PotterDraw synesthesia: LCM

This video visualizes polymeter music using an object that periodically changes shape in multiple ways at once. The music features six percussion instruments, each in a different time signature, with each instrument mapped to a different type of shape modulation. The mappings in order of appearance are: Bass Drum in 2/4 to Radius, Clave in 3/4 to Scallop Depth, Conga in 7/4 to Bend Depth, Snare in 11/4 to Helix Amplitude, Closed Hat in 5/4 to Twist, and Clap in 6/4 to Polygon Roundness. The music is an excerpt of "LCM" from my "More Than Four" album, available on Chapelle XIV. The shape morphing was done in PotterDraw, a software I created for designing virtual pottery and hyperobjects. The object's color is proportional to its radius. I have previously visualized polymeter using phase diagrams in which the different loop lengths are mapped to orbiting planets, but shape-morphing is closer to how I imagine dancing in polymeter would look. PotterDraw is limited to cylindical solids, so I expect better results could be obtained using a general-purpose 3D animation software. I had to hack at PotterDraw a bit to make it read the Polymeter track data, and one useful thing I learned is that Polymeter PLM files are very easy to work with, because they're text in INI format. This is good news for anyone seeking to replicate my results.

Method Ringing changed my life!

In the 21st century, method ringing isn’t just for bells anymore. By virtualizing the bells, we avoid tempo limits that physical bells would otherwise impose, and more importantly, we’re no longer obliged to use a fixed palette of notes. “Ring in the Odd” uses the seven tones of the harmonic minor scale, with method ringing determining the order in which they're played. However the range of scale tones used is periodically varied by transposing notes up or down an octave. Specifically the notes are clamped to a movable one-octave range, the position of which is controlled by a set of polymeter loops (in 5 and 70). This is accomplished using a feature of the Polymeter MIDI Sequencer called Range Modulation.

The ringing method used here is an ancient one named Plain Bob, and it yields 84 permutations before returning to rounds. A full extent for seven bells would entail 5040 permutations (seven factorial), but the shorter course provides an identifiable repeating structure, around which the modal and bass changes are organized. Method ringing produces stimulating reversals of melodic direction, similar to turnarounds in jazz. The subtleties of the turnarounds become increasingly apparent during the dramatic ritardando towards the end of this composition.

"Ring in the Odd" is from my album “Indirect Methods,” which was released on Kevorkian Records in December 2022. The visual was generated using a visualizer called Piano VFX.

Here are the courses of Plain Bob for seven bells.

And the album “Indirect Methods” is HERE.

And here is Piano VFX.

Polymeter instructional video: Forgive Yourself

For years it's been on my "to do" list to make instructional videos for the Polymeter MIDI Sequencer, and after some prodding from Yoyaku, I finally made one. This video shows me setting up a bass line, using note modulation and position modulation. It's short, so there are countless things it doesn't cover, but it's a start. The track in question is "Forgive Yourself" which I made in collaboration with André Baum. I will try to find time to make more videos, and better demo files too. Meanwhile there's a slide show that may be helpful, the sequencer is HERE, and the track is HERE.