From Passive Agent to Musical Partner: Insights from the MAD Clarinet Project as a Case Study

Rui Travasso; Enrico Dorigatti

From Passive Agent to Musical Partner: Insights from the MAD Clarinet Project as a Case Study
Image credit: Rui Travasso; Enrico Dorigatti

Abstract:

This paper examines the evolution of the MAD Clarinet, a tech- nologically expanded acoustic instrument, as a case study of the relationship between a human performer and an algorithmic sys- tem in performative settings. Based on a practice-based and case study approach, the proposed research traces the development of the system from a passive agent to a more active performative partner. Reflecting on observations from successive iterations of the instrument, the paper shows how changes in system design affect performer-system interaction and the shaping of musical form. The MAD Clarinet highlights how algorithmic systems can participate in performance by influencing musical unfolding in real-time, contributing to a distributed but performer-driven creative process.