"Muscle Memory" by Trevor Ridge
Pitting standard music reading against esoteric reading in an attempt to forge new ground

“Muscle Memory” is a study of how written music is transformed from static text into living, breathing, musical expression. More specifically, I am investigating what effects style, form, and presentation have on the performer’s and the audience’s interpretations of the music. I am also assessing how to bring forth these different interpretations in a way that might be useful for composers to write new material and get original sounds from their musicians. My initial argument was that new sounds and new expression of music can be cultivated through any kind of music notation system.  I created this project for my own experience, since being a performer and composer requires a person to be always looking for inspiration, new ideas, and new ways to create fresh and original material. Using FinalCut Pro as a video platform, I documented two performances on the piano of the same piece of music, Joe Henderson’s “Recorda Me”, each being sightread in a standard Western music notation, and the other in an Eastern music notation of numbers and symbols rather than noteheads on a staff. Brought into FinalCut, I pulled a live clip of the song being performed by the original artist to demonstrate the original intent, meaning, and interpretation. I then juxtaposed images of each style of notated music with the song playing as performed in order to provide a contrast between the two styles. By providing this comparitive layout, it is easy to see and hear the differences in timing, intention, mood, feeling, and color. The standard notated piece sounds normal in rhythm, the melody is recognizable, and you can “hear the changes” as they say in jazz, meaning you can hear the piece as a whole. The second Cipher notation creates a complete mood change in that the rhythym is disjointed, off tempo, and semi-stuttered – this could either be due to unfamiliarity by the pianist with this type of music reading, or it could be the emotional reaction to reading the music. In either case, my point comes across strongly that you can find new expression and feelings in the most technical of places in music. In the near future, I will be writing and encouraging others to write using this as a tool for breaking new ground and eliciting totally genuine and fresh reactions from the musicians and the audience.

Mom's perspective on "Muscle Memory"

“Muscle Memory” investigates how the translation of music through various notation systems can effect the audience and performer. By translating music through a differing notation format, such as Cipher Notation, the style of the music vastly changes, adding a completely different sound from the original. Through video, Trevor demonstrates the translation of Joe Henderson’s “Recorda Me” by incorporating footage of an original performance, then performing his own on the piano in Western musical notation and Cipher notation. It becomes evident that there are auditory differences between the two systems; the video is intended for those who are knowledgeable to advanced forms of music composition and theory. The original intent of Trevor’s e-chapter has not changed over the period of the class. His initial interest in how different musical notation systems can change the aesthetics of a piece is evident in his portfolio. I found “Muscle Memory” interesting as a visual artist; I am interested in the complexity of how these systems are developed, the cultures of which they derive from, and how multiple systems can be used to transform a musical piece. If I treat it similar to language, then I begin wonder if there are certain sounds only specific systems can display.

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