Beatboxing Notated - Reeps One ‘Move’

Reeps One is a beatboxer and artist from the UK. As I was studying experimental voice through sound art, I became very interested in beatboxing. I was studying sound artists who were pushing boundaries in contemporary classical composition. This often involved extended techniques in notation too. So I had the idea of attempting to notate a beatbox performance (more information below the notation). The difference being that beatboxing, is far more intense and complicated than most contemporary vocal composition.

My attempt to notate this performance (below), involved adapting traditional notation. The stave still represented pitch and rhythm in the traditional way, with bar lines as expected. While traditional noteheads represented voiced notes, I created new noteheads to represent in breaths, out breaths and forceful plosives. The size of the noteheads also represented their force. In addition I used scribbles above the notehead to represent throat singing techniques. As well as lines to represent sliding movements in pitch.

As in traditional scores I placed lyrics underneath the stave. However, I have also included International Phonetic Alphabet symbols, to describe the shape of the throat in any sound. Above the stave is an individual line purely for consonants. Above that, is another line that describes the activity of the lips. I think at this point, the system would have benefited from more space, to be described in more graphic detail. Ultimately I think this would work well as an animation.