Ken Ueno

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Ken Ueno
Ken Ueno Composer

• Composer

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Music of Ken Ueno
Musical examples Talus whatWALL?
(excerpts) ...blood blossoms...
(excerpts) Kaze-no-Oka OSCMSH
List of Topics
Frequency-based Harmonies Statistical
form Entropy of cigarette butts as
metaphor Ideogrammic Relationality
Electronics/noise elements Multiphonics Person-
Specific Music Instrument specific
melody Physical/personal embodiment of sounds
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Frequency-based Harmonies 1) Acoustic
Resynthesis (KNO) 2) Overtone Chords (Talus) 3)
Frequency Modulated Chords 4) Formant Chords
(OSCMSH) 5)String multiphonics Viola multi
bundt cake 4) Spectral Image Analyzed Chords
(Talus)
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Image Analysis
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Statistical form
Local field cf cigarette butts
approaches chaos
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Entropy of Cigarette Butts
Larger statistical field reveals city structures,
places of waiting
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Ideogrammic Relationality
Complex sounds Electronic, multiphonic, noise,
sounds produced with extended techniques
are monads relational to ideograms
Ideogrammically relational sounds (Kanji) are
juxtaposed with sounds relational to the
phonetic alphabet (Kana)
This strategy of juxtaposition of
contrasting grammatical materials is inspired by
the structure of Japanese grammar
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Example of Ideogrammic Relationality
This multiphonics as ideograms are juxtaposed
with regular pitch-based materials
Statistical form features gradual accumulation of
multiphonics, increase in density, gradual
transformation of multiphonics into
resynthesized and processed sounds, gradual
independence and retiling of radicals
Audio Examples Resonance Kanji vs.
Kana Climax
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Retiling Analysis, Filtering, Reconstitution with
non-native elements
Analysis
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Filtering
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Retiled Radicals
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Instrument specific melody
Audio ex. - Bass clarinet humming melody
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Kaze-no-Oka
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Kifu Mitsuhashi, shakuhachi
Yukio Tanaka, biwa
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Compositional Challenges

• Concert opener AND a memorial
• Person specific sounds for orchestra
• Incorporation of traditional Japanese instruments
  with Western orchestra

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Fumihiko Makis Kaze-no-Oka
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Research the possibilities of working with new
materials to create new forms a) Collaboration
with engineers (performers) b) Use of technology
to facilitate new forms (analysis generation of
data)
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Physical/personal embodiment of sounds
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Physical/personal embodiment of sounds
Overtone Singing
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Physical/personal embodiment of sounds Vocal
Multiphonics
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On a Sufficient Condition for the Existence of
Most Specific Hypothesis (2008)
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• Strategies for person-specifying piece to myself
  
• Counterpoint with recording of myself
• when I was six.
• 2) Harmonies derived from analysis of my own
  voice
• 3) Google Vanity Search

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Google Vanity Search
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Transformation of identity in virtual space a
Borgesian operation
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On a Sufficient Condition for the Existence of
Most Specific Hypothesis (2008) In a manner akin
to the way some contemporary visual artists make
site-specific works, many of my works derive
their structural aspects from considerations of
the special instrumental skills of the performers
with whom I have collaborated, in a manner I term
person-specific. First, I imagine the sounds
and then worked them out with collaborating
performers to realize these sounds on their
instruments. Then, I analyze the sounds using
software in order to derive parametric data that
will inform the structure of the music. (I am
also inspired by the way contemporary architects
use modern materials and computer-aided
strategies to create structures that are more
organic than what was previously possible).   On
a Sufficient Condition for the Existence of Most
Specific Hypothesis is person-specific to myself.
As a vocalist, I specialize in such techniques
as overtone singing (straight bi-tonal style),
throat singing (a style with laryngeal
straining), multiphonics, circular breathing,
sub-tones and extreme high register. During the
composition of this piece, I subjected my singing
to the aforementioned process of analysis,
deriving harmonies (e.g. acoustic resynthesis of
my vocal multiphonics) and orchestrational
strategies from the analysis of my singing.
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• The identity of the artist is projected through
  multiple channels of activity
• written music
• 2) experimental improvisation
• 3) electronic works

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How many painters/styles are represented here?
When their careers did they paint these
paintings?
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Two believers, on opposite sides of the same
ocean, transcribing the same sky, at the same
time, one at sunset, the other at sunrise For
Sho and Clarinet
Problem of notation
Etic - of or relating to features or items
analyzed without considering their role as a
structural unit in a system
Emic - of or relating to features or items
analyzed with respect to their role as structural
units in a system
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composing for Sho

• 1) research
• Tradition
• contemporary
• 2) notation
• traditional vs. contemporary
• 3) music
• Seeking out master performer
• listening
• ergonomics - no page turns!

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Sho schematic
n.b. two duds to preserve symmetry, supposed to
look like a phoenix.
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sho fingering chart
Arrow notes inside instrument with rh
index finger
non-scalar placement of notes
limited number of traditional chords
2 notes added to fill chromatic on modern
instrument
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This shows which fingers plays which notes
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Sho traditional notaion
(like tabulature)
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Western-style (etic) transcription of gagaku
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Worlds greatest sho player
Mayumi Miyata w/Sho
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Gagaku ensemble performing on mandala sheet
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Gagaku ensemble congratulating hosokawa
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Examples of contemporary pieces for sho
Hosokawa
right hand
left hand
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both hands notated on single staff
Cages piece for Miyata
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Comparing Hosokawa, Cage, and takemistu scores
shows no standard practice. Hosokawa rh over
lh rhythms fully notated in western
style Takemitsu lh over rh rhythms
proportional instrument speaks slowly Cage
both hands on single staff
All three contemporary composers notates sho as
an octave-transposing instrument. In the gagaku
score, it was notated at pitch.
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sho makes same sound breathing in as out -
possible to sustain longer than most blown
instruments
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My piece for sho and clarinet
Notation for singing into the sho! Also short
on/offs of notes.
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Statistical fields