Harmony and Technology Enhanced Learning

New technologies offer rich opportunities to support education in harmony. In this chapter we consider theoretical perspectives and underlying principles behind technologies for learning and teaching harmony. Such perspectives help in matching existing and future technologies to educational purposes, and to inspire the creative re-appropriation of technologies

Embodied gestures

This is a book about musical gestures: multiple ways to design instruments, compose musical performances, analyze sound objects and represent sonic ideas through the central notion of ‘gesture’. The writers share knowledge on major research projects, musical compositions and methodological tools developed among different disciplines, such as sound art, embodied music cognition, human-computer interaction, performative studies and artificial intelligence. They visualize how similar and compatible are the notions of embodied music cognition and the artistic discourses proposed by musicians working with ‘gesture’ as their compositional material. The authors and editors hope to contribute to the ongoing discussion around creative technologies and music, expressive musical interface design, the debate around the use of AI technology in music practice, as well as presenting a new way of thinking about musical instruments, composing and performing with them

AEMI: The Actuated Embedded Musical Instrument

This dissertation is a combination of acoustic and electronic musical creation, acoustic instruments and digital instruments, and a combination of all of these areas. Part I is an original composition for orchestra with the new instrument set as soloist. Part II is an examination of the development and influences of creating a new electronic musical instrument. Part I is a composition for AEMI (the Actuated Embedded Musical Instrument) and orchestra, entitled “Meditation on Solids, Liquids, and Gas.” This composition is a dialogue between the orchestra and instrument, set as an exchange of ideas; sometimes ideas lead to conflict, others lead to resolution. This also serves as a way to feature some of the musical capabilities of this new instrument. Part II is an examination of AEMI and its influences. Chapter 1 includes a discussion of existing instruments whose similar features influenced the development of AEMI: the Theremin, Manta, JD-1, Buchla controller, EVI and EWI, and Chameleon Guitar. While AEMI instrument does not have the same performance mechanics as the Theremin, Evi, or Ewi, understanding the physicality issues of an instrument, like the Theremin, provided insights into creating a versatile instrument that can be easily learned yet have virtuosic character. Ultimately, embedding expressivity, such as subtlety and nuance into the instrument, would be one of the most difficult aspects of creating an instrument and would demand the largest amount of work. Chapter 2 describes the aesthetics, technical aspects, difficulties, and musical abilities of the instrument. Attempts to combine acoustic and electronic music are not novel, the incorporation of acoustically driven resonance by electronic embedded instruments is new. The electroacoustic nature of this instrument is different than most electronic instruments. The controller and user interface is electronically driven, and its speakers/acoustic drivers are embedded within the instrument. This discussion may provide insights to musicians, composers, and instrument makers involved in the finding of new avenues of musical expression

Towards a theory of experimental music theatre: 'showing doing', 'non-matrixed performance' and 'metaxis'

Although recent years have seen the emergence of sustained research on experimental music theater, most of this is of a largely descriptive nature. To address the shortcomings of such approaches, this essay outlines a theory of experimental music theater based on a clear definition and a number of constitutive features. A number of theoretical terms from the fields of performance theory and theater practice are introduced, namely “showing doing” (Richard Schechner), “non-matrixed performance” and “non-matrixed representation” (Michael Kirby), and “metaxis” (Augusto Boal). The analytical effectiveness of this theoretical framework is demonstrated by discussion of case studies drawn both from the “classics” of experimental music theater (John Cage, Mauricio Kagel) and from recent work (Christopher Fox, David Bithell, Trond Reinholdtsen)

Affordance of vibrational excitation for music composition and performance

Mechanical vibrations have typically been used in the performance domain within feedback systems to inform musicians of system states or as communication channels between performers. In this paper, we propose the addi- tional taxonomic category of vibrational excitation of mu- sical instruments for sound generation. To explore the va- riety of possibilities associated with this extended taxon- omy, we present the Oktopus, a multi-purpose wireless sys- tem capable of motorised vibrational excitation. The sys- tem can receive up to eight inputs and generates vibrations as outputs through eight motors that can be positioned ac- cordingly to produce a wide range of sounds from an ex- cited instrument. We demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed system and extended taxonomy through the de- velopment and performance of Live Mechanics, a compo- sition for piano and interactive electronics

The scale of sense : spatial extent and multimodal urban design

This paper is derived from the work of the UK AHRC/EPSRC 'Designing for the 21st Century' research project Multimodal Representation of Urban Space. This research group seeks to establish a new form of notation for urban design which pays attention to our entire sensory experience of place. This paper addresses one of the most important aspects of this endeavour: scale. Scale is of course a familiar abstraction to all architects and urban designers, allowing for representations tailored to different levels of detail and allowing drawings to be translated into build structures. Scale is also a factor in human experience: the spatial extent of each of our senses is different. Many forms of architectonic representation are founded upon the extension of the visual modality, and designs are accordingly tuned towards this sense. We can all speak from our own experience, however, that urban environments are a feast for all the senses. The visceral quality of walking down a wide tree-lined boulevard differs greatly from the subterranean crowds of the subway, or the meandering pause invited by the city square. Similarly, our experience of hearing and listening is more than just a passive observation by virtue of our own power of voice and the feedback created by our percussive movements across a surface or through a medium. Taste and smell are also excited by the urban environment, the social importance of food preparation and the associations between smell and public health are issues of sensory experience. The tactile experience of space, felt with the entire body as well as our more sensitive hands, allowing for direct manipulation and interactions as well as sensations of mass, heat, proximity and texture. Our project team shall present a series of tools for designers which explore the variety of sensory modalities and their associated scales. This suite of notations and analytical frameworks turn our attention to the sensory experience of places, and offers a method and pattern book for more holistic multi-sensory and multi-modal urban design