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Plétude

Fulltext:


Authors:

Austin Franklin

Publication Type:

Conference/Workshop Paper

Abstract

This paper introduces Plétude, a game engine-based score merging music notation, gaming, and improvisation into a single artistic experience. Building on the evolution of graphic scores and digital notation, Plétude presents non-traditional musical notation in the form of a video game where performers use acoustic instruments to control an on-screen avatar. Players navigate a two-dimensional game space to collect points, avoid enemies, and interact with allies and power-ups. Its four-note control system, inspired by early arcade games like Pac-Man, and its visual design, rooted in modernist abstract art and visual music, fuse gaming and musical expression. This paper situates Plétude and other game engine-based scores within the broader history of music notation and its relationship to the visual arts, examining how game elements such as goals, rules, constraints, and conflict function as musical notation. It then delves into the design, mechanics, and technical implementation of Plétude, alongside its artistic influences. Finally, the paper discusses recent performances and player experiences, emphasizing Plétude’s accessibility and ability to foster improvisation and collaboration among musicians of all skill levels. Plétude offers a paradigm for interactive and participatory music-making, challenging traditional notions of composition and performance while opening new possibilities for interdisciplinary artistic practice.

Bibtex

@inproceedings{Franklin7321,
author = {Austin Franklin},
title = {Pl{\'e}tude},
url = {http://www.es.mdu.se/publications/7321-}
}