Relay
Relay is a web application I developed with Evan Lohn to
facilitate ensemble improvisation. It uses simple machine learning techniques to generate
evolving musical “cells” (short fragments of notation) that are displayed to a group of
musicians. As they improvise together and in response to the cells, they
receive lists of new and recycled cells and are prompted to select material for one another. Together, they produce and perform a collectively authored score in real time.
facilitate ensemble improvisation. It uses simple machine learning techniques to generate
evolving musical “cells” (short fragments of notation) that are displayed to a group of
musicians. As they improvise together and in response to the cells, they
receive lists of new and recycled cells and are prompted to select material for one another. Together, they produce and perform a collectively authored score in real time.
These are examples of what user Winnie's screen might look like while playing with Evan and Beccy. In the second image, Winnie is being prompted to choose a new cell for Beccy. She can choose to relay her current cell, choose old or brand new material, or reroll for more options.
These are recordings of improvisation sessions with my grad school cohort using Relay.
This is a visualization of a score generated with Relay. The color coding and arrows indicate when material is being relayed between musicians. For example, in the second row, Otto passes the cell they are playing to Marimbeli.
