Instructions for The Glass Hand for ROVA John Bischoff 4/18/93

The idea of this piece is to create a multi-layered texture where each layer is transforming itself continually at a variable rate and the rates of transformation are determined by network interaction. As played by the Hub, each player:

1) comes up with a set of predetermined sounds or textures 2) devises a method of segueing from one sound to the next by smooth transition 3) in performance, links the speed of their transitions to information coming in from other players and sends speed information to other players based on characteristics of their current sound

The overall effect is a rather dense, orchestral texture with an internal ebbing and flowing which shapes the piece. I think ROVA could build their performance in a way similar to the Hub by doing the following:

- Each ROVA player develops materials that can be transformed along certain trajectories. Here are some examples (others are possible):

1) from a single tone to a pattern of tones 2) from narrow pattern of tones to a wider one 3) from a slow pattern to a fast one 4) from a low to a high overall pitch 5) from a low to a high volume

The transformations can occur in any combination and can of course be reversed.

- In addition, each player can periodically signal another player to alter his speed along his current trajectory. This could be done with hand signals and probably would work best if the patch were "fixed", that is, player 1 always signals player 2, player 2 always signals player 3, etc.

I imagine ROVA blowing pretty freely along with the Hub on this, riding the waves of electronic sound, so to speak, but also incorporating the process described above into their playing.