40, 30

for web browser and any number of musicians

The basic structure of this piece is alternating blocks: 40 seconds of sound, 30 seconds of rest.
The browser plays this pattern between 18 and 28 times, or for a duration between 21 and 33 minutes.
It starts playing automatically about one minute after loading this page.
During each block the browser plays one of ten sounds selected in a random sequence.
These include various types of noise, stationary and moving tones or rhythmic pulses.
The computer should be connected to two decent speakers so that the loudest samples articulate the physical features of the space,
but without being uncomfortably loud; any spatial configuration of musicians and speakers is fine.

Choose a similar set (six to ten) of your own blocks. Play and reapeat them in any sequence.
These blocks are played in unison with the browser, sounding and resting when it does.
Blocks may be any sound that is constant or sustained, repeated rhythmically, or changes at a regular rate.
You can think of them as raw musical materials. Avoid development or narrative.
Some might be louder than the browser's sound. Others might be masked entirely.
When playing with more than two musicians, you may choose to listen (not play) for some blocks.
When a rest begins, make as little movement and sound as possible, preserving the stillness for at least several seconds.


Jordan Topiel Paul
Summer 2016