Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 8. Matthew Tolzmann, “Two Directions for Two Trombones” (© 1996, M. Tolzmann. Used with
permission)
This is a visualization of a trombone playing
created by the University of Northern Colorado
student taking my “Visual Thinking” course. A
silhouette of the Denver downtown served as
visualization for interactive music performance.
A scanned, transformed, and mirrored drawing
of a skyline of the Denver downtown served as a
guide for playing two trombones. The outline of
the image guided the music improvisation with
two directions (hence the title “Two directions
for two trombones): (1) to change pitch (upper
outline) and (2) to change volume (lower outline).
An outline of a Denver, Colorado cityscape was
thus used as a metaphor for music.
A visual guide for an orchestra conductor may
serve as an example of knowledge visualization
in music. Students were asked to visually present
material they were studying for another course. The
University of Northern Colorado student taking
my “Visual Thinking, Visual Images” course cre-
ated this visualization, instead of making notes in
traditional way, when he was preparing himself for
examination in conducting orchestra. He achieved
clear delineation of time each trombone was
played, and a detection of silent periods. Instead
of using traditional staves and music notation,
he color-coded instruments, and then indicated
time, tempo, and the silent periods notations.
Thus, he used the composition as a visual guide
for himself as an orchestra conductor. He used it
for his conducting exam, which he passed with
excellent scores (Figure 9).
Graphic representation of four compositions
shows:
1. Orchestration of forms composed for flutes,
oboes, clarinets, sax, cornets, horns, trom-
bones, euphonium, and tuba presented along
the time axis (measures);
2. Visualization of composition dynamics and
architecture; and
3. Formal analysis of compositions with
graphic presentation of their parts.
5. THE MEANING AND THE ROLE
OF VISUALIZATION IN VARIOUS
KINDS OF PRESENTATION
Visualization of a complex information structure
in a small area poses a conflict between showing
a high-level general context and presenting at
the same time the low-level details. According
Chen (2010), the three general approaches to
