2 Particles was written in 1997 for the event of the same name on London's bankside, which considered our knowledge of the physical world and whether artificial intelligence might aid our understanding. Using imagery of spiralling particles as a starting point, I wanted to write a score that used technology to extend the potential of the human players. The piece thus enjoys polyphony and speed that two pianists could otherwise not create. The opening circus like motifs relate to an idea of humans continually inventing and populating new intellectual arenas, artificial intelligence perhaps being the latest one. The quieter melancholic passages focus finally on the solo human state.

The score was written using a midi keyboard, a grand Yamaha disclavier and the software sequencer Logic Audio. In performance, two pianists play the score on the first disclavier piano, the notes of which are audible to the audience while being sent to a computer via midi. The computer then generates chords in response to each note based on pre-defined chord mappings. Depending on the note name, octave and the section of the piece, an input note might generate a large cluster or it might generate nothing. The chord created in real-time is then played on the second disclavier piano one beat later. The players use an additional foot pedal to step through a fixed sequence of chord mappings and also tempi. The score is thus comprised of a notated score and a pre-defined software environment.

Due to the inherent delay of a disclavier piano, (it is a physical device containing hammers that take a noticeable time to hit the strings) additional delays had to be built into the software so that the generated notes fell on the next beat, as they couldn't occur simultaneously. Because of this, the piece has a number of set tempi at which the pianists must play. The step transitions between the two tempi (100 bpm and 140 bpm) are tricky because the computer can't adjust to a tempo error by the players and will play at 100 bpm or 140 bpm regardless. This can be off putting for the players who are obviously used to more flexibility within an ensemble!

I composed the piece at Eastcote Studios in London who were kind enough to make their Yamaha disclavier grand available to me. I used the commercial music sequencer Logic Audio and also used some programmable midi boxes from Midi Solutions that generate midi control data from foot switch input. 2 Particles was first performed in London in 1997 by Kirsten Davidson Kelly and Kate Heath of Piano Circus. In 1998 we were invited to perform the work at the Minimalisms Festival in the Akadamie De Kunst, Berlin where we made a recording with Martin Gordon. For the Strange Charm performance I chose to make a computer played recording using double tracked grand disclaviers at Eastcote Studios. You can listen to mp3 and real audio recordings and order a CD Here.

The following images show elements of the computer environment and score: