In order to gain further insight into technology as an improvisational tool I thought it would be a good idea to have some direct experience with a software that could do so. Using a generative software for composing music, called Nodal, I set about experimenting with different structures and the self generated improvisation that could arise from them.
Nodal utilises a network of nodes and edges, that refer to the connection between the nodes, in order to create a pathway for a musician to traverse. Using its parameters, such as time, pitch and velocity, one is able to create complex sequences that are ever changing, depending on how you link the nodes up. As the composition plays, we are able to alter the settings, setting new rules in place, changing the constraints within which the improivisation can exist. I found it a brilliant tool in which one could either go to for musical inspiration, but also be used as a means of exploring improvisation and music through different systems. An example i thought of would be the relation between geometry, shapes, music and rhythm as a fairly simple example in comparison to what it could be used for.
On the other hand, while a great tool for pushing the boundaries of music and improvisation, it didnt satisfy the spirtiual element of improvisation that I’d become accustomed to reading about when looking up non technological forms of improvisation, and led me to ask whether an eventual, hypothesised reliance on software for improvisation would have an adverse effect on our cognitive ability as human beings.
Nodal is generative software for composing music, interactive real-time improvisation, and a musical tool for experimentation and play. Nodal uses a new method for creating and exploring musical patterns, probably unlike anything you’ve used before. You can play sounds using Nodal’s built-in synthesiser or any MIDI compatible hardware or software instrument.
