An Architectural Approach to 3D Spatial Notation

This research has evolved from creative practice focused on inter-disciplinary positioning between the domains of music and architecture. Through engagement in the theories and practice of architectural representation and the computational tools of spatial design, a new form of 3D spatial drum notation is presented. This notation seeks to compliment the capacities of traditional drum notation and overcome issues inherent in a theoretical 'musico-perspectival hinge' between the notation and the meaning of the notation. A representational schema of the spatial drum notation is discussed in the first instance in relation to the development of a lexicon of referent drum patterns and phrases and then in the testing of notation on a multilayered improvised 'drumscape' composition. The paper culminates in the extension beyond notation into the realm of music spatialization through 3D printing, digital fabrication and Virtual Reality.