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6D Experimental
Music – Unit 6: Music
Electronic
♫ 6D Experimental
♫
and Experimental Music
Unit 6: Electronic & Experimental Music
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For more detailed instructions, see the Getting Started presentation
Flash activity. These activities are not editable.
Composing
activity
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Listening
activity
Performing
activity
Teacher’s notes included in the Notes Page
Sound
Accompanying
worksheet
Weblink
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Learning objectives
To recognize the features of a range of 20th
century experimental music.
To devise and perform music in an
experimental style.
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Notation and experimental music
Standard musical notation (staves,
clefs, notes etc.) has been used for
hundreds of years. A pianist can look at
the score of a piano sonata by Mozart
and be able to reproduce what the
composer wanted in precise detail.
However, for experimental composers,
this form of notation was not appropriate.
♫ What if a composer wanted to leave some
decisions about how the music should sound
up to the performers? ♫
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Three line staves
Experimental composers can leave some degree of choice
to the performer through the use of the three line stave.
Unlike conventional notation, this form of notation allows the
performer to decide the actual pitches of notes during the
performance, from within a range set by the composer.
♫ The sound clip is one example of how this stave
could be played. Can you think of any more? ♫
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Graphic scores
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New uses for old resources
Composer John Cage is best known for his piano piece 4’33”,
an experimental piece which focuses on background noise.
In the 1940s, Cage wrote a
number of pieces for what
he called ‘prepared’ piano.
The piano is ‘prepared’ by
inserting various things such
as metal screws, bolts and
pieces of rubber in amongst
the strings of the piano. The
result is that the piano’s
sound is very much altered.
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John Cage: ‘prepared’ piano
Although Cage made ‘prepared’ piano more popular by using
it extensively in his work, he did not invent the concept.
Since the time of the harpsichord (the 17th century), keyboard
instruments have been able to produce different sounds using
different settings, like the pedals on a piano. In the early 19th
century, some pianos had a stop (like stops on an organ)
which lowered a strip of paper onto the strings, and there
were other types of stop which made more percussive
sounds. In the early 20th century, Eric Satie placed pieces of
paper onto piano strings to create a mechanical sound.
inside a grand piano
♫ Listen to an extract of ‘Mysterious adventure’ by John
Cage. Discuss its melodic and rhythmic qualities. ♫
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