The reading was a bit complicated, but I tried to understand by thinking of some examples I can relate to. To me, a person who’s not knowledgeable about but likes music, music seems like a combination between repetition and variation- balancing the two. There has to be some sort of repetition to create the underlying beat, something that will work nicely as a plate. On top of this plate has to be variations- something that can stand out on top of somewhat plain plate. When listening to music, like the reading mentioned, if there’s a lack of variation, it feels like the music has no build-up. By this, I mean that the purpose of the music gets very blurred. Music also has something it’s trying to deliver- a sad emotion, some hype, or maybe even calmness. These purpose cannot be fulfilled if the listener only gets a repetition of the same beat and melody, as it gives them no room to build up these emotions.

Because such analysis of mine, if we can call it that, is purely based on my feelings, I didn’t think about how musicians can overcome this: I could only criticize that this music is ‘boring.’ It was interesting to learn the basic approaches I can take, as a musician now, to tackle such stillness.

The reading touches upon some of professor’s explanation of ‘live coding’ in the first class. It’s something without a set definition or form, and it’s also the attempt to break the normalities of coding and software engineering.

As a computer science student, I’ve always felt like programming is more on the structured and restricting side, rather than the free and formless side. There’s a lot of style and format that has to be met, and there seems to be an answer to solving problems ‘effeciently.’ Hence, programming to me seems like a quiet war that I had to have within myself, trying to figure out what the best way of approach or thinking would be.

I think live coding will be liberating in that it’s not such a lonely fight. Live coders can share their approach and thinking on the spot with the audience. It may or may not be the best way, but regardless that thought process may be what makes the performance interesting.

Sarah Groff Hennign-Palermo’s expression that live coding is about “thinking otherwise about coding- what it can be, rather than what it is” makes me excited to try this new form of programming and coding.