traditional and improvised music cultures

 

This group meets Thursday early evenings in GradCAM. For information about the meetings this semester contact this semester's faciliator Seán Mac Erlaine - email(at)sean-og.com

 

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traditional and improvised music cultures

 

 

tradfutures_about

 

'Tradfutures' is a traditional and improvised music performance research group undertaking investigation of contemporary positions and potential future stylistic developments in traditional music in Europe, at doctoral level. The underlying principle to these investigations is to develop fluidity in how we interact with structural forms and contents and contemporary understandings of music. It is the intention to establish innovative approaches to the teaching of traditional and improvised music; to working definitions; compositional formats; and to extend instrumental and performance techniques. Underpinning these investigations is an ongoing interaction with supporting technologies and digital formats. The tradfutures seminar series takes place on Tuesday afternoons from 15:00-18:00. The events take place at GradCAM, John Street, D8 unless advertised otherwise. http://www.gradcam.ie/

 

tradfutures_research_enquiry

 

Defining an evolving aesthetic & innovation mechanism for Traditional & Improvised Music in Europe; "˜tradfutures" is a consortium research undertaking by the team investigating contemporary developments evidenced in traditional music and improvised music in Europe today. In so doing, we investigate and deliver (i) a new aesthetical paradigm for "traditional" music in Europe; (ii) the design of new musical instruments, including a micro-tonal accordion, semi-solid electric bouzouki, and flexible bores for fipple top flutes and (iii) redeployment of the music industry's use of the 360 degree model as an economic model for artist self-management. These research undertakings are underpinned by the understanding that traditional & improvising musicians today operate from a perspective based on a multiplicity of reference points demonstrating complex cosmopolitan histories of cross over and cultural cross-fertilisation which, as yet, have not been fully appreciated and understood. The challenge is to confront the 'nation state' paradigm and to offer a new model based on the experiences of musicians today demonstrating the 'fluidity' in how our traditions and cultures are in 'real terms' experienced and understood.

 

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tradfutures_musicians researchers

 

 

spring 2011 schedule

 

 

This group meets Tuesday afternoons in GradCAM. The Seminar programme alternates with elected production and recording sessions.

 

March - April 2011 The Thematic / 'A question of method'

 

The tradfutures seminar series will continue with a programme of presentations investigating aspects of the doctoral process. This approach has been agreed collectively, in order to facilitate our exploration of the multiple ways in which research activity can be undertaken. The thematic for part two of this semester is 'a question of method? The examples undertaken may be drawn from a broad range of disciplines to access experiences both within and outside of our field and sometimes, habituated understanding. It is anticipated that this new series will provide a range of concrete examples and general considerations of the challenges and opportunities in communicating, confronting and unpacking the processes and methodologies by which we undertake our work. It is anticipated that we will explore methodologies both within our own discipline of traditional & improvised music but also within a range of disciplines undertaking some elements of research through practice. The programme will follow, for the most part, the approach by which two researchers will each week make a well prepared presentation, and will advance readings and suportive documentation two weeks in advance. This semester you are required to address specifically your research methodology that you are investigating and that you wish to discuss within the wider peer group. In so doing, you are asked to consider the following: i) research methods, practices and core concepts; ii) application of these methods and or research as applied in practice, in terms of your research enquiry iii) where relevant, a series of research milestones by which you may begin to assess your progress within your research area. Associate researchers and associate fellows may also elect to contribute and attend. The question of how research methodology is undertaken is a key challenge to all of us no matter what stage of development our work has reached.

 

Seminar Readings (in addition to the texts outlined below for individual dates):
Denzin, Norman K & Yvonna S. Lincoln (eds) (2005) The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research 3rd Edition Sage Publications, Inc.
Clough, Peter, & Cathy Nutbrown (2007) A Student's Guide to Methodology Sage Publications.
Gray, Ann (2003) Research Practices for Cultural Studies, Sage Publications, London.
Cook, Nicholas () A Guide to Musical Analysis.,br>

 

March 15: Production and recording sessions
Presenter: Alexis Nealon
Title ' Practical audio production: ProTools and Reaper, with an emphasis on immediacy of use and long-term DAW project management.

 

March 22: Production and recording sessions
Presenter: Alexis Nealon
Title ' Practical audio production: ProTools and Reaper, with an emphasis on selecting microphones

 

March 29: Production and recording sessions
Presenter: Alexis Nealon
Title ' Practical audio production: ProTools and Reaper, with an emphasis on editing.

 

April 5th: Seminar Programme
Presenter: Seán Mac Erlaine
Title 'Which Analytical Approach? An overview of musical analysis and the process of electing a suitable method to evaluate one's own musical output'
Readings: Cook, Nicholas A Guide to Musical Analysis pp. 1 - 7, 215 - 233.

 

April 13th (Wednesday) Workshop
“The Interview as a Research Instrument” Workshop: VENUE: GradCAM Seminar Room, Top Floor, Johns Street School, (off Thomas Street, before NCAD), Dublin 8
PURPOSE: Share experience, approaches and ideas about the potentials and the challenges of using interviews within a research process – The workshop is provided with particular reference to interpretative, qualitative, ethnographic and creative research. This is an entry-level session for researchers trying to work out if, and how, to use interview as part of their research process. Some will have conducted one or two semi-structured interviews already as a pilot experience and testing of the strategy, however, most will not have done so yet.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Research students and interested colleagues (estimating 8 to 12 participants)
FORMAT: Series of four invited presenters asked to address a brief in 15-20 minutes followed by question and answer discussion with the workshop participants: 1. How have you used interviews within your own work? 2. Why did you decide to use interviews as part of your work? 3.What mistakes do you think you may have made in the first attempts to interview people? What do you do differently now having had the experience of doing several interviews? 4. What are the most difficult things to get right in setting up an interview situation, approaching a potential interviewee, and/or conducting an interview? 5. How do you present yourself in an interview? Do you adopt a particular tone and manner? Why? 6. What do you do with the material gathered in the interview? Do you use audio/video recording? Do you use notes? Do you transcribe? Do you use an external service? Is the material always useful? etc. 7.What is the single most important piece of advice that you wish you had received before conducting any interviews? 8. What do you believe are the responsibilities of the interviewer to the interviewee?

 

May 10th: Seminar Programme
Presenter: Martin Tourish
Title 'The Musical Catalyst Theory: The legitimization of a posterior methodology to the master - apprentice model within the context of literary discourse on musical style in Irish traditional dance music, c.1786 - 2010.'

 

Presenter: Nollaig Ó Fiongháile
Title: Evolving the means for interpreting performance as a methodological instrument for research
Readings 'Cook, Nicholas: A Guide to Musical Analyis' Page 183 - 214
Ó Súilleabháin, M (1996) "Crossroads or Twintrack?" Innovation and Tradition in Irish Traditional Music / Crossroads Conference, pp.175-200
Salvatore Zingale (2007) Beyond beauty and utility: ergonomics seen from a semiotic perspective, Helsinki

 

May 17th: Seminar Programme
Presenter: Damian Evans
Title: Methodology for Musical Practice as Research in a rehearsal Jazz Trio Context.
Readings: Berliner, Paul Thinking in Jazz (Chapter 13 "Give and Take, The Collective and Musical Journey") pp.348-386
Presenter Alexis Nealon: ‘Setting the methodological context to a sound design research process’.

 

May 24th: Production Programme
Video Recording Pragmatics & Production / Recording & Editing
Presenter : Justin Mc Carthy

 

May 31st: Guest Speaker - Dr. Dan Trueman, Topic ‘Three Classical Violins and a Fiddle'.

 

Tradfutures Collective' Seminar Series on Traditional & Improvised Music
Jan - March 2011 The Thematic / Presentations on Doctoral Research Projects

The Spring Semester 2011 calendar for the tradfutures seminar series will explore the multiple ways in which the doctoral research process has been undertaken and implemented. The programme will follow, for the most part, an approach wherby each seminar member will select an example of a doctoral thesis, and prepare in advance a presentation addressing the following key questions. What is the research question? What is the core argument of this chapter? What do you agree most with in the chapter / thesis? Why? What do you disagree most with in the chapter / thesis? Why? Is there a better way to present these issues? How does this work relate to your research in terms of process? What format is used in the dissertation presentation? What methodologies are employed? Could other another methodology have been used with better effect? Contributions to knowledge? Concepts & Issues Arising? The examples undertaken may be drawn from both within and from a broad range of disciplines outside of our field and sometimes habituated ways of doing and understanding. Whilst last term, tradfutures addressed each of the seminar participants own research enquiry and the advancement of the research process, we will now explore how these elements have been communicated by selected doctoral candidates. This new series will provide a range of concrete examples and general considerations of the challenges and opportunities in undertaking and communicating a research enquiry beyond the familiar spaces of our research project. Each member is requested to advance and identify specific readings and any additional material to support your presentation.

 

March 1st, 2011
Presenter: Nollaig O Fionghaile
Readings: i) Wood, Nicola, Dr. PhD ‘Transmitting craft knowledge: designing interactive media to support tacit skills learning.’ Sheffield Hallam University [Nov 2006].
ii) Archer (1995) The Nature of Research' Codesign
Presenter Damian Evans
Readings: ' Don't Push, D'ont Pull: Jazz Rhythm Section Interaction & Musical Change

 

February 25th, 2011
Presenter: Eoghan Neff
Title: At the vanguard of antiquity: seeking the avant-garde of the Irish fiddle in 20thc performance practices.
Seminar Topic: Translating research to and from the public domain; A consideration of the place of the idiocultural ethnomusicologist in academia and in practice.

 

February 21st 2011
Presenter Brian Ó hÚigin
Readings: The African Matrix in Jazz Harmonic Practices / Gerhard Kubik
Presenter: Damian Evans
Readings: 'Don't Push, Don't Pull' Jazz Rhythm Section Interaction and musical change

 

February 2011
Presenter Sean Mac Erlaine
Readings: Bates, Enda The Composition & Performance of Spatial Music

 

February 14, 2011
Presenter Pat Daly
Readings: Trueman, Dan 'Three Classical Violins and a Fiddle'.

 

Presenter: Alexis Nealon
Readings i) Measured Tones (The interplay of Physics and Music) by Ian Johnston related reading: http://amath.colorado.edu/pub/matlab/music/MathMusic.pdf
ii) The Csound Book by Richard Boulanger Interview: http://tldp.org/LDP/LG/issue96/baxter.html
iii) Composing Interactive music (Techniques and Ideas Using Max) by Todd Winkler http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Music/sites/winkler//

 

February 8th
Presenter Martin Tourish
Readings: Kearney, David, "Towards A Regional Understanding of Irish Traditional Music".

 

February 1st, 2011
Presenter Drazen Derek
Readings M. Pelz Sherman 'A framework for the analysis of performer interactions in western improvised contemporary music'

 

autumn 2010 schedule

 

 

This group meets Tuesday afternoons in GradCAM. The first meeting of Autumn 2010 will take place on Tuesday 28 September at 15:00.

 

  • Tuesday 28 September
    Seminar discussion: "The Decline of Improvisation in Western Art Music"

  • Tues 11 October
    Researcher presentation: Drazen Derek 15:00
    Seminar Discussion: Aesthetics and Music (Chapters 1 and 2) 16:30

  • Tue 19 October
    Researcher presentation: Pat Daly 15:00
    Researcher presentation: Martin Tourish 16:30

  • Tues 26 October
    Researcher presentation: Sean Og 14:45
    Kojin Karatani lecture

  • Tues 2 November
    Autumn School practice and the PhD 14:30

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autumn 2009

 

  • Sept 1st Tues 15.00-18:00
    tradfutures_planning schedule for Music Pathway.
    notes from first meeting

     

  • Sept 8th Tues 15.00-18:00
    Freddie Middleton_Music Industry Issues.
    Passman, Donald S. (1991) All you need to know about the music business. latest edition. Penguin
    Knopper, Steve (2009) Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in The Digital Age. Simon & Shuster
    Yetnikoff, Walter with David Ritz (2004) Howling at the Moon. ABACUS.
    Anderson, Chris, FREE.

     

  • Sept 15th Tues 15.00-18:00
    Performance Production Session. Production Task: New Repertory.

     

  • Sept 21- 25th Mon-Fri Immersive Research Training Week: Epistemic Practices. Register www.gradcam.ie/summer_school.php

     

  • Sept 29th Tues 15.00-18:00
    Freddie Middleton_Business Models. Production Task: Proposal required from each individual – for industry output. Production Task: Proposal required from each individual – for industry output
    Proposed format to take would be that each of researcher prepares in advance a position and an outline proposal for an industry output.
    Bring it to the table and discuss getting feedback on how best to proceed?
    The proposal typed ( 2 pages) and disseminated in advance so that we are all prepared for the session.
    The key aspects are as set out below and reflect the research proposal
    circulate this 2 pager to our email list above and to Freddie by Monday 28th September
    1. What are you proposing to do?
    2. Why is it important – why bother? Particularly in relation to your own work and output.
    3. How do you intend to do it?
    4. What steps / methods will be put in place to accomplish it?

     

  • October 6th Tues 15.00-18:00
    Performance Production Session. Production Task: New Repertory.

     

  • October 13th Tues 15.00-18:00
    Freddie Middleton_Copyright / Free Domain music. Production Task: Prepare and Formulate a position on downloads, and agreements to address music and industry profile. Each prepare a two pager for discussion.

     

  • October 20th Tues 15.00-18:00

     

  • October 27th Tues 15.00-18:00
    Presentation by Susan Gill on aspects of independent music dissemination and digital network culture.
    Presentation on the role of writing within the research process, and some key academic conventions. Discussion of shared writing task: to produce a short treatment on 'improvisation' providing:
    (i) an indication of definitions provided by other authors;
    (ii) an outline of the definition that you wish to propose;
    (iii) an application of the outline model of improvisation to a specific performance.
    [slides are here]

     

  • November 3rd Tues 15.00-18:00

     

  • November 10th Tues 15.00-18:00
    [slides are here]
    Workshop on writing and the production of definitions of "improvisation".
    Critically working through the competing ways in which the concept "improvisation" might be approached,beginning with the use of dictionary sources and the etymology of "improvisation".
    [Improvisation, 1786, "act of improvising musically," from Fr. improvisation, from improviser "compose or say extemporaneously," from It. improvvisare, from improvviso "unforeseen, unprepared," from L. improvisus, from in- "not" + provisus "foreseen," also "provided," pp. of providere "foresee, provide." Improvise first recorded 1826.]

     

  • November 17th Tues 15.00-18:00

     

  • November 24th Tues 15.00-18:00
    Listening Session: Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in areas with a historically strong Muslim presence, such as southern Pakistan, and parts of North India. This is a rich and varied musical tradition that stretches back more than 700 years, and provides very specific roles to improvised and extemporised aspects of performance. We have agreed to review some examples of performance, through audio and video recordings, seeking as non-specialists (with regard to this form) to experiment with the identification of improvised processes and passages.
    Key exponents of these forms who have popularised their reception in Europe, include Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and the Sabri Brothers. The consumption of these forms, also raises questions about the inter-cultural dynamics of listening, exoticism and the mediation and dissemination of performance events by audio and visual technologies. However, in the first instance our attention will focus on the question of identifying improvisation in performance from the perspective of 'outsiders' with respect to the traditions under consideration.

    Please see:
    Burckhardt Qureshi, Regula (2000) “Confronting the Social: Mode of Production and the Sublime for (Indian) Art Music”, Ethnomusicology, Vol. 44, No. 1 (Winter) pp. 15-38
    [Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/852653]
    Tabor, Nathan (2005) "Qawwali: Religious and Political Performance", SAGAR: A South Asia Graduate Research Journal, Austin: University of Texas Volume 14, (Spring) pp.1-22.
    [http://asnic.utexas.edu/asnic/pages/sagar/sagar_v14.pdf]

    See also this site on a research initiative to investigate the role of music performance in the construction of the 'public sphere' within various muslim societies. [http://www.smlc.religionmusic.leeds.ac.uk/index.htm].

     

 

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spring 2009

 

This seminar series commenced in the autumn semester of 2008 and realised its first public performance in Amsterdam in January 2009. TradFutures first publicly performed as a group at 'COALESCE' Smart Project Space, Amsterdam. [10/1/09]

 

  • Ole Reitov of Freemuse / World Forum on Music and Censorship www.freemuse.org 2.30pm Friday, Nov 7 08

     

  • Rehearsal in advance of Amsterdam, Tuesday January 6th 09

     

  • Performance at launch of 'coalesce: happenstance' Smart Project Space, Amsterdam, Sat, Jan 10th 09 20:0 http://www.smartprojectspace.net/exhibitions/50.xml

     

  • Performance Session in advance of GradCAM Open Day Feb 6, Tues Jan 27 09 15-18:00

     

  • Projects in Development, Thursday February 11th 09 15:00-18:00

     

  • Oleg Ponomarev www.olegponomarev.com Tuesday, February 24th 09 15:00-18:00

     

  • Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh www.stateofchassis.com Tuesday, March 10th 09 15:00-18:00

     

  • Planning Meeting, Tuesday, March 24th 09 15:00-18:00

     

  • tradfutures rehearsal, Tuesday, April 7th 09 15:00-18:00

     

  • Berklee College of Music improvisation workshop with DIT Conservatory, M-F, Apr 13-17, 09

     

  • Seán Óg (Mac Erlaine) www.sean-og.com Tuesday, April 28th 09 15:00 -18:00

     

  • Roger Doyle www.rogerdoyle.com Tuesday, May 5th 09, 15:00–18:00

     

  • Research Briefings Tuesday, May 19th, 15:00–18:00

     

  • Rehearsal, Tuesday May 26th, 15:00–17:00

     

  • Dave O Floinn, From Trad to Techno, Tuesday, June 9th, 15:00–17:00

     

  • GradCAM End of Season Fest, Friday, June 19th 20:00-late

     

 

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previous semesters autumn 2008

 

 

 

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For additional information on the collaborating institutions consult www.dit.ie, www.ncad.ie, www.iadt.ie and www.ulster.ac.uk.