/slower, expanded/con- tracted, normal/inverted. The manual scrubbing of tape across the playback head can provide an interesting irregular speed aspect worth investigating. The alteration of direction of a short motifi c element can reveal some interesting rhyth-

Audio Sampling

mic and harmonic outcomes. The popularity of “scratching” a phonograph record, as practiced by current DJ artists, is a renewal of this historic practice and has revealed the worthy intrigue of this manipulation.

Let the sound samples inform you and inform the composi- tion through exploration and development. At times it is good to drift and wander through the resources—you might discover an intriguing element generated by a manipulated sample. The challenge is in deciding what to select from the inventory of sound samples that serve the composition best and what to leave out. Eventually you must create a plan and a prescription for the composition.

7.4 Musical terms

The artist can choose to use sampling to construct a single instrument, an ensemble of instruments, or a sonic environ- ment or soundscape. The use of sampling to construct an ensemble of sounds or to broaden the sonic palette for a musical composition or sound design does not change the basic interactions that occur in organized sound. The music community has found labels and descriptions for sonic ele- ments that have understandable functions in a composition. The following is proposed as a lexicon of common musical terms that can be applied to sound designs and non-tonal music. These terms can apply as well to abstract sonic envi- ronments or tonal music. They are discussed here to reinforce the observation that listeners relate to organized sound in predictable ways. It is helpful for this discussion to identify these characteristics as being horizontal if we are considering their progress through time and vertical if we are stopping time to evaluate relationships at a single point in time.

7.4.1 Melody

Melody is a horizontal element. It changes in pitch (frequency)

over a period of time. Typically it describes a single pitch row. The human mind has a unique ability to remember

Using Samples

melodic designs and melodies for long periods of time. Many cultures rely on melodic recognition and melodic memory for songs and chants important to religious or cultural history. The shortest recognizable pitch row of a melody is called the

motif. The motif can be an organizing element in a composi-

tion, and development of the motif can give listeners identifi - able references to the composer’s choice of form. In the sonata allegro form, the melodic intrigue is found in the presentation of a motif, the composer’s exploration and development of this material, and then a return to familiar ground: statement, departure, return or exposition, develop- ment, and recapitulation. In a fugue, the melodic intrigue is found in developing the motif in different voices, as a con- versation. There were rules for the construction of a fugue that became a popular intellectual exercise in the classical music period.

7.4.2 Harmony

Harmony is a vertical element. It denotes the association of

multiple pitches at a point in time. The musical terms conso-

nant and dissonant are useful for describing harmonies that

are pleasing or at rest, or harmonies that are displeasing or in motion. Patterns of dissonance and consonance in harmony can create tension/relaxation, motion/rest—in other words, they can also create rhythm. The harmonic progression is important in identifying a phrase.

7.4.3 Rhythm

Rhythm is a horizontal element, signifying the accents, beats,

or pulses occurring over time from patterns of tension and relaxation. Changes in amplitude, pitch, or texture can con- tribute to tension or relaxation, motion or rest.

7.4.4 Texture

Texture is a vertical element. It describes the choice of instru-

mentation that results in tone color. The individual waveform or complex waveform resulting from combinations of voices

Audio Sampling

contributes to a sonic texture. When viewed from the hori- zontal perspective, changes in texture can create tension and relaxation, and thus rhythm. Additional observations about texture are offered in Section 7.8.

7.4.5 Motif (or motive)

Motif (or motive) is a horizontal element and designates the

shortest recognizable pitch row of a melody. Even sound- scapes can have an element that functions as a motif. This short, recognizable statement can be one of the primary orga- nizing features of a composition. It is the statement of this motif, and its evolution through the composition, that pro- vides melodic intrigue.

7.4.6 Phrase

A phrase is a horizontal element. It refers to a complete musical statement, or to the region of melodic or harmonic progres- sion that appears to come to rest or relaxation. It is similar to a sentence in grammatical construction.

7.4.7 Form

Form, a horizontal element, is a collection of phrases that

results in a complete musical thought. It is similar to a para- graph in grammatical construction. In musical and literary construction, there is logic to forms that utilize “statement— departure—return” or “exposition—development—recapitu- lation” as an organizing template. This is the musical form of

sonata allegro, which is widely used in pop songs and in clas-

sical music. There are other musical forms, such as the round and the fugue.

7.5 Compositional techniques

The development of motifi c (thematic) material is the real craft of the gifted composer. Following the manipulation of thematic materials becomes the intriguing journey for the listener.

Using Samples

Here are some of the traditional manipulations that com- posers utilize to develop melodic materials.