A Hierarchical, Modular Music Sequencer

Musical structure is replete with hierarchy, modularity, reuse, and variation. We are interested in how these aspects of music may be employed in a tool for composition and performance. We describe an experimental music sequencer we have developed which is meant to help musicians build complex, highly modular, hierarchical musical structures. The musician begins with basic musical elements, then groups them into larger structures to combine them in a wide variety of ways. The same elements may be reused in many contexts, and may be parameterized and customized each time, creating variation. This sequencer is meant as both a composition and performance tool. We discuss past research in hierarchy and modularity in music, detail our sequencer approach, outline ways that it provides hierarchy and modularity, and discuss how we intend to use its basic model as a jumping-off point for introducing machine learning, optimization, and experimentation into the sequencing process.