Tag: Oral Session 3C

Machine Learning of Motifs and Motif Patterns in Probabilistic Jazz Grammars

Presenter(s): Joseph Yaconelli − Math And Computer Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Robert Keller

Oral Session 3C

Research Area: Computer Science

Funding: National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

Building on previous work by Keller et al. in computer generated jazz solos using probabilistic grammars, this paper describes research extending the capabilities of the current learning process and grammar representation used in the Impro-Visor software with the concepts of motifs and motif patterns. An approach has been developed using clustering, best match search techniques, and probabilistic grammar rules to identify motifs and incorporate them into computer generated solos. The abilities of this technique are further expanded through the use of motif patterns. Motif patterns enable the learning of multiple lengths of motifs at once and induce coherence in generated solos by learning the patterns in which motifs
were used in a given set of solos. This approach is implemented as a feature of the Impro-Visor educational music software. Research has been done in other forms of pattern recognition and motif detection. However, this application of musical motif learning is a special case that requires vastly different techniques to accomplish due to music’s temporal nature, the variability of motifs both in length and melody, and the relatively short lifetime of motifs.

Arranging and Transcribing: More than Just the Notes

Presenter(s): Derek White − Music Education

Faculty Mentor(s): Michael Grose, Eric Wiltshire

Oral Session 3C

Research Area: Performing Arts

Writing music is a complex process. A composer has to create melody, harmony, and rhythm to convey their artistic message. Many people think that once the notes of the song are written down, the music is finished. However, there is so much more to creating music. I will be speaking about the aspects of writing music that do not get mentioned as often: arranging and orchestration. I will discuss my creative process and how composers and arrangers utilize the science of sound to create meaningful aural experiences for their audience.

Spitting Bars and Subverting Heteronormativity: An Analysis of Frank Ocean and Tyler, the Creator’s Departures From Heteronormativity, Traditional Concepts Of Masculinity, And The Gender Binary

Presenter(s): Lizzy Elkins − International Studies, Women’s And Gender Studies

Oral Session 3C

Research Area: Gender/Sexuality studies

This paper seeks to investigate an emerging musical movement of rap and pop artists who actively subvert structures of the gender binary and heteronormativity through their music. The main artists considered in this research are Frank Ocean, a pop/rap/R&B artist who ascended to his peak fame in the past decade, and Tyler, the Creator, a rap artist who has also claimed fame relatively recently. Artists like Ocean and Tyler make intentional disclosures from heteronormativity and the gender binary, combat concepts such as ‘toxic masculinity’, and hint through differing levels of ambiguity the possibilities for normalization and destigmatization of straying from the gender binary in more ways than one: through lyrics, metaphysical expressions, physical embodiments of gender, expression of fluid/non-heteronormative sexualities, and disregard for labels in their sexual and gendered identities. In the following research, I discuss the history and context around music as an agent for social change and address the privileging of the black heterosexual cisgender man as the central voice to pop/rap/R&B. This project will draw on Beauvoirian philosophy regarding gender as well as contemporary sources of media like Genius, record sale statistics, and album lyrics. By illustrating and evaluating how these artists subvert traditional concepts of gender and sexuality, I hope to also shine a light on how their music – which reaches millions of people who are not familiar with ideas outside of the gender binary – is a catalyst for social change and how it is significant in this current political moment.