Ergodynamics and a Semiotics of Instrumental Composition

Abstract

This article examines the techno-philosophical aspects of how we create and understand musical systems in twenty-first century computational media. Arguing that processor-based media have exploded the compositional language of new music, the article proposes a set of concepts that might help us navigate this new space of instrumental possibilities. The term ‘ergodynamics’ – and related concepts – is proposed as a useful concept when describing the phenomenological, historical and aesthetic aspects of musical instruments, as well as a lens for looking at new compositional practices that can be defined as being either ‘idiomatic’ or ‘supra-instrumental’. The article explores the difference in composing for acoustic, electronic and digital instruments, and suggests that new musical practice can be characterised by a move from composing work to inventing systems.

The migration of musical instruments: On the socio-technological conditions of musical evolution

“…Over time, the instrument is incorporated into the motor memory (De Souza, 2017;Sudnow, 2001), and the performer begins to shape the instrument's use and body based on previous experience. I have defined the term ergodynamics (Magnusson, 2018) to denote the latent potential for expression in instruments and the unique relationship performers have with them: instruments present subjective scope of resistance and possibilities, yet there are objective properties at play that can be discovered. The notion of ergodynamics goes beyond this subject-object dichotomy and sees the instrument as conditioned equally by its historical context, its technical elements and the musical mindset of the performer.…”

“…This is a dialogue because neither the instrument nor the instrumentalist are neutral entities: the instrument brings a musical culture, and the instrumentalist will shape the instrument to the new musical context. In the domain of instrument design, invention and innovation, we also have established the concept of ergophores as the design trope that embodies concretisised technical element or gestural motor memory (Magnusson, 2018). Ergophores move as technical elements between cultures often implemented in local instruments, such as the stringed bow.…”

Compositional Development of Chinese Pipa Music in the New Media Era

“…Sound art, as an exploration that crosses the boundaries of traditional art, brings unprecedented possibilities to the world of music [1][2][3]. In this diversified era, the way musical instruments are played and music created is constantly changing, and the pipa, as one of the traditional Chinese musical instruments, also plays a unique and important role in this revolution of sound [4][5][6].…”