Area of inquiry 4: Music technology in the electronic and digital age

Prompts:
• To what extent do personal, local and global contexts a8ect the creation, performance
and consumption of music?
• To what extent has music technology had an impact on our concept of sound and
instrumental colour?
• To what extent does electronic music have aesthetic value?
• Can electronic music be considered as “art music”?
• To what extent has music technology changed the process of creating (composing)?
• If I use the music of others to make a “mashup”, to what extent is the composition my
own work?
• To what extent are there similar aesthetic responses from audience members
(consumers of music) to a particular piece of music? (For example: Did everyone have a
similar emotion/feeling when listening to electronic dance music (EDM))?
• To what extent should technology be used to imitate music and musical sounds? (For
example, recreating a Bach concerto on a synthesizer using “traditional” instrument
sounds versus creating sounds that are only available using music technology
(synthesizers))

Creating Conventions

Prompts:
• Which compositional devices have been used? For what purpose or e8ect have they been
used?
• What textures can I identify? What does that tell me about the nature of the work?
• What kind of notation has been used? Can I read the notation to identify musical
elements and compositional devices?
• How has improvisation been used?
• How has ornamentation been used?
• How has tonality been used in the work?
• How has harmony been used in the work?
• How have dynamics been used to express musical meaning?
• How has rhythm been used throughout the work? Why has rhythm been used in this way?
• How have structures and forms been used throughout the work? Why have they been
used in this way?
• How has melody been used throughout the piece? Why has it been used in this way?
• Which tuning system has been used? What is unique about the use of pitch in this piece?
How does this a8ect the character of the piece?
• What electronic devices and e8ects can I identify? What impact does their use have on
the nature of the work?
 Musical Analysis or Theory of Music

Prompts:
• How is the music notated?
• What is unique about the piece regarding rhythm? What is important to note about
duration when talking about a section of a piece?
• Can the piece, or sections of the piece, be described through tonality? What harmonic
features does the piece show?
• How has the composer/performer used expression and interpretation to communicate
the musical intent?
• What is the appropriate terminology for writing about this music? Have I used terminology
appropriately in my writing? How can I improve my writing?
• Which technological elements are used in this piece?

Performance Practices

Prompts:
• What are typical instrumental techniques in the music? What are the demands of the
piece? What do I especially need to work on?
• What accompaniment is typical for the music? How am I managing the demands and
challenges of communicating with the accompaniment?
• What are common practices for this ensemble? What roles do various instruments play in
this ensemble? What is unique or innovative about the music of this ensemble?
• How do I perform a piece stylistically?
• What is the appropriate articulation for this piece, and what is the purpose or e8ect of
that?
• What is typical about the communication in this style or genre? How does the piece or
programme communicate the musical intention?

Performance Technique and Interpretation

Prompts:
• Which instrumental techniques am I using?
• Which techniques need further development? What will be an e8ective way to improve
my technique?
• Which features are important to mention regarding my personal interpretation and
communication?
• Which features do I need to develop further to improve my interpretation and
communication? What will be an e8ective way to improve my interpretation and
communication?
• Which aspects, passages or sections do I need to develop further to improve my
performance? How will I analyse and practise these aspects, passages or sections
e8ectively?
• What is achievable? What is working well? What are my strengths?

EXAMPLE – Kraftwerk The Man-Machine

Prompts Responses
Rationale Students are learning to use synthesizers to design sounds and
record melodies. Students are learning about ostinatos and
drones as bases for chord sequences and melodies.
Details of work Kraftwerk
The Man-Machine
Recorded in Kling Klang Studios, Düsseldorf, Germany, 1977-1978.
Released on Kling Klang Records, 1978
AOI Area of inquiry 4: Music technology in the electronic and digital
age
Genre German synth-pop
Context Personal/local/global context (as applicable to student)
Background – Kraftwerk were pioneers of the German synth-pop scene, or
composer/musician Deutschrock, during the late 1960s and 1970s. They developed
commercially successful albums of electronic music composed
entirely with synths and vocoders. Their music displayed a
futuristic world of machines and automation. The Man- Machine
concentrates on the robot within a future society.
Kraftwerk’s music is inseparable from electronic music as they are
both a product of the development of synthesis and electronica,
and a major influence on later electronic music.
Focus for research • Kraftwerk’s place in synth-pop history
• Industrial Rhein–Ruhr area and its people, which directly leads to
a futuristic music scene in the cities (Bonn, Essen, Düsseldorf)
• Synthesizers used by Kraftwerk
• The vocoder (originally developed in Germany during the Second
World War as an espionage tool)
• Creating drum patterns with synth noise sounds
• How does this album predict a future of electronic music, yet
also firmly establish itself within its own time and place (1970s
industrial Germany)?
• Kraftwerk—The Model Deconstructed (Ableton Live 9 Tutorial)
Point Blank Music School. (2013). (Available onYouTube.com).
Musical material • Ostinato
Musical features • Motif
• Repetition
• Song structure
• Chord sequence
 • Futuristic vision and lyrics
Ideas for practical • Learn to play “The Model”.
work • Create a piece of music about robots.
• Use a vocoder setting on a synthesizer to create robotic voices.
• Transcribe part of “The Robots” for acoustic instruments, and
perform it.
• Create a performance art piece using the music from “The
Robots”.
Link to further • Read I, Robot by Isaac Asimov.
exploration • Listen to “I, Robot” by The Alan Parsons Project.
• Listen to “Computer World” or “Trans-Europe Express” by
Kraftwerk and identify similar sounds and futuristic themes.

Exploring Music in Context Research

Start with at least one piece from your personal context, and then expand your horizon by
choosing pieces from your local and global contexts.
This may entail the following scenarios.
• Personal context—listen to, and analyse, preferred works of electronic artists,
movies, or video games.
• Local context—find examples of electronic music composed and/or popular within
your community or (home) country.
• Global context—listen to, and analyse, electronic music from di8erent global
regions, times, and backgrounds. This may be an opportunity to introduce ideas and
understanding of the development of electronic music.
In the research, you should include consideration of the electronic and digital elements of
the music so that you gain insight into how the sounds and textures are dependent on
technological possibilities and innovations.
Some creating exercises, such as the deconstruction and imitation of short excerpts of
classic tracks in the area of inquiry 4, are important to aid your understanding of music
technology in the electronic and digital age.

Example student persona

The example student persona has little background or experience in the use of music
technology.
An easy start might be to listen to some contemporary popular music based on electronic
music production, such as music by Lady Gaga or K-pop artists.
The student would then inquire into the instruments and techniques used in the production
of the chosen pieces. This could happen by searching online for interviews with the
producer, documentaries, or commentaries on recording the track, and by asking the
teacher or friends who have more experience with music technology. This will be the
starting point to continue exploring and developing an understanding of music technology.
To expand knowledge and understanding of musical contexts, the student explores similar
music from local artists, for example, through local concerts. If possible, he/she could also
visit rehearsals of local electronic music performances. Footage of live concerts,
rehearsals, and demonstrations could also be found online, and these are always good
resources to include in the journal.
Any resources should be carefully annotated and referenced.

To practise the techniques discovered, the student finds tutorials about the deconstruction
of classic electronic tracks online. The student practices some entry-level skills with a
DAW, such as GarageBand.
Some critical listening exercises will help the student to uncover new ideas from favourite
tracks and to apply these to the work in experimenting.
The student explores more electronic musical styles and artists after gaining some
foundational knowledge and understanding in music technology. The student’s teachers
and classmates o8er further suggestions for artists and styles to explore and also o8er
helpful recommendations on how the student can further improve his/her practical skills.
In addition, certain music-playing apps and platforms, such as Spotify, will link the
student’s favourite artists to more unfamiliar artists with a similar style. The student keeps
on listening to more music and watching more documentaries and tutorials online to
inform the exploration of more mini-scale exercises in creating and performing. This will
lead the student to reflect on his/her learning progress and will further inform the
experimentation process.

Experimenting With Music

In this component, more in-depth researching, practising, and experimenting with creating
and performing techniques within this area of inquiry are needed. Students should be
encouraged to experiment with new and unfamiliar techniques and concepts in music
technology and to engage in this area of inquiry with a higher degree of commitment at this
point.
Initial ideas prompts and stimuli from students’ research need to be expanded and
developed with artistic intention and purpose. Students need to evidence the application
and use of their learning and to develop and improve their musical ideas using techniques
and concepts generated from their study of music technology.
The following list shows some possible experimentation prompts for students.

Prompt Possible task

Practise creating a minimal techno piece Experiment with controlling gradual
similar to the style of Richie Hawtin. changes in textures by applying
automation, FX, and so on.
Practise creating musical excerpts for a Experiment with Mickey Mousing
scene in a video game or in a movie. techniques, leitmotifs, creative timbres,
Foley, and so on.
Practise creating an electronic piece using Experiment with field recording, editing,
sampled sounds. manipulating sampled sounds, and
sequencing.
Practise remixing based on the acapella Experiment with warping, editing,
track of an existing piece. programming, pitch shifting, and so on.
Practise a live performance of electronic Experiment with mapping, controlling
music with Launchpad, music production e8ects, beat matching, and so on.
centre (MPC) or Push.
Practise a live performance of an originally Experiment with adaptation/transcription
acoustic piece, using electronic to new performing mediums.
instruments.
 Presenting music

In this component, the main focus is the presentation of completed creating and
performing pieces.
For creating, students will showcase the completeness of their work, considering both
compositional aspects and the sound quality of the final submission. Knowledge of
production skills, such as recording (tracking), mixing, and mastering, is needed to improve
the quality of the submission.

Developing Understanding and Skills through Music Technology

1. Getting started with area of inquiry 4

Start exploring by focusing on the technological aspects of the chosen pieces from the list:
“The Man-Machine” by Kraftwerk; “It’s Gonna Rain” by Steve Reich; pieces from Switched-
On Bach by Wendy Carlos, Oxygène by Jean Michel Jarre, or Homework by Daft Punk, and
so on.
Some prompts are available above.
After the initial exploration, do some creating exercises, such as deconstruction,
imitative composition, production techniques, and remixing.
It is advised for students to complete a range of such exercises and to improve upon these,
so that they have relevant material to choose from for their assessment submission.
A weekly class presentation and discussion of the work in progress could be effective to
propel the inquiry-action-reflection learning cycle.

2. Introducing area of inquiry 4

At this stage, students should begin their exploration through hands-on practices to
develop skills and competencies before moving on to learning about advanced concepts,
conventions, and techniques.
 3. Developing further understanding and skills

At this stage, it is important for students to experiment further with essential skills (check
below). In addition, it is necessary to expand students’ understanding of the contextual
background and the conventions of certain musical styles. To do so, students will
experiment with more in-depth music technology practices within specific areas or
conventions of musical genres and styles in area of inquiry 4. With these practices,
students will develop and advance skills concerning specific conventions and styles.

Creator Performer
• An electronic dance music track • A live Launchpad performance; the
following some stylistic conventions, launchpad could be used to activate
such as techno, house, dubstep, pre-recorded samples, or could be used
minimal techno, drum and bass, and so as a keyboard.
on • A live electronic music performance
• An electronic pop song with hardware/software instruments—
• An improvisation piece: inventing a by using a MIDI controller (such as
sequence and then further developing it Ableton Push, Maschine, Launchpad, a
by manipulating the sequence and MIDI keyboard), DAW, hardware
altering the pitch, timbre, texture, for synthesizer, sequencer, drum machine,
example, by adding filter, e8ects (FX), and so on
modulation, and so on
• A piece of ambient music with
developments in texture and timbre
 • A musique concrète (concrete music)
piece using processed samples of
environmental sound(s) from everyday
life
Useful example tools when introducing area of inquiry 4 include, but are not limited to:
• GarageBand or professional-level DAWs, • DAW
such as Logic Pro, Ableton Live, • Ableton Push, Launchpad, Maschine
Fruityloops, Cubase, and so on • MIDI keyboard/controller
• MIDI keyboard/controller • Drum machine, synthesizers, sequencer
• Ableton Push, Launchpad, Maschine iPhone/iPad
• Drum machine, synthesizers, sequencer
• iPhone/iPad

4. Refining the understanding and skills

At this stage, students will learn to deepen their understanding of area of inquiry 4 by
studying and analysing works by accomplished musicians they admire. They will refine
their work as they apply their learning and pay more attention to the work of professional
artists, production details, advanced techniques in live performing, and choices of
selected works for presentation. The example works could be used to help students to
create works with professional quality and to present authentic live performances using
music technology.

Creator Performer
• An electronic dance music track • A live DJ performance; this could be a
idiomatically following stylistic live performance with discs, vinyl and
conventions, such as techno, house, turntable, the DJ could be using a
dubstep, minimal techno, drum and controller/iPad and DJ software, such as
bass, and so on Traktor.
• An electronic pop song produced with • A live electronic music ensemble
• professional quality performance
• An improvisation piece created using a • A live performance using a modular
• modular synthesizer such as Moog synthesizer, such as Moog Modular,
Modular, Buchla, and so on Buchla, and so on
• A soundtrack composition to
accompany video excerpts or a film
Useful example tools when introducing area of inquiry 4 include, but are not limited to:
• GarageBand or professional-level DAWs, • DAW
such as Logic Pro, Ableton Live, • Ableton Push, Launchpad, Maschine
Fruityloops, Cubase, and so on • MIDI keyboard/controller
• MIDI keyboard/controller • Drum machine, synthesizers, a modular
• Ableton Push, Launchpad, Maschine synthesizer, sequencer
• Drum machine, synthesizers, a modular • E8ect units, mixer
synthesizer, sequencer • DJ booth/Traktor
• E8ect units, mixer • iPhone/iPad
• Sampler
• iPhone/iPad