Headline grabs for music: The development of the iPad score generator for ‘Loaded (NSFW)’

This paper-demonstration provides an overview of an generative music score adapted for the iPad by the Decibel new music ensemble. The original score “Loaded (NSFW)” (2015) is by Western Australian composer Laura Jane Lowther, and is scored for ensemble and electronics, commissioned for a performance in April 2015 at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts. It engages and develops the Decibel Score Player application, a score reader and generator for the iPad as a tool for displaying an interactive score that requires performers to react to news headlines through musical means [1]. The paper will introduce the concept for the player, how it was developed, and how it was used in the premiere performance. The associated demonstration shows how the score appears on the iPads.