Beyond pitch/duration scoring: Towards a system dynamics model of electroacoustic music

Abstract

Based on a hierarchy of discrete pitches and metrically sub-divisible duration, Western tonal art music is usually modelled through printed music scores. Scoring acoustic musical events beyond this paradigm has resulted in non-standard graphs in two dimensions. New digitally generated ‘soundscape’ forms are often not conceived or understandable within traditional musical paradigms or notation models, and often explore attributes of music such as spatial processing that fall outside two- dimensional graphic scoring. To date there is not a commonly accepted model that approximates the structural dynamics of electroacoustic music; providing a conceptual framework independent of the music to the degree of standard music notation. Based on recent work in spectro-morphology as a way of explaining sound shapes, a systems dynamics model is proposed through mapping a dynamic taxonomy for structural listening as an aid to composition. This approach captures formal but not semiotic discourse.