Journal Article

TRADING FOURS

Martinez, Miguel A

2018

Overview

\"Trading fours\" is a musical term for when two musicians improvise with each other in a call and response method. The first musician improvises for four bars/measures, while the second listens. The second then improvises using what he/she heard from the first musician, changes it, making his or her own improvised four measures. The process is then repeated. The goal of this project is to create a computer program that a musician can use to \"trade fours\" with, called \"Trading4s.java.\" First, it is hypothesized that pianists improvise in their own unique patterns, changing three variables-rhythm, pitches, and dynamics. Three subjects were prompted with two different backing tracks, one being a swung C 12-bar blues chord progression, and then a Bossa Nova style track. Each played an improvised solo over these tracks on a piano keyboard. The improvised solos were recorded via MIDI. The analysis of the solos included checking for patterns in rhythm, pitches, and dynamics. The data, collected from the improvised solos of each subject, show distinct patterns repeated in terms of rhythm and pitches, specific to each pianist. The data supports the original hypothesis. The Trading4s algorithm builds off the experiment's findings that there are patterns in the pitches and rhythm. Trading4s.java mimics \"trading fours\" by intaking a short MIDI file and creating a new MIDI file that either copies the rhythm from the input and randomly assigns pitches, or copies the pitches from the input and strategically assigns a rhythm, creating a new responding improvisation.

• Publisher: Ohio Academy of Science
• Subject: Backing / Rhythm