Rock, Paper, Scissors for ResoNations Internet Concert 20-Nov-09
Rock, Paper, Scissors (2009)
Rock (hands frozen hard in rock position)
- UN Bass Clarinet (solo) -- 30"
- continue with Banff Clarinet (duo) -- 30"
- start game pair, UCSD / Seoul, bass / haegum (pitches ascending G D A) -- 10 rounds, 30"
- continue with Banff Clarinet (duo) -- 30"
(finish and segue)
- SARC Schroeter Sax (solo) -- 30"
- continue with UN Sax (duo) -- 30"
- start game pair, Banff / SARC, tuba / Yang sax (pitches ascending C#, G#, A) -- 10 rounds, 30"
- continue with UN Sax (duo) -- 30"
(finish and segue)
- UCSD Bass (solo) -- 30"
- continue with Seoul Haegum (duo) -- 30"
- start 2 game pairs (same players as games above, same pitches) -- 10 rounds, 30"
- continue with Seoul Haegum (duo) -- 30"
(pause)
Paper (hands in paper position)
- UN tabla, SARC drums (duo) free -- 30"
- all hands start to slightly wiggle, then find a game with another, leave the game -- 30"
- drums continue, tutti drone on E, fade -- 30"
- all hands start to slightly wiggle, then find a game with another, leave the game -- 30"
- UN tabla, SARC drums (duo) on game rhythm -- 30"
- paper position, then again start to wiggle, find a game, leave the game -- 30"
- louder drone but only on overtones of E, fade -- 30"
- paper position, then again start to wiggle, find a game, leave the game -- 30"
- UCSD Bass plus drums (trio) free time -- 30"
- 4-way game all sites, open improv of all singers, become busy, use words -- 30"
- trio accelerate to a big cadence 30", watch hands for stop cue (hands move off screen)
- 4-way game all sites, open improv of all singers, become busy, use words -- 30"
(pause)
Scissors (hands back on screen in closed scissors position)
- scissors open slowly, tutti breath noise, scissors close fast, silence (repeat 3 times)
- acclerate tutti rhythm, no pitches, scissors opening, hands opening -- 30"
- energy!! scissors in open position, frozen -- 30"
- full cut (scissors motion, cut)
- at the very end after this entire ensemble cut and silence, alll gamers
all play one last round together and hold their last game move gesture on screen. Silent.
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Each concert stage feeds audio and video to all others. At each site, there's a designated game player who conducts the instruments by making the games's usual fist motions and hand signals. Cameras should transmit a tight shot of just the hands, no instrumentalists.
- gesture: rock - rock - something
- rhythm: one - two - three, pause
- pitch: mid-pitch - mid-pitch - mid-pitch/final-pitch
The site winning a round sustains its pitch until the next round, the losing site fades out and should have some silence until the next round. Ad lib articulations, colors, and express game `heat' in playing sounds while following the fists. Use the state of the game to riff apart from the game rhythm, but always keep it near and return to it.
Internet delay is longer for video, so the audio will arrive first at the opposite site. This has two effects on how a round gets cued: the opposite gamer should take their starting cue for the next round from sound and synchronize to that, only watching the video at the end of each round to see if they've won. Likewise, instrumentalists should sync with each other entirely by ear. At the end of the round, looking first to see their gamer's choice and play the final pitch, then looking at the opposite gamer to decide if they have won or lost and sustain or fade, depending on the outcome.
Pitches are lo, mid, hi and come from either ascending G D A or ascending C# G# A (choice of octave depends on the instrument). For example, if the gamer chooses scissors and it's the first pitch group the rhythm becomes D - D - D/A. The last D/A is a grace note D follwed by a final A. That's because the choice of scissors (A) is not known in advance by the instrumentalists. If rock (D), then no grace note is needed, just sustain the D.
This much can be practiced locally by dividing into 2 teams.