The main elements of traditional music are:
- melody – determines the sequence of sounds of different pitches and durations,
- rhythm – arranges the sound material in time, usually repeated,
- dynamics – regulates the sound intensity,
- agogics – determines the speed of the piece, i.e. tempo and its changes,
- articulation – determines the way the sound is produced,
- harmony – arranges overlapping sounds in various types of combinations,
- color – determines the overall emotion or mood.
When we use these attributes then we can compose many different songs… but when we do this, could we analyze in an exact way to reproduce any song?
We can reproduce approximately by determining these parameters (in the score). Problems arise with emotions. My former co-workers, programmers, couldn’t find the reason for an International Chopin Competition. I explained that in piano playing there are many subtle combinations of these elements beyond the score.
Boundaries
Just in case, I touch on the difference between the avant-garde and the experimental. The avant-garde expands the boundaries of traditional music, while the experimental should go further beyond the boundaries.
One of the first musicians who intertwined popular entertainment music with an experimental approach was Paul McCartney with The Beatles. In the middle-part at the end of the song “A day in the life” he added growing noise played by the orchestra.
Now – can someone tell me – is it correct if we define this song using notes and lyrics? What is these weird parts? Aren’t they necessary?
Where are the Boundaries of music?
The most basic definition is that music is “organized sound”… and…
… in traditional music such as classical the most important element is sheet music to organize the sounds. Over time, many technologies of recording have emerged and people were allowed to create more complicated compositions. That was one of the main reasons that Sound Art or Noise Wall was born (someone might not agree with this, but I think that these type of experiments with sounds and noise were from the beginning of humanity). These possibilities cause someone to think a song is a piece of music while someone else might think a song is not organized… in his mind… and this is not music.
Am I understand boundaries of music?
I think that most listeners of music have had more than one moment in his life when he asked himself – is this noise a music? After longer time he starts to think: this is obviously music. Between avant-garde and experimental is also thin boundary. But are they a boundary for an open mind? Maybe it is only time before one organizes sound in his mind? Is an experiment only a part of avant-garde or not?
What defines a song called a musical experiment?
I don’t know and I agree with many people that there is no universal definition of experimental music. For me – a song with such a name must distort elements of traditional music so much that the average listener has a problem calling it music at all. The definition is very relative and fluid in the long run, because people’s tastes change and tolerance increases.
My favorite experiments of the beginning of XXI century
In my personal taste, experimental music should have very strongly hidden melodies, or extensive portamento, or very unusual sounds, or very broken rhythms.
Additionally (and very personally) – I don’t prefer ambience (too slowly changing music), experimental articulations of classical instruments and abstract jazz. Here is the list of my best discoveries in this topic:
- Qba Janicki & Obsequies – Autolysis – it is a bit like a mosaic of sounds with parts of music of many sources. Emotional, expressive with many levels of loudness. Good quality, big complexity and many changes in time. It is impressive that whole piece creates a great unity.
- Wilder Gonzales Agreda Music For Dreamers, Real Music For Real People – Peruvian musician created many albums but on these two I hear mostly that he is a master of broken rhythm and weird (but wonderful) timbres.
- John Macdougall Parker (St Celfer) created not only his own style, but he created his own instrument. His widely diverse music has many different, strange elements like – portamento, many kinds of distortions, floating changes of timbres (including changes of character of sounds). He learned to correctly use every specific feature of discovered effects – his instrument has infinite potential
I omit many experimental music that I love (I have even my favorite noise wall) – but these three are the most significant for me.