RHYTHMICON VAR
========== ===


The meme that started me thinking about writing this music came from the
film 'Theremin: an electronic oddyssey' in which Nicholas Slominsky [an
amazing person in his own rite] gives a demonstration of the Rhythmicon,
one of Professor Theremin's lesser known inventions. The basic idea is
that an overtone series is played, but each tone is played in beats
corresponding to it's place in the series. So, the fundamental is
sounded once, the second overtone twice, the third three times, and so
on up to the 16th, 4 octaves above the fundamental.

My task was to create a framework for playing out this idea.

I also used this project to start using csound- an awesome digital
synthesis software package. In order to begin to use csound, I went
through Dr.  Boulanger's toots [tutorials]- a common starting place. The
4 digital 'instruments' I used for 'rhythmicon var' are either
variations or direct copies of instruments he uses in the toots.

One of many parameters under my direct control was tuning, so I used
just intonation for this piece. Since the overtone series is an
important conceptual foundation of the music itself, I felt it would be
fitting to use the 'natural' tuning of the overtone series instead of
the 'compromised' tuning of equal temerament.

Another idea that I brought to this project was that of 'software
music'. In addition to being a musician, I work as a software engineer,
and I wanted to see what would happen if I tried to apply some of the
same techniques I use to control data flows in my professional work, to
control musical flows in my creative work.


Enjoy!