Events

The Bucket System – a Computer Mediated Improvisation System

The Bucket System is invented by Palle Dahlstedt, Per Anders Nilsson, and Gino Robair. In essence it is an open structure of optical signs, a notation, and it is up to the participating musicians to make up rules for each particular performance. In a sense, The Bucket System relates to Cardew’s Treatise (1963-67), which is a graphic score where performers are invited, and obliged, to interpret and to make up their own rules of the given score in order to be able to perform the piece. It is mention worthy that Treatise is to be read in a linear narrative fashion, whereas The Bucket System is non-linear.

In his book Cornelius Cardew – a life unfinished (2008) piano player John Tilbury claims that Cardew admired Christian Wolff’s pieces, such that: “the signs do not represented sounds; they created situations in which the performers act, and the instructions consists mainly of suggestions as how the players interact.” The same can be said about the Bucket System. Another feature of the system is that it is democratic, and symmetrical with respect to power in the group, such as that each participating musician is obliged to provide, as well as follow, playing instructions. In other words: leadership is distributed among the players. In various settings the authors have experimented with different types of rule sets from different point of views, simple ones such as metaphorical, behavioral and hierarchical as well as more complex ones called contextual.

Registration Fee: €40 (students €30)

A discount of 20% of the total fee is available on registering for 2 or more EAW’17 workshops 

Register at: http://eaw.web.ua.pt/

Closing date for applications: October 30th