ELECTRIC SERPENT

for piano and 4-channel electronics

Lefteris Papadimitriou

Electric Serpent

Part 1: Serpent on the edge of an abyss Part 2: Electric currents Part 3

Program note:

Electric Serpent is a piece for piano and electronics written for the pianist Sarah Nicolls. Itis part of a larger cycle of pieces which are a representation of time as movement of thefour astrological elements in the zodiac signs through the year. The titles used in eachsection are based on the description of the 9 cards of the wands suit of the minor arcanaby Aleister Crowley on his Thoth Tarot.The piece explores the various spectral possibilities of the metallic piano sound. The firstpart is based mostly on sounds created from exciting the strings inside the piano, whilethe second part explores normal hammered piano and synthesized sound.Multiple layers of pre-recorded instrumental material and synthesized sounds, and livepiano are mixed through timbral relations and relations of temporal behaviour. The livepiano is treated not much differently from the electronic sound layers although theperformer may provide a link to the real sound-world and human gesture, both aurallyand visually. The musical discourse is approached as a single complex, almost physical,sound object, consisting of various closely connected surfaces and continually unfolding intime, providing thus different ”views” of the same object.

Performance notes

General:

The piece is for piano and 4-channel recorded audio. There are 3 parts comprised of 10 short sections marked with

numbers in circles. Part 1 is comprised of six sections, part 2 of three sections and part 3 of one. In the beginning of

each section a new audio file is triggered and lasts for the whole section (except for part 3 which is for solo piano).

Section 1 is for solo piano but a silent sound file can be used in order to act as a stopwatch through the Max/MSP

patch. Electric Serpent is part of the larger modular piece Magical Theatre. When played as a solo piece, the silences

between sections should be minimum to non existent.

Sound producing techniques:

Part 1 and 3 are to be performed entirely inside the piano, by exciting the strings in various ways.

-Sections 1-2 and 10 require the use of a common guitar plectrum to scrape the strings. Section 3 requires a plectrum

and also hitting the strings with the fingers ( as if hitting a hand drum).

-Section 4 requires the use of a 25mm bolt. The pianist scrapes or hits the strings with the head of the bolt.

-Section 5 requires the use of a plastic, coarse, rectangular surface with a length of about 15 cm. It can be a small

ruler, a large plastic card or anything that produces a similar sound. It should be soft enough to be able to bent a little

when much pressure is applied and hard enough to resist much deformation by pressure. The pianist scrapes or hits

multiple neighbour strings with the plastic surface, creating thus a dense dissonant sound.

Notation:

-In parts 1 and 3, the upper empty, wide piano staff depicts position along the strings. The lower line indicates the

position closer to the hammers and the upper line a position farthest from the hammers, depending on the performer's

ability to stretch his/her hand. An auxiliary normal 5 line staff appears in the position of the lower line when necessary

(the middle line of the five line staff is also the lower line of the main upper staff). The shape of the lines indicates the

relative scraping speed. Dashed lines indicate a very slow speed which creates grain beats in the bass strings. Speed is

not intended to be constant in a machine-like manner, random changes in the indicated speed may occur, especially

when other gestural vectors generate them (dynamics, pressure).

-The lower one-line staff marked ''mute'' indicates muting of the strings with hand, behind the hammers (when pedal is

pressed). A thick line indicates muting. Muting pressure may be varied at the discretion of the performer.

-Squares above the main staff indicate scraping pressure on the strings. Black square indicates heavy pressure that

may distort sound, white square indicates light pressure, black and white square indicates normal pressure. Arrows

indicate gradual changes between states.

-A cross on top of a note indicates holding the hand down in order to mute the string with the bolt or ruler.

Electronics-Synchronization:

-A stopwatch (when played solo) or preferably a Max/MSP patch with timer is required. The patch is provided by the

composer. The pianist should navigate through the piece by consulting the time indicators in the audio part. A number

in italics above each system, in the audio part, indicates the duration of each system. The time in the audio file, at the

beginning of each system, is also given as are many other significant events. As duration of each system changes,

relative distances in space should be observed with precision, though a certain freedom is intended. Familiarization with

the audio part by listening and studying its spectrograph is very helpful.

-The Max/MSP patch is used for triggering 2 stereo audio files routed to 4 loudspeakers. There are 8 sets of 2 audio

files corresponding to the sections of the piece (sections 5 and 6 are connected). Each audio file name is preceded by

the number 001-005 which corresponds to the section of the piece. Thus 001 is triggered first and 005 last. The name

of the audio file is followed by a number which identifies the 2 stereo channels. Thus 1 means channel 1. All audio files

are named in the form 001name1 and put in the appropriate samples folder in the Max/MSP patch folder.

-At some points, for example if some fast gestures seem impossible to perform in the given time, consider

deconstructing them in time (contract or expand gestures).

-In part 3 stems don't indicate time values but the connection of a series of notes in a united shape.

Balance:

Piano should be approached as one layer among many other layers. It is important that the pianist understands his/her

role in the mix. The piano entrances or exit points sometimes are masked by electronic layers and at other times have

a strong demarcative function.

Audio-Amplification:

The pianist should trigger the appropriate audio files in the beginning of each section, through the provided Max/MSP

patch (especially when played as part of Magical Theatre) or any other suitable way (e.g. Ableton Live software). The

piano should be amplified by two condenser microphones, (placed along the string board) routed to the mixer and

mixed with the audio part and projected through two loudspeakers.

When played as a solo piece, channels 1 and 2 should be routed to loudspeakers 1 and 2 and channels 3

and 4 should be routed to loudspeakers 3 and 4 placed in space accordingly to the diagram below. Piano

should be lightly mixed with the audio in loudspeakers 3 and 4. Loudspeakers should be close to the piano.

In cases of small halls piano may not be amplified at all. Audio should be loud and at some peak points

completely overpowering the piano.

Loudspeaker3 Loudspeaker4

Piano

Loudspeaker1 Loudspeaker2

Audience

Magical Theatre

Electric Serpent is part of the piece for ensemble and electronics Magical Theatre. When it is played as part of Magical

Theatre the second part (Electric Currents) is performed as a solo piece, without the electronics, although the Max/MSP

patch can still be used (with empty audio files), solely for the purpose of indicating the written durations. See

performance notes of Magical Theatre for synchronization directions.

?

Audio

Piano

◊w

1

πPed.

very slow (grainy sound)

Pno.

Pno.

2: Dominion (Mars in Aries)

Part1: Serpent on the edge of an abyss

0.15''

Use plectrum to scrape string

Mute

0.15

0.15

0.30

0.13

(change scraping speed according to the shape of the lines)

1

( 0 )

(accidentals apply only to the note they precede)

0.43

silence

silence

silence

0.36

(let ring)

(hold pedalfor the whole piece)

Dynamic marks signify a general volume, scraping speed and pressure controls micro-dynamic changes

(low pressure) (high pressure) (normal pressure)

?

Audio

Piano

◊w

2

p

Pno.

π

Pno.

3: Virtue (Sun in Aries)

0.15

(Use plectrum)

Mute

2

0.20

0.15

0.15

0.35

silence

0.26

0.36

strings resynthesized

Pno.

3

0.50

0.17

1.070.55

?

Audio

Piano

w#

3

F

w#?

Pno.

F w?

Pno.

◊w#?

p

ß

w#

4: Completion (Mercury in Aries)

6

0.35

0.15

0.15

0.18

0.18

(Use plectrum )

0.5.2

0.20 0.23

rubbing

0.41

(smoothly move to adjacent string)

Pno.

Pno.

◊ ◊

?wnp ˙# œn œn

7

0.51

0.23

1.14

0.29

1.48

1.4

synthesized bass

1.1

1.21

bass noise-snake hiss

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Audio

Piano

◊~~~~~~~

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4

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~~~~~

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ƒ

5: Strife (Saturn in Leo)

6

0.9

0.15

0.15

0.20

0.35

0.15

Use the head of a 25mm bolt to scrape or hit strings

Mute

scraping

( notehead signifies hits with bolton the marked position along the strings)

synthesized bass

vertical glissando on the strings

0.25

hits

0.39.2 0.43.6

fast random oscillations,up-down

0.18.3

synthesized bass hit

bolt scraping both strings always

hold bolt down to mute string

?Pno.

~~~

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~~~~~~~~

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0.50

0.12

1.2

0.20

1.22

0.13

7

noise

1.16.7

0.55.3

1.11

1.27.4 1.32

scraping bass

Pno.

1.35

0.23

8

1.58

?

Audio

Piano

–

5

Ff ƒ

Pno.

f ƒ F f

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fp

–

6: Victory (Jupiter in Leo)

Mute

9

0.17

0.34

silence

0.17

0.17

0.15

Use a coarse plastic surface (small ruler or a large plastic card) to scrape and hit strings (aprox.15 cm length)

(random low cluster according to relative position of notehead)

(upper notehead shows accented onset)

(touch many strings with surface but feel free to use part of the surface at times, by fixing the one side of the surface and bending the other side as if drawing a semi circle)

silence

0.35 0.42

dissapear into audio

Pno.

–?

–

ƒ

–

F fp–

F pf

Pno.

–P

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++ –

p

–

10

0.49

0.20

0.27

0.17

1.9

1.36

lownoise

0.54.2

1.49 1.52

noise

(let ring)

(let ring)

Pno.

P–

f ƒ – –? –f F

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+

&

?

Pno.

6

wπ

0.16

0.19

1.53

2.09

2.5

11

2.28

7: Valour (Mars in Leo)

2.61.58

play on keayboard (mask attack on audio)

&

?

Audio

Piano

w( )

7

&

?Pno.

~~~~~~ ˙

˙bbP

&

?Pno.

≠≠F

Part 2: Electric Currents

8. Swiftness (Mercury in Sagittarius)

0.34

0.17

0.17

accidentals apply only to the note they precede, except in immediate repetitions of notes

12

0.10.7 0.26

0.35 0.43

0.59.7

0.34

0.51

(chromatic cluster)

&

?Pno.

&

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œœœœ˙bp

0.10

0.16

13

1.81.9.5

1.18 1.23.4 1.26

piano

1.13

&

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8

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Ped.

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9: Strength (Moon in Sagittarius)

0.13

0.13

0.22

0.35

0.18

14

0.1 0.10

0.19.9

reversed piano

0.7.3

0.14.7 0.25.7

0.35.5

synthesized hits

0.49

0.22.8

notes with equal duration

&

?Pno.

~~~~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ◊ ◊

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Ped.

F P f

0.34

1.11

1.45

0.18

15

0.18

0.53

piano

1.01.5 1.05.5

1.16.2 1.29.5 1.36.2

1.46 1.56

reverse piano piano

all trills are a semitone higher if not otherwise indicated

piano

1.41

&

?Pno.

0.11

2.03

high reversed piano

16

2.15

&

?

Audio

Piano

œ

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9

ƒ Pœœÿf

œœ œ# œ œ# œ#

œœ## œ œœ# œnœ#

Ped.

F P F

œ œ œ œ œ ˙˙b

œœœ œœœ

f

&

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~~~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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œœœ# œ œ œ œ

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f

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~~~~ ◊

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f p

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œ

œ#

œ œb

œb

˙˙

˙˙##fP p

10: Oppression (Saturn in Sagittarius)

17

0.24

0.19

0.24

0.16

0.43

0.9

0.32

piano

0.5.5

high reverse piano

0.13

equal duration

piano chords

21.5

0.26.7

piano

bass reverse piano

0.40

synthesized

0.36.5

equal duration

0.48

bass piano

bass reverse piano

&

?Pno.

√ ~~~~~~ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~œ# œ# œ#

œœ œœ# œ#œœ#

f pF P f P fF

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F ∏

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π F fœœ#

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f ƒ

18

0.59

0.19

0.19

1.18

1.37

0.15

bass piano chord

1.45.5

1.04.5

high reverse piano

1.11

reverse piano

1.14.3

low piano chord

1.28.7 1.35.5

exact repetition of previous figure

1.50.5

synthesized hit

&

?Pno.

√ √

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ÿ~~~~~~

œ œ œ œœ œœ œ

&

Fp f

f F

œ œ œ# œ#œœ#œ

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F

ƒ

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( )

F

œ œ œπ P F

F¬¬##

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~~~~~

Ÿ~~~~~~~

◊

~~~~~~◊˙œ# œn œ#

œœn .œb œb œb œ( )

Ped.

F p f F fœn .ƒ œ#

œ˙##

f F

&

?Pno.

√

◊

œ œb

wP

f

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˙˙f

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Ped.

ƒ

0.22

0.19

2.14

0.13

19

1.52

2.33

1.40

equal duration

equal duration

equal duration

&

?Pno.

√

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~

√ √ √

~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

œœœœ

bœœb

f F

œœ# œ œbœ œœœb œb

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p

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Ped.

f Ï

2.46

0.13

0.14

2.59

20

0.11

3.13

trombone like bass

3.21.7

&

?Pno.

√ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~––F

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f p

œ

F

&

?Pno.

◊wP π

˙˙bb

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∏

Ped.

˙

w#

F

0.18

0.23

3.24

3.42 4.053.563.50.1

low sine wave

21

?

Piano

״#

U

10

π f( )

Use plectrum

22 Part3

1

0.10

0.06

Hold resonance until it fades out

(Silently pressed note, without pedal. Clear pitched resonance)