Computers have become an important tool for musicians. Until recently, the use of computers in music was associated with highly experimental musical genres and somewhat erudite contemporary music practice, such as electroacoustic music. Today, however, computers are widely used by musicians of all styles: they are used for a variety of purposes, ranging from editing musical scores for a traditional jazz band to controlling a mixing console at a rock concert. Computer music practices have also given rise to a number of new pop music styles such as electronica, techno, dance, drum’n’bass, laptop music and so forth. The main objective of UNESCO’s Digi-Arts portal is to foster the dissemination of knowledge and promotion of culture in the fields of media arts and interdisciplinary media studies, including computer music. In this context, these Web-based computer music tutorials are aimed at the dissemination of innovative uses of digital technology in music, independent of musical style. With the exception of the first tutorial, which is a general introduction to basic concepts of digital music, all tutorials focus on the work of selected musicians, sound artists and music technology experts.
Access to computers is becoming increasingly easy, as the industry is eager to create new markets and capture potential consumers. Conversely, access to non-biased information is becoming increasingly difficult. It is hoped that people all over the world will take advantage of these tutorials to access knowledge at the cutting-edge of musical practices. By focusing on the work of particular individuals, the UNESCO tutorials aim to widely disseminate information that is seldom made available elsewhere.

UNESCO wishes to thank the University of Plymouth’s i-DAT and Computer Music Research, for taking on the challenge of coordinating this exciting project.

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