The FleX Sound Café

Concept

Concept

What is FleX?

Implementation

In order to understand FleX better, we will have to look into music in general first.

Presentation

We will base this on a simple typology of archetypes.

Contribution

Then, a multi-dimensional exploration of these archetypes will lead us to surprising insights.

Basics

Explains the origin and the character of fundamental musical structures.

Introduces into the new metrics FleX music is based on.

Background

Anthropology, Psychology, Music History and Historical Forms, Interdisciplinary

Relations, and Anecdotes.

Applications

Use Cases and Forms, Genres and Styles, Sound Trips, Hypersound Network,

Animated Sounds, Freesound, Communication Pyramid, Technical Information.

Glossary

Most important terms of FleX Music.

Basics

The FleX concept is…

Introduction

The FleX music concept is phenomenal, original, and functional oriented, presenting a net

of attributes for deeper musical understanding. The following chapter handles the essential

components of the concept in its most important aspects.

Phenomenal

First of all, and this is really important, the FleX music concept is phenomenal oriented.

What does it mean?

We are looking first into what happens to our senses when we are listening to music.

Then we are trying to get a more systematic understanding.

Phenomenon

The following are examples of four basic musical phenomenon FleX is built of. (Please visit

also other examples of the Freesound Music collections to gain a more complete experience.)

Figures

Layers

Events

Xpressions

Animated Sounds

Click graphic to

enter play mode.

Figures, keeping a general attention level busy

Musical structures dominated by permanent repetitive and rhythmical actions in order to keep

the musical flow going. These structures are highly 'communicative'. They allow other structures

to dock on while appearing as a constitutive background.

Layers, allowing for concentration and meditation

Musical structures of rather static nature or representing longer lasting processes. They allow

to 'dive' deeply into sound and sound complexes, experiencing mental space, and creating

a kind of emotional environment. Layers are not always present.

Events, requiring sudden attention

Musical actions of singular and individual character that occur rather arbitrary. Their appearance

can be very different and spans from fill-ins representing a kind of 'comment' till important major

changes or occurrences of the musical structure like special breaks, start of new sections, etc.

Xpressions, gaining highest overall focus of attention

Musical structures leading the musical communication. Usually split in phrases, these structures

are of individual and expressive nature and most responsible for the 'message' of a certain piece

of music. Xpressions are almost always present.

Flexible Metrics

These phenomenon are universal and not unique to FleX music.

However,

Musical structures that are typical for FleX, appear with certain characteristics of flexible metrics,

Unlike music that is rasterized by an equi-distant tonal and rhythmical 'operating system':

Sound sequences appear in variable frames lined up by multiple or modulated metrics.

Sound sequences are not organized in static recurring loops based on a certain meter.

Sounds moving through the full range of available frequencies creating dynamic harmonies.

Sounds are not restricted to placements within a set of 12 halftones.

Sounds appearing in any kind of sound transition.

Sounds are not bound by instrumental limitations.

Sounds are interconnected by an interactive environment providing flexible arrangements.

Sounds are not burned down to an unchangeable sequence of musical events.

Free Sounds

In one word - with FleX, sounds are free:

Free in its choice - a melody can be made of interesting noises.

Free in their parametric modulation - see flexible metrics above.

Free available - for everyone, everywhere.

Free in their combination - meeting in a continuous refreshment of their relationships.

Vision

With FleX you take the advantage of experiencing common musical archetypes with the most

progressive sound design known today. The consideration of musical roots can lead and influence

further sound development while creating an environment for unexpected musical excitements.

Original

What are the physical energies being behind the phenomenon we are talking about?

Physical Energies

Figures are based on

Figures

> Frequent Pulses.

Pulses are created by sudden forceful actions onto material, like

strikes, or beats.

Layers are based on

Layers

> Lasting Passages.

Passages are an outcome of applying constant and uninterrupted

power onto material, like wiping or striping (going along with the material).

Events are based on

Events

> Effective Placements.

Placements are a result of unpredictable power of any kind that

causes a change in the current sounding environment.

Xpressions are based on

Xpressions

> Xpiring Phrases.

Phrases are an outcome of any power derived from an expiration

potential that encloses a big range of highly articulated actions.

Elementary Structure

The typical elementary structure (morphemes) of the above appliances is:

Energy

Structure

Sound Examples

Visualization

Pulse

Repetition

Steps, heart beat, water drops

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Passage

Long Sound

Traffic noise, sound of an engine, rain

_____________

Placement

Vector

Glissando, sudden fade-in, bell sound

Phrase

Fractal

Bird songs, speech, creaking door

Time Structure

All elements can be characterized by a certain time structure:

Energy

Duration

Estimation

Occurrence Probability

Pulse

Very short

0s <> 2s

Almost permanent

Phrase

Middle length

2s <> 8s

Very often

Passage

Long

8s <> 30s

Many times

Placement

Short

0s <> 8s

Arbitrary

Summary

The FleX concept considers physical origins being responsible for creating a basic level

of musical meaning, even in case, electronic sound generation or processing is being used.

Functional

The functional aspects of the FleX concept point to the main underlying communicative

effects that the basic phenomenon cause in us when we listen to music.

Main Functions

Xmission and Integration

Figures

Repetitive figures are most suitable to cause a physical resonance of our

body, creating the ultimate desire to move along with the sounds. In the same

time, our spirit is kept awake while continuously analyzing - even without knowing -

the ongoing relations and comparisons presented by the play of figures.

As a result, figures are creating a ground for transmission of musical information

that hardly can be rejected and that transport other musical phenomenon, while

providing the potential to integrate with them.

Enlarging Experiences

Layers

Only if sound events stay persistent for a certain period of time we are able

to grasp their characteristics in greater depth. Layers provide the opportunity

to deep dive into musical structures and to develop a true emotional

relationship with them.

Like figures, layers provide a kind of ongoing carrying functionality, while events

and expressions provoke rather particular and more focused reactions.

Leaving the Structure

Events

The primary function of events is to evoke the highest awareness in relation to

what the current musical situation provides. Events deliver the "greater picture".

They are the drivers for moving toward the exploration of further experiences.

A musical structure that owns very few surprises will tend to cause very

conservative and recurring behavior, while an overload of events cannot

keep the inherent and optimum power of the surprising information due to

disorientation.

Focusing on Messages

Xpressions

The highest density and degree of a joint emotional and intellectual feedback

is caused by musical expressions. Without them, music is "playing" (figures),

"sounding" (layers), or "attracting" (events), but not "speaking" nor "telling"

anything.

We are following expressions as we follow some bodies' speech, and we are

responding with a well developed sense of interest that resides between

a pole of being bored (too much repetitions) and a pole of being overwhelmed

(too much different information) - a sense that is of course very personal

and depends on our own dynamic and individual hearing experiences.

Summary

The functional aspects of the phenomenon are presented in a very roughly and idealized

manner. In order to explore them deeper along with the whole set of the phenomenological

axioms and their interdependencies, various methods can be provided:

Topic maps and spread sheets that show independencies and analogies (see next section)

Exploration of anthropological and psychological aspects (see next chapter "Background")

Analyzing existing music (see next chapter "Background")

Mission

The best of all: Openly experiencing the music itself with all senses (FleX serving as a tool)

Attributive

The following table is an invitation for a deeper jump into the FleX typology. It shall provide some

inspiration helping to use the concept as a tool, while:

FleX as Tool

presenting a vast variety of attributes to describe music as is

inviting you to add or share your own typological attributes and views

envisioning an orientation for further development of new hearing experiences.

Further Resources

Some of the items displayed in the table will be explored further in the following chapters

"Background" and "Applications". For a better understanding of the used terms you may also

visit the "Glossary" at the end of this page, or the "FleX Cube" (use link to the right).

FleX Associations

The FleX Associations Table