Books on Live Electronic Music

elseven · 2015-05-28T15:47:40.000Z

So I am about to undertake a dissertation based on performing electronic music live.

Can anyone recommend any good books on subjects such as; Improvisation, Performance Dynamics, Approaches to composition, etc

Obviously I know that in the main these are skills that are formative and learned by doing, however I will need to formally reference something when I am writing!

I’ve found some stuff so far, anything else anyone could suggest would be great.

Cheers!

rgraphic · 2015-05-28T17:03:10.000Z

This is a really good book. I think kinda what you’re looking for.

https://www.ableton.com/en/blog/making-music-book-of-creative-strategies/

PeterHanes · 2015-05-28T17:04:27.000Z

""elseven"":

…

I’ve found some stuff so far, anything else anyone could suggest would be great.

…

What did you find in your research so far?

zfigz · 2015-05-28T17:07:53.000Z

I don’t have much in terms of recommending any books, but I am curious where you’re studying at and what kind of program you’re doing.

AdamJay · 2015-05-29T00:11:33.000Z

""elseven"":

So I am about to undertake a dissertation based on performing electronic music live.

Can anyone recommend any good books on subjects such as; Improvisation, Performance Dynamics, Approaches to composition, etc

Obviously I know that in the main these are skills that are formative and learned by doing, however I will need to formally reference something when I am writing!

I’ve found some stuff so far, anything else anyone could suggest would be great.

Cheers!

Hey there. My friend Mark wrote a few books on the subject. I was fortunate enough to be interviewed for his first book in the early 2000’s. See his 2014 publishing for more up to date info.

amazon.com

Mark J. Butler: books, biography, latest update

Follow Mark J. Butler and explore their bibliography from Amazon's Mark J. Butler Author Page.

elseven · 2015-05-29T17:54:20.000Z

""PeterHanes"":

[quote=“elseven”]…

I’ve found some stuff so far, anything else anyone could suggest would be great.

…

What did you find in your research so far?[/quote]
The best book so far is one which comprises many writings/essays from across the musical spectrum, it’s called “Audio Culture, readings in Modern Music”. The topics range from Music Concrete to Dub, chance composition, all sorts of stuff.
Another I found interesting was called “Groove, a phenomenology of rhythmic nuance”. The author sets out to clarify what indeed groove is and how we perceive it.
I’m giving “How Music Works” by David Byrne a read, but in comparison it seems to be more of his artistic opinion (from what I’ve read so far!)

elseven · 2015-05-29T17:55:59.000Z

""AdamJay"":

Hey there. My friend Mark wrote a few books on the subject. I was fortunate enough to be interviewed for his first book in the early 2000’s. See his 2014 publishing for more up to date info.
Amazon.com: Mark J. Butler: books, biography, latest update

Cool stuff! Will check that out, I’ve already read something focusing on this so it would be interesting to compare their outlook ! Thanks

elseven · 2015-05-29T17:57:45.000Z

""zfigz"":

I don’t have much in terms of recommending any books, but I am curious where you’re studying at and what kind of program you’re doing.

No sweat, I’m doing an Audio Engineering degree. Currently reading up on various things in order to move toward forming a proposal for my final major project…

poonti · 2015-05-29T18:18:50.000Z

""AdamJay"":

[quote=“elseven”]So I am about to undertake a dissertation based on performing electronic music live.

Can anyone recommend any good books on subjects such as; Improvisation, Performance Dynamics, Approaches to composition, etc

Obviously I know that in the main these are skills that are formative and learned by doing, however I will need to formally reference something when I am writing!

I’ve found some stuff so far, anything else anyone could suggest would be great.

Cheers!

Hey there. My friend Mark wrote a few books on the subject. I was fortunate enough to be interviewed for his first book in the early 2000’s. See his 2014 publishing for more up to date info.
Amazon.com: Mark J. Butler: books, biography, latest update [/quote]
His newer book “Playing with Something that Runs…” looks like it’s the closest thing to what the OP wants…hmmm, browsed through it on amazon (Look Inside) and this may very well be my next music book purchase!

So much content in the few pages I browsed through, makes the De Santis Ableton book look extremely minimal (which was the goal for that book, and works very well).

elseven · 2015-05-29T18:21:57.000Z

""poonti"":

His newer book “Playing with Something that Runs…” looks like it’s the closest thing to what the OP wants…hmmm, browsed through it on amazon (Look Inside) and this may very well be my next music book purchase!

So much content in the few pages I browsed through, makes the De Santis Ableton book look extremely minimal (which was the goal for that book, and works very well).

The description of that reads spot on… agree that on the face of it that it appears to go deeper than the Ableton book. I have (and enjoy) the book though and feel it’s possibly aimed at a different market.

poonti · 2015-05-29T18:29:31.000Z

""elseven"":

[quote=“poonti”]His newer book “Playing with Something that Runs…” looks like it’s the closest thing to what the OP wants…hmmm, browsed through it on amazon (Look Inside) and this may very well be my next music book purchase!

So much content in the few pages I browsed through, makes the De Santis Ableton book look extremely minimal (which was the goal for that book, and works very well).

The description of that reads spot on… agree that on the face of it that it appears to go deeper than the Ableton book. I have (and enjoy) the book though and feel it’s possibly aimed at a different market.
[/quote]
At a very high level (and not regarding the amount of content, minimalness, etc) the De Santis book is almost all about electronic music production in a DAW, and the Butler book all about performance/improvisation of electronic music. The title suggests that it’s for DJ/laptop performers, but after my brief look through, it seems useful for hardware sequenced performances as well.

khaled · 2020-04-16T15:03:35.045Z

You can download that Ableton Making music book for free for a limited time
https://www.ableton.com/en/shop/?fbclid=IwAR2O2rPB-Aprg_KqJAvkEWk75_tzNl_kva8hjSmOywURKLavO7bEFVYCmg8#making-music

anokah · 2020-04-16T15:21:43.971Z

Might want to check out jstor or similar places for articles on the subject. I would recommend trying to investigate the visual aspect of performing electronic music. It seems seeing the musicians actually perform music, and seeing a correlation between what you see the performer do and what you hear, is important for people. Creates a divide between watching someone play guitar etc and fiddling a box. Actually no pun intended.