Interactive Music System Design for Acoustic Instrument and Live Electronic Performance

This paper will focus on the strategies of building an interactive music system that suits the needs of the composer and performer in regard of composing and performing music for acoustic instrument and live electronics. First, the definition of interactive music will be discussed and a brief overview on the development from tape music to interactive music composition will be outlined. Next, the structure, design strategies, and demanded features of interactive music system pertain to composition and performance will be explored. Examples from the author's two interactive music compositions Chrysanthemum in the Rain for marimba and computer, and The Wounded Don Quixote for violin and computer will be referenced. In theses pieces, the sound of live instrument is analyzed and interpreted in terms of note density, phrase length, pitch stability, and etc., based on its frequency and amplitude. The graphical programming language Max/MSP is used to build the system, but the proposed principles may still apply to the systems built with other programming languages.