Music to my ears: live improvised soundtracks

Game music that responds to your actions can be a magical thing. I’m talking about sneaking through enemy lines accompanied by an eerie string quartet, or cresting a hill while the scenery and music swell around you. Joost van Dongen, the man behind Cello Fortress, recently did an experiment with live soundtrack improvisation that makes for interesting reading.

Dongen and his fellow improviser Rene Derks set up shop at the Abunai convention in the Netherlands and invited people to come in and play any of 40 games. After turning in-game soundtracks off, Dongen with his cello and Derks on a djembe drum improvised their own music in response to whatever was happening on-screen.

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