The Nature of Music Author:John Holland The following material is designed for the sound performer or musician who wishes to explore new musical boundaries, or to expand one's musical vocabulary. The material exists as a resource for sound artists, performers, and musicians who wish to develop a natural, more relaxed approach to the problems associated with sound presentation,... more » including new ways of addressing rehearsal and performance practices. The book is divided into two sections. The first section includes general definitions of various musical subjects including sound sources, the elements of music, the perception of music, and performance issues, as well as a treatise concerning the musical representation of physical events in the real world. In the various subjects outlined in the first section, I have made an attempt to clarify generic terms such as sound and music, hearing and listening, musical content, language and syntax, and to help clarify what have historically been ambiguous points of concern, such as the distinction between structure and form, style and genre, concept and idea. In addition, I have defined general categories of performance which include technical considerations, content development, musicianship, performance context, and the total performance state. The second section consists of the studies themselves, which explore the elements of musical texture (i.e. pitch, dynamics, duration, rhythm, etc.), structures (ratio, repetition, variation, continuity, simultaneity), forms (musical forms, abstract forms, forms in nature, simulations and models), concepts and ideas (musical ideas, non-musical ideas, presentational ideas), as well as specific performance issues (focus and relaxation, projection and resonance, timing, tone control, spontaneity, endurance). For each of the studies, there is a detailed discussion of the subject, followed by a set of instructions which take the form of various exercises. In addition, there is an introduction which precedes the studies which is intended to aid the performer in the use of the exercises. On the whole, the material contained in this book is intended to serve as a comprehensive resource or syllabus in which performers of varied backgrounds and interests may explore and expand their own musical idioms, directions, and goals. The studies themselves comprise a method for creating unique musical patterns and textures, for expanding the techniques used to explore and realize new and existing musical ideas, and for representing non-musical events in real time.« less