Listen to the Most Current Hour of Data
Music Now sonifies the most recent hour of water and weather data at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, NH. This hour of music represents a single line of data, with one value for each data element (e.g. precipitation, streamflow). To create an intricate musical interpretation of a single hour of data (from these individual values), Music Now varies the tempo of the music based on stream flow data and the time signature of the music based on air pressure data.
Click on the Music Now Radio Station to play the most current hour of data.
Visit the Audio Key and Musical Description to see what each musical instrument represents and learn more about the design behind this dynamic piece of live music.
Musical Description
Each hour of data presents data elements (e.g. evaporation, precipitation, snow) at different positions within 4 measures of music as shown in the image below. Air pressure determines which of three times signatures the data music plays in: low air pressure plays in measures of 6/16, medium air pressure plays in measures of 5/16, and high air pressure plays in measures of 4/16 (as in the image below). The relative position and number of hits are altered slightly for time signatures in 5/16 (medium air pressure) and 6/16 (high air pressure).
Each position in the table below represents a 16th note – where there is an ‘X’, there is a presentation of that data on that beat, otherwise the data is either sustained or not heard during beats marked ‘-‘. This causes the music to be in overall structures of 16, 20 or 24 beat phrases. In the tables below, there is space separating each measure of music.
If not otherwise noted in the music key, the data determines the pitches played by a particular instrument using positive polarity where lower data values select lower pitches and higher data values select higher pitches using a linear scale.
The following table illustrates on what beats per phrase each variable’s data is presented.
High pressure places data into 16 beats as follows:
StreamFlow Bass | X - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | StreamFlow Pattern | X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X | WaterinSoil Guitar | X - - - X - X - X - - - X - - - | Temperature Flute | - - X - - - - - - - - - - - - - | Solar Radiation Bell | - - - - - - - - - - - X X - - - | Wind Direction String Section | - - - - X - - X X - - - - - - - | Precipitation Cymbal Crash | - - - - - - - - X - - - - - - - | Wind Velocity Volume of Shakers | X - - - X X X X X - - - X - - - | Wind Direction Panning of Shakers | X - - - X X X X X - - - X - - - | Evapotranspiration Marimba | X - - X X - - - - - - - - - - - | Snow Chimes | - - - - - - - - - - - - X - - - |
Medium pressure places data into 20 beats as follows:
StreamFlow Bass | X - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | StreamFlow Pattern | X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X | WaterinSoil Guitar | X - - - - X - X - - X - - - - X - - - - | Temperature Flute | - - X - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | Solar Radiation Bell | - - - - - - - - - - - - - X X X - - - - | Wind Direction String Section | - - - - - X - - X X X - - - - - - - - - | Precipitation Cymbal Crash | - - - - - - - - - - X - - - - - - - - - | Wind Velocity Volume of Shakers | X - - - - X X X X X X - - - - X - - - - | Wind Direction Panning of Shakers | X - - - - X X X X X X - - - - X - - - - | Evapotranspiration Marimba | X - - - X X - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | Snow Chimes | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - X - - - - |
Low pressure places data into 24 beats as follows:
StreamFlow Bass | X - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | StreamFlow Pattern | X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X | WaterinSoil Guitar | X - - - - - X - X - X - X - - - - - X - - - - - | Temperature Flute | - - - X - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | Solar Radiation Bell | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - X X X X - - - - - | Wind Direction String Section | - - - - - - X - - - - X X - - - - - - - - - - - | Precipitation Cymbal Crash | - - - - - - - - - - - - X - - - - - - - - - - - | Wind Velocity Volume of Shakers | X - - - - - X X X X X X X - - - - - X - - - - - | Wind Direction Panning of Shakers | X - - - - - X X X X X X X - - - - - X - - - - - | Evapotranspiration Marimba | X - - - - X X - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | Snow Chimes | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - X - - - - - |
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