| On Sunday, March 28 I attended "An Evening of | | | | experienced "computer music" that I could see and |
| Robot Music" at The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative | | | | touch. The robotic musicians created a definite |
| in Charlottesville, Virginia, which was a performance | | | | three-dimensional sound not solely through the use of |
| by the group Expressive Machines Musical | | | | speakers, but through their arrangement and spacing |
| Instruments (EMMI). EMMI was founded in 2007 by | | | | on the stage. The robots gave the music some extra |
| Troy Rogers, Scott Barton, and Steven Kemper in | | | | personality that you don't normally get with computer |
| 2007. The group creates robotic instruments and | | | | music. |
| composes music for them to play. This performance | | | | EMMI played some of their own compositions as well |
| featured the Poly-tangent Automatic | | | | as remakes of other work. One of the remakes was |
| (multi-)Monochord (PAM), the Multi-mallet Automatic | | | | a European folk song that featured MADI. This piece |
| Drumming Instrument (MADI), and several new | | | | was relatively simple, but it was awesome. I |
| instruments. | | | | especially liked the idea of using very precise, |
| PAM is a string instrument, with pitch controlled by | | | | programmable machines to emulate human |
| multiple "fingers". MADI uses 15 programmable striking | | | | performance. The robots didn't get to have all the |
| arms to play a snare drum. There are several types | | | | fun however: there was some collaboration between |
| of arms, which allow for a greater variety of sounds. | | | | a human guitarist and PAM for one song. It was |
| Supporting these two main instruments was a gang | | | | interesting to hear the simultaneous playing of a |
| of smaller, modular instruments. Each of these | | | | guitar with the programmable, quantized notes of |
| modular instruments consisted of a solenoid-driven | | | | PAM. One of the other pieces used a background of |
| arm that would strike or move some object placed in | | | | pre-created electronic tones to supplement the |
| front of it. One such instrument was made to shake | | | | robots. |
| a tambourine and another rattled off of a candlestick. | | | | The performance lasted an hour and was very |
| The performance also contained a contraption that | | | | enjoyable. I have never seen anything quite like this |
| shook a box of marbles with a hole in it, allowing | | | | in person and it was really cool. This performance |
| some of the marbles to fall and hit a metal pan that | | | | was very creative and dynamic. There were 5 or 6 |
| had a contact microphone attached to it. This was | | | | different songs and each one was very different |
| particularly interesting, as it added an element of | | | | from the next. The thing I liked the most was the |
| randomness to the show. | | | | versatility of the modular instruments. They can be |
| One of the goals of EMMI is to "bring physicality back | | | | placed almost anywhere and be made to play almost |
| to computer music" and move away from the "black | | | | anything. Overall, It was very exciting to see a |
| box" that most computer music has become. I | | | | robotic "band" right in front of you, completely in |
| certainly felt like this was accomplished throughout | | | | sync. I thought the show was well worth the time. |
| the performance. Right from the opening piece I | | | | |