Reflect-Outbound

The compositional process of an original piece, inspired by melodic and rhythmical elements

in Baka and Aka music.

Micheal Murray MA Jazz Saxophone 2023

Conservatorium van Amsterdam

Research Advisor – Ben Van Gelder

Research Coordinator – Yaniv Nachum

Disclaimer

In the study of any music of another culture, a lot of time has to be spent in the process of

understanding and reflecting on both that culture and it's music. I came to want to understand

this music through a love and respect for it. In the idea of avoiding a superficial and shallow

use of the music, I want to focus on only a few musical elements. Both historical and musical

writing throughout are not meant to be an exhaustive work on the BaAka1 music and culture.

This work comes from a love of their music and desire to understand and learn from the

ancient musical wisdom of this tradition.

1 BaAka is a term used meaning both the Baka and Aka tribes.
Abstract

The goals of this thesis are (1) to review various elements of the music of the BaAka tribes ,

and (2) implement elements from their music in my own composition Reflect-Outbound. A

central goal of mine is to conduct a culture musical exchange in a fair and organic way.

Hence, my approach avoids a straightforward imitation of another musical culture, rather I

want to examine a few elements that particularly resonate with me and focus on how I can use

them in my own compositional process.

The thesis consists of two parts:

(1) An overview of the social role of music in the lives of the BaAka tribes, and an analysis of

the melodic and rhythmic elements that I will apply to my music.

(2) An analysis of my composition Reflect-Outbound.

Table of Contents

Disclaimer iii

Abstract iv

1. Introduction 1

1.2 Chapter Overview 3

2. Overviewing various aspects of Baka and Aka tribes' music 4

2.1 Social Context 4

2.2 Melodic Analysis 7

2.3 Rhythmic Layers through Liquindi Drumming 9

3. Abstraction and synthesis to the electro-acoustic environment 12

3.1 Reflect Analysis 12

3.2 Outbound Analysis 15

3.3 Pure Data 20

4. Conclusion 22

5. Bibliography 23
Introduction

The abstraction of melodic and rhythmic elements in BaAka music to electroacoustic

improvisation based music.

The main focus of this paper is to analyse and understand some of the rhythmic and melodic

elements of BaAka tribes. I will take these elements and through the method of abstraction I

will use these elements as the basis for composition. I chose the music of the BaAka tribes as

I was struck by the unique polyphonic components of the music, in particular the way in

which different melodies and rhythms are layered on top of one another. From extensive

listening and research, I decided to use the concept of abstraction as a means of adapting these

rhythmic and melodic features that I analysed. Before going further, I will define exactly what

I mean by abstraction.

Abstraction can be defined generally as 'the act of obtaining or removing something

from a source .'2In a musical context, I used this idea to extract rhythmical and melodic

features from their original source and function, and use them as the basis for other musical

elements such as form, texture, and chordal voicings.

During the compositional process, I ultimately settled on writing for an electro-

acoustic ensemble of flute, voice, vibraphone, saxophone, electric bass, drums and

synthesisers and electronic drums programmed in Pure Data.

I chose flute, voice and saxophone because they provide a rich palette in which one

can arrange their sounds together in many different combinations. For example, to play

melodic lines completely in unison or have flute and saxophone acting more like background

chords or pads, while the vocalist sings a different melody. I chose the vibraphone as it is very

flexible in its ability to blend sonically depending on what part of the range is used and how

2 The Brittanica Dictionary definition of abstraction, The Brittanica Dictionary, https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/abstraction

the notes are attacked. For this ensemble it was an ideal instrument to compose the rhythmical

and melodic cells shown in chapter 3. With electric bass because I wanted an instrument that

provides a tonal foundation for the ensemble but that also has the ability to support all the

sounds in the ensemble at any given moment.Though I programmed a lot of drums for this

project, I also decided to have acoustic drums. I did this because I was was interested in the

sonic cross between having synthesised electronic drums and acoustic drums, and also

because it allows for the overlap of different tempos, providing another layer of time for the

ensemble to interact with. All of the synthesizers I designed in Pure Data.3 Initially I used it as

a means to explore abstraction in a very immediate way, but over the course of this thesis it

has become an integral part of the composition process and coupled with an acoustic

ensemble, provides a wide palette of sound to draw from.

Before going further, I feel it is important to state exactly why I chose to use an

electro-acoustic ensemble in particular. When I began to work in Pure Data, I fell in to taking

on a more metronomic approach to Reflect-Outbound because of the nature of the sequencers

I am currently working with. However, in the study of the BaAka music, the rhythmical

structure or pulse is not metronomic in the same way that a huge portion of Western music is.

I wanted to combine my more metronomic approach in Pure Data with a organic way to

approach time and rhythm. From the offset, already having people play makes the music

naturally more organic in terms of time and rhythm, but I also wanted to go further than this,

by allowing the musicians to decide on factors such as tempo, placement and duration of each

musical part.

3. Pure Data is a visual synthesizer building program designed in the 1990's by Miller Puckette.
1.1 Chapter Overview

In chapter 2 I will discuss some of the social context of the music of the Baka and Aka tribes,

as well as the musical elements that I chose to analyse and use in this composition.

In chapter 3 I will analyse the composition Reflect-Outbound, and discuss in detail my

process for abstracting the melodic and rhythmic elements of the BakAka tribes music, as

well as why I chose to use Pure Data firstly as a compositional tool, and ultimately as an

integral part of the sound of the ensemble.

As a summary, in the following chapters I will discuss and analyse and discuss the

following musical elements:

1) Polyphonic Melody

2) Polyrhythmic Cycles

3) Melodic Ornamentation

And through the study of these elements I hope to achieve these objectives:

1) Compositions based on these elements

2) A synthesis of electronics and acoustic instruments with these elements as the basis

3) An understanding of composition through these rhythmic and melodic sources

4) Abstracting musical ideas from the nature of their musical source.

2 Music of the Aka and Baka Tribes

Before the analysis of my own composition Reflect-Outbound, I want to look at the music of

the Aka and Baka Tribes through two different musical lenses, namely the social context in

which the music takes place4 and the melodic and rhythmical characteristics of the music

As I began studying the music of the Baka and the Aka tribes, I realised that besides an

understanding of the musical elements, the culture in which the music is embedded is

inseparable to it. In order to dig beyond the surface of the music I want to offer insight into

how music functions within the lives of these tribes. There has been so much study into this

way of life and here I can only present a partial view of the music and it's role in society.

However, in my opinion it is crucial to mark this step and what it represents for myself as a

composer.

2.1 Social Context for the Baka and Aka Music

The Baka and Aka Tribes are historically hunter-gatherer tribes, living semi-nomadically in

the rainforests of the Congo. Their music is central to their way of life, and used in many

different facets of their society, like hunting, and also in their religious practice.

“The Aka present an extreme example where religion is nearly exclusively expressed through

music and dance...” 5 Ethnomusicologist Simha Arom had written extensively Aka and Baka,

and other Central-African tribes music in his influential book African Polyphony and

Polyrhythm.6

What is interesting to note within their culture, is that music is as an integral part of
4Aside from analyzing the musical elements, I find it important to give a social and historical context to this music, and the role it plays
within their society, to discuss some of its key characteristics. There are many studies on this society and the role of. To cover everything is
beyond the means of this paper, but in my opinion I find it is important to highlight some of the cultural significance as a base of
understanding the music.
5 Fürniss, S. Aka Polyphony: Music, Theory, Back and Forth. Tenzer, M. Analytical Studies in World Music, Oxford University Press,
pp.163-204, 2006.
6Arom, S. (1991). African polyphony and polyrhythm (p. xvii). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
 the whole community, and it is something that anyone interested can engage in, and is also

introduced at a young age. “Children are never kept apart from any musical activities of

elders.” 7

Within their spiritual and religious philosophy, there is a deep and serious tie to the

forest and the spirits that dwell within it. What they describe as good sounds, (of which music

and performance are key in providing) are integral to opening up the forest and its resources.

“During a mokondi massana, people, and then spirits, dance to complex interweaving vocal

melodies interlocked into a dense yodeled and hocketed polyphony that overlaps with a

percussive polyrhythm made by clapping and drumming. To attract forest spirits (mokondi)

out of the forest to play and dance with the human group, this music must be beautifully

performed.”8 Bad sounds are “the product of discord, stress/ chaos” 9. These bad sounds, or

“Motoko”10 cause the forest to close up, therefore affecting their ability to find food and other

resources. This idea of good and bad sounds, and their direct relationship they have with the

forest, furthers the idea that even when the music is more for entertainment, it still has a deep

effect on the community and their relationship with the forest. This also underlines the

importance of equal participation within their group. “As for the practice of music making, all

members of the community have an equivalent status, i.e. nobody earns his/her living from

music making and nobody is excluded from a performance, although certain singers are more

competent or virtuoso than others..11

Aside from the theoretical analysis of this music, it is also through the cultural study

that many questions are raised in the process of studying music from the Baka and Aka

7 Fürniss, S. Aka Polyphony: Music, Theory, Back and Forth. Tenzer, M. Analytical Studies in World Music, Oxford University Press,
pp.163-204, 2006.
8 Lewis, J. (2009). 13 As well as words: Congo Pygmy hunting, mimicry, and play. The cradle of language, 12, 236.
9 Lewis, J. (2009). 13 As well as words: Congo Pygmy hunting, mimicry, and play. The cradle of language, 12, 236.
10 Lewis, J. (2009). 13 As well as words: Congo Pygmy hunting, mimicry, and play. The cradle of language, 12, 236.
11 Fürniss, S. Aka Polyphony: Music, Theory, Back and Forth. Tenzer, M. Analytical Studies in World Music, Oxford University Press,
pp.163-204, 2006.
Tribes. Though it isn't the main focus of this thesis, I feel that it is important to quickly

address, given that the nature of this thesis is based on the adaption of musical features found

in a music that is intrinsically linked to a way of life.

In the writing of this thesis I asked myself what is it that we gain and/or lose, when we

enter into this process of abstraction of another musical culture? Firstly, I feel that this is an

ongoing and with the study of music and culture it continuously evolves over time. From the

offset, it is my opinion that an organic use of this material takes place after a long time

immersed in the culture of the music. I feel that this is hard to truly achieve in a short space of

time, which is why I decided to concentrate this study on very specific musical analysis.

The question of whether we lose anything is an interesting one, because the music is

rooted in a unique spiritual process as show above and is inherent to their life. Naturally, in

the study of this music and adaption of the musical elements to another music and culture, I

feel that some understanding of it it important, as it helps us to approach the music from a

place of respect, and not just a shallow and superficial desire to use the musical language. In

my attempt to begin to understand how these musical elements function I have learned of the

importance of them within their tradition. Having this knowledge already, has made me try

and approach using the musical elements from a a place of respect and some understanding,

and has inspired me to try to include more esoteric elements like social inclusion, simplicity

and relatability in Reflect-Outbound.

I feel it is valuable to summarise the information so far as follows.

1) Music is nearly always tied to some form of performance, dance or spiritual practice.

2) Music is communal, anyone who is interested is encouraged to participate.

3) The music is characterised by a rich vocal polyphony.

4) Each musical part can be freely varied12, reflecting an individual freedom, but also

maintaining a focus on the collective.

2.2 Melodic Analysis of the BaAka music

The BaAka music is characterised by rich layers of interweaving polyrhythmic vocals and

rhythmical accompaniment. The polyrhythmic cycles of the vocals are in themselves

extremely important and here I will refer to the work of Susan Fürniss, as to help define the

layers and their roles within the music. Through reference to this list, we can also use this as a

basis of understanding the rules and nature of the polyphony found in this music, and also use

it as a means for abstraction for ideas later on. Here is a list of the melodic features catalogued

by Fürniss.

– the mòtángòlè, literally "the one who counts", which is generally sung by a man. It is the

principal voice that contains the essential words of the song and allows the other singers to

identify the piece without ambiguity;

– the ngúé wà lémbò, literally "the mother of the song", is a male part as well. Itis generally

situated lower and has longer rhythmic values than the mòtángòlè. It is theequivalent of a bass

part;

– the òsêsê, literally "below" (which means inferior in hierarchy to the mòtángòlè), is a female

middle voice characterized by fairly little melodic and rhythmic movement.

– the dìyèí, literally "yodel", is sung above all the other parts by women. It is determined by

the yodel technique...”13

One other reference from Fürniss worth noting is the system of variation that is also used
12 This is shown in detail in 2.2 Melodic Analysis of the BaAka music.
13Fürniss, S. Aka Polyphony: Music, Theory, Back and Forth. Tenzer, M. Analytical Studies in World Music,
Oxford University Press, pp.163-204, 2006.
within the cycles, and is another system that we can extract a lot of information from. Below

is a condensed description of each part.

- kpókpó, literally "straight on", is the equivalent of the English word "pattern", as a song

realized "kpókpó" is the mere reproduction of the unvaried pattern.

- kété bányé, literally "take a shortcut" or "take a small path alongside of the large way", is

the variation of the melody around the pattern.

- kùká ngó dìkùké, literally "simply cut it", is a specific process of rhythmic variation that

transforms the cycle into a succession of several short segments

- Dìyèí (yodeling) is not only one of the constituent parts, but also a yodelled variation

technique that can be applied to any of the parts. 14

I feel it is worth showing a transcription of Fürniss, showing various variations talked

about, applying to the mòtángòlè.

Figure 1: Transcription by Fürniss.

14 Fürniss, S. Aka Polyphony: Music, Theory, Back and Forth. Tenzer, M. Analytical Studies in World Music, Oxford University Press,
pp.163-204, 2006.
 It is worth noting that Fürniss mentions a key point about these variations, being that

“their specific features are as immanent as the features of the parts and the terms are rarely

used.”15 These variations are integral to bringing life to the basic parts and subsequently

integral to the performance. These layers of variation are free for the performers to switch at

any point but also must always contribute to the whole of the polyphonic performance.

From Fürniss' point in the preceding paragraph, the terms that she defines the

variations are rarely used and are not spoken about by the performers but are in fact there.

The understanding of these unspoken rules is important so we may better understand further

how the music reflects their society and way of living. It combines the means of individual

freedom and expression while still maintaining the group as a central entity/focus point. This

is an extremely useful principal that I utilised in the composition Reflect-Outbound.16

2.3 Rhythmic Layers through Liquindi Drumming

The sound is produced by using trapped air in the hands to create percussive sound on

the water and produce different melodic and rhythmic tones. In the example below, we can

hear three women performing this drumming, each having their own distinct pattern and

voice. We can see in my transcription that the drumming is categorised into three layers

according to the space that they generally occupy sonically.

15 Fürniss, S. Aka Polyphony: Music, Theory, Back and Forth. Tenzer, M. Analytical Studies in World Music, Oxford University Press,
pp.163-204, 2006.
16 This will be discussed in chapter 3, abstraction and synthesis to the electro-acoustic setting.
 17

Figure 2: Transcription of liquindi drumming.

The first layer is a 12 note cycle and is the most rhythmically dense layer, providing

the clearest base for us to hear a pulse. There are also many accents and changes in attack,

such as on beat 2, 3, 8, 11 and 12. Beats 11 and 12 are especially prominent to my ear as they

mark the end of a round of the cycle.

The second layer in this example of Liquindi drumming contains more rests in the

rhythm, and has a distinct difference in the style of attack to layer 1, giving it a different tone.

The main subdivision of this layer is a group of 5 (2+3) and 7 (2+5).

The third layer occupies a much lower range sonically, and provides a strong

foundation to the overall sound. The pulse of layer 3 feels half the speed of both layer 1 and 2.

It is comparable to one, in that it only has a half beat of rest, so it is rhythm dense. The style

of attack on the water gives distinct melodic tones to this layer, which is also another point of

distinction between it and layers 1 and 2.

From this transcription I took 4 principles that I then used as a basis for my

compositional process.

1. We have three distinct layers of rhythm.

2. Each layer occupies a different area sonically

17 Here I have notated accents with >, and a change in the strike and pitch as -, also with layer 3 I roughly wanted to mark different pitches
by changing it's position on the staff. () mean a variation that is not always played. There are other subtle variations, but for the purpose
of this thesis I wanted to give the general sound of the Liquinidi Drumming.
3. Each layer provides its own rhythmic melody that is simultaneously independent and

supportive of the others. There is no hierarchy in terms of the rhythm, and it moves in a

cyclical, undulating fashion.

4. We can have different tempos, such as layer 1 and layer 3, in a cycle.

The principles from both the melodic and rhythmic analysis of the BaAka music are

the basis for the composition Reflect-Outbound, which I will now analyse in chapter 3.
3. Abstraction and synthesis to the electro-acoustic environment

Before the analysis, I am including a soundcloud link, a demo recording of the piece will

be available to listen to on February 21st. The title of the piece on Soundcloud is Reflect-

Outbound, and can be found in this playlist https://on.soundcloud.com/vyLNs.

I will now discuss and analyse the composition of Reflect-Outbound, my piece for

electro-acoustic ensemble.18 This composition is made of two sections, the first being a rubato

intro and then the main rhythmic cycle which features the full ensemble. Alongside this I will

also discuss in the way in which I used abstraction of different musical elements analysed

from the transcriptions in the previous chapter. I decided to select a small number of ideas and

focus on integrating them into the piece. I have chosen to analyse the composition into two

clear movements.

1) Reflect

2) Outbound

3.1 Reflect Analysis

Reflect features 16 different midi pads, triggered to different synthesized sounds that I

designed in Pure Data. The initial rhythmic idea of each pad comes from the Liquindi

Drumming transcription. Instead of using drum samples, I wanted to take the rhythmic

element of the transcription, and apply it to arpeggiated voicings. I designed voicings based

on sine tone frequencies, comprised of a fundamental tone and 4-5 tones from the harmonic

18 In the analysis, I have done my best to score and give an overview of Pure Data. For the clearest analysis, I
have everything lined up together in the score, and have notated where time becomes a relevant factor, as
opposed to strict rhythmic notation. Also different musical elements enter at different points, but as a large
degree of that is improvised, I have also decided to notate everything starting in the same place.
series. I then designed a sequencer for each voicing. Originally the drums sequences I made

based on the Liquindi drumming transcription have a rate of 160 milliseconds.19 I then

experimented by increasing the rate of the sequencer time to 50-60 milliseconds. I elongated

the rate of attack and decay of each note within each pad, to disguise the start and end point of

each tone. From the Liquindi drumming transcription, I also wanted to have different layers of

rhythm stacked on top of each other. I achieved this by firstly simplifying the rhythmic

content of each pad and then by playing them in different combinations simultaneously.

Another interesting rhythmic feature of this is that we are also able to start and end the pads at

different points, providing many possibilities for rhythmical variation. Aside from the

rhythmical elements explored in the introduction, I feel that a huge part of the polyphonic

nature of the Baka and Aka music is also the blending together of voices at

different points. Since each pad is composed of only sine tones stacked in the harmonic

series, the sounds start to blend together and achieve this. Combining both the freedom to use

the pads in any combination with being able to start and end them at any point, we can

exploration a world of variation, even between two of the same sounds. For the purpose of

example, I have 2 of the chords notated in Sibelius. Separately, but directly below each other,

to illustrate the example of rhythmical layering of these sounds. I have kept the rhythms as

short values for clarity, but the attack, decay and length of notes were parameters I altered in

Pure Data, and so aside from having each pad layering over each other rhythmically, notes

within each chord themselves also layer over each other. Aside from this, in this example

these two chords both have different tempos, meaning that the rhythmic layers beginning and

end points start to diverge. This concept is replicated in all 16 pads, any can be combined in

any order, with duration of each pad up to the performer.

19 I use milliseconds as this is the way Pure Data operates. In this 12 beat sequencer, every beat lasts 160
milliseconds.
 Figure 3: chord voicing/rhythm based on liquindi drumming

With the acoustic side of the ensemble, I wanted to keep their roles to a minimum.

This also comes from the idea of collective sound that I noted in chapter 2. I wanted every

sound made to contribute to the wholeness of this part of the piece, and that no instrument

takes a hierarchal preference over another. I instructed each member of the ensemble to

improvise based on a few directions. I have the flute playing generally low tones with a lot of

air in the sound, at a piano dynamic. The electric bass is playing mainly in the mid to upper

range of the instrument, with different sets of effects pedals to blend into the sound of the

pads. The drums I had play mallets, where they create a wave like effect with the cymbals.

The vibraphone plays a rhythmical figure of two notes at a fast tempo, again at a piano

volume. In order to integrate the electronic side of the ensemble into the acoustic side, I also

control the order of the pads with an MPD21820 allowing the ensemble to improvise

collectively.

20 The MP218 is a midi trigger pad by Akai.

 2.2 Outbound Analysis

Many of the elements in this piece came from the Liquindi Drumming analysed in

chapter 2. It provided a wealth of ideas that I based many of the sounds and musical choice in

Reflect-Outbound on. Through my own transcription and the analysis of Fürniss, we can see

that the BaAka music is complicated in its wholeness but when separated are extremely clear

in their role within the music. This provided the basis for how I wanted to compose my own

rhythmical cycle and to use it as the anchor for Outbound. I was inspired by how in BaAka

music, everything is contructed on these undulating rhythmic and melodic cycles. I wanted

this to be a key element to the writing of Outbound. It was through this idea of having so

many rhythms layered on top of each other, that I wanted to write a piece that follows this

idea. As an overview, the cycle could be described as containing the following approaches of

time and rhythm.

1) Rhythms that move at the same tempo, starting and ending at the same point.

2) Rhythms that move at the same tempo, starting and ending at different points.

3) Rhythms that move at different tempos, starting and ending at different points.

4) Rhythms that move completely out of time (rubato), starting and ending at different points.

5) Rhythms that move at different tempos, starting and ending at the same point.

Chord Line 1 and the electronic drums move at a rate of 180 ms. Chord Line 1 and the

electronic drums are directly coming from Liquindi Drumming, and the concept of rhythmical

layers.
 Fig 4: Chord Line 1 with Electronic Drums

I took the rhythmic idea of the Liquindi Drumming, and made synthesised key

samples, which I have notated here as Chord Line 1. I am particularly focused on the rhythm,

and how it applies to the concept of rhythmic layering, so I haven't specified the harmonic

content of each sample. I have notated that difference in position on the staff represent a

different sample. With Chord Line 1 I also followed a similair principle to Reflect, where i

altered the attack, decay and duration of each sample, so the notation here is for purpose of

rhythmic analysis. Chordal Line 1 provides a harmonic basis for the rest of the composition.

Aside from this, it is also moving in the same 12 beat cycle as the electronic drums, and

moves at the same tempo, falling under the category of (1), listed above. Also important to

note with the electronic drums, is that I created a generative aspect to the sequencer, where at

different points it will play a hihat or bass drum at twice the tempo of the beat, adding another

layer of rhythm to the cycle.

Chord Line 2 is four chord progression that moves in a 32 beat cycle on beats 1, 12, 25 and

32. Chord Line 3 is 3 chords21 and changes every 8000ms. For the purposes of clarity and

example, I have notated them in this manner.

21 I have notated the chords in this manner. However I also designed the sound of each chord in Pure Data, and
so even one note contains many partials from the harmonic series of that note, which I feel is not necessary to
notate.
 Figure 5: Chord Line 2 and 3

Having these 4 layers as the base of the piece creates a rhythmical cycle containing

rhythmic approaches (1), (2) and (3) listed above. Already in the electronic side of the

ensemble we can see quite a dense rhythmical cycle containing 3 of our 4 rhythmical

approaches.

With the acoustic side of the ensemble, I composed the parts mainly using small

melodic and rhythmical cells. I gave the vibraphone three cells, with the freedom to play them

at any tempo and with any duration within the piece (3).22

Fig 6. Vibraphone Rhythmical Cells

The main melody is comprised of smaller melodic ideas that are played entirely rubato

22 For the rest of the analysis of Outbound, bracketed numbers like (3) represent which rhythmical approacb
each part falls into, from the list on the previous page.
by the flute, voice and saxophone (4). Here we can also see an implementation of some of the

melodic ornamentations analysed in 2.1. I wanted to use these feature in a rubato context,

where in the music of the BaAka tribes, they are sung in a rhythmical consistent way. Aside

from this I included improvisational elements to these features, and so flute, voice and

saxophone are free to incorporate elements like yodelling at different points in the melody.

Much like my approach to the pads in the introduction, and to the vibraphone, tempo, the start

and end of each note are left entirely to the musicians, which leaves space for interaction from

other instruments within the ensemble.

Fig 7. Main Melody for Flute, Voice and Saxophone23

The bass plays a 16 beat pattern (2) in the same pulse (180ms) as the electronic drums

and chordal movement 1, which as noted previously, both move in a 12 beat cycle.

23 The rhythmic notation is displayed in this way to give an idea of the lengths of phrases, but not to be played
in a literal manner, or with this rhythmic ratio.
 Fig 8. Bass Line for Outbound

I also wanted the drums to feel the tempo as 6 beat cycle over the space of the 12 beat

cycle of the electronic drums (5). The drums are also asked to play in a more rubato and

atmospheric manner at different points outside of the rhythmic grid set by the electronic

drums (4). Like the rest of the ensemble, I wanted them both to have freedom to vary these

ideas, and so the bass isn't required to always strictly play it's rhythmical figure as a 16 beat

cycle, it can vary the rhythmic value of notes and improvise around it. This is similar for the

drums, and though I have given general guide lines to orchestration, I also have given

freedom to the drums to move relatively freely between playing grooves and more

atmospherically as mentioned above.

The utilisation of the malleable nature of the acoustic or human aspect of this

ensemble is apparent in the composition and arrangement of the piece. In Pure Data I have

programmed layers of time stacked on top of each other but they are metronomic and

unwavering despite occupying different many of the rhythmic roles listed above. This issue of

metronomic time was something very apparent when I began composing in Pure Data, and is

a sharp contrast to the music of the Baka and Aka tribes, which is not metronomic in this rigid

sense. This flowing feeling to their music rhythmically was something that inspired me to

write for the acoustic ensemble in this way. For example, the vibraphone has 3 rhythmical

cells, but they can play them in any of the ways listed above at a given instant. This is similar

for everyone in the ensemble. The fact that this can be done in an intuitive and instantaneous

way by the members of the ensemble, means that we end up with many streams of time sitting
and flowing over each other at all times. In my opinion, this helps the music move away from

something metronomic and rigid to a more undulating and transforming rhythmic feeling,

while still being grounded in a consistent pulse.

It is also because there is so much happening rhythmically, that I limited the harmonic

range of the music, having it mainly in the key of A major. The idea behind having this

limitation, was that I wanted to stand by my initial goal of creating a music that is simple and

has relatable qualities for the musicians and listeners. In the music that I wrote, I saw melody

and rhythm as the two layers that interweave and are the most complex, and in that respect I

wanted to contrast this with having a constant harmonic centre for the ear of the listener.

As I conclude the analyis of Reflect-Outbound, I will now discuss the program Pure

Data in more detail, and the impact that it had on my compositional process throughout.

3.3 Pure Data

As I mentioned before, a huge part of the compositional and idea generating process,

was using Pure Data. It is worthwhile and an important insight I feel to understand how and

why I chose to use this program, and the lens in which I view it, which ultimately shapes the

ways in which I generate ideas.

The main result that is coming from this thesis is the ability to abstract the information

garnered from the various transcriptions, excerpts and analysis in the previous chapters, and to

be able to funnel the ideas into more contemporary compositions and compositional methods.

It is for precisely this reason that I decided to explore much of this information through the

use of electronic music, and specifically using a program called Pure Data, created by Miller

Puckette, first appearing in 1996.

To give the clearest analogy of Pure Data, it takes on the role of a completely blank

canvas in which the user is able to mold sound from the fundamental soundwaves (such as the
sine wave), giving one an intimate look and understanding into the construction of sound on

both an intellectual and intuitive level. Using Pure Data allows us to use the musical

information we have analysed and then construct systems and ideas sonically that can be

processed in many different ways away from the source idea, giving us a potential that is only

limited by our imagination. Here I will list some of the advantages I have got from being able

to Pure Data, and to give an overall insight into the pieces and examples that I have presented.

The program has no preset sounds or patches, allowing the potential to create and explore

sound construction, ranging from simple to complex.

1) Using Pure Data allowed me to explore composing outside of a fixed tuning system. Here

I based majority of the voicings and melody lines on the harmonic series.

2) We are easily able to use time as a measurement and escape from the conventional bar line

systems, allowing use to explore having layers of sound moving at different rates but with a

consistency.

3) It is extremely useful in the process of abstraction. With pure Data we instantaneously hear

the result and we can also change characteristics in realtime allowing for a vast range of

exploration just within one idea.

4) Pure Data when used with external hardware, such as the MPD218 allows us great

flexibility in the way we navigate the pieces and parts, thus allowing for spontaneity and

individuality and variation in each rendition.

4. Conclusion

The goal of this research was to implement elements of the BaAka tribes' music in an original

composition of mine. I started by reviewing different rhythmic and melodic features of the

music. In this regard, I emphasized a few insights which proved instrumental in

implementing these elements in a different musical environment. For example, (1) the concept

of rhythmic layers in Liquindi Drumming, (2) The collective sound created by the vocals (3)

melodic ornamentations in the singing, and (4) the cyclical nature of the music.

Regarding the implementation of these concepts in my own music, I presented the

piece Reflect-Outbound. Among the music, some elements I implemented are (1) chordal

voicings based on rhythms from Liquindi drumming (2) blending of synthesised sounds based

on the idea of the collective sound of the BaAka vocals, (3) layering independent cycles of

melody and rhythm ontop of one another and (4) creating harmonic cycles like chord line 4,

based on Liquinidi drumming.

I hope my research provides some insight into how one can begin integrate music of

another culture in an organic and fair way, and how with the right mindset can learn and

expand their musical horizon through the wisdom of other musical traditions.
Bibliography

Literature:

Fürniss, S. Aka Polyphony: Music, Theory, Back and Forth. Tenzer, M. Analytical Studies in

World Music, Oxford University Press, pp.163-204, 2006.

Lewis, J. (2009). 13 As well as words: Congo Pygmy hunting, mimicry, and play. The cradle
of language, 12.

Arom, S. (1991). African polyphony and polyrhythm (p. xvii). Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.

Music:24

Orchéstre Baka Gbiné. (2009). Baka in the Forest. March Hare Music.

Baka Pgymies. (1977). Cameroon: Baka Pygmy Music. Smithsonian Folkway Recordings.

Video:

BakaBeyond. (2016, May 19) Baka Women play the Water Drums (liquindi)

https://youtu.be/ZNzX5t5S4Ls

24 Thought some of this music isn't referenced directly in this thesis, the time spent listening is integral to
understanding the music itself, and therefore I wanted to include some sources that provided inspiration.