Music and HCI

Music is an evolutionarily deep-rooted, abstract, real-time, complex, non-verbal, social activity. Consequently, interaction design in music can be a valuable source of challenges and new ideas for HCI. This workshop will reflect on the latest research in Music and HCI (Music Interaction for short), with the aim of strengthening the dialogue between the Music Interaction community and the wider HCI community. We will explore recent ideas from Music Interaction that may contribute new perspectives to general HCI practice, and conversely, recent HCI research in non-musical domains with implications for Music Interaction. We will also identify any concerns of Music Interaction that may require unique approaches. Contributors engaged in research in any area of Music Interaction or HCI who would like to contribute to a sustained widening of the dialogue between the distinctive concerns of the Music Interaction community and the wider HCI community will be welcome

Making Up Instruments: Design Fiction for Value Discovery in Communities of Musical Practice

The design of a new technology entails the materialisation of values emerging from the specific community, culture and context in which that technology is created. Within the domain of musical interaction, HCI research often examines new digital tools and technologies which can carry unstated cultural assumptions. This paper takes a step back to present a value discovery exercise exploring the breadth of perspectives different communities might have in relation to the values inscribed in fictional technologies for musical interaction. We conducted a hands-on activity in which musicians active in different contexts were invited to envision not-yet-existent musical instruments. The activity revealed several sources of influence on participants’ artefacts, including cultural background, instrumental training, and prior experience with music technology. Our discussion highlights the importance of cultural awareness and value rationality for the design of interactive systems within and beyond the musical domain

A Consort of Gestural Musical Controllers: Design, Construction, and Performance

This thesis project presents the T-Sticks, a new family of digital musical instruments (DMIs). Most DMIs are either entirely unique interfaces, or exist as design iterations in which each incarnation is intended to improve on the last. The T-Sticks are instead intended to form a complementary group or consort which may be performed ensemble and also performed individually in solo pieces or works for mixed instrumentation. Each of the T-Sticks is based on the same general structure and sensing platform, but each also differs from its siblings in size, weight, timbre and register. This document explores some of the issues challenging and motivating the field of DMI design and performance, and describes the motivations behind the T-Stick project in this context. Several existing DMIs are examined for similarities to the T-Stick and compared in terms of design intention, implementation, and usage. The hardware and software designed and built for this project is presented, along with insights gained through collaboration with performers and composers in the context of McGill University’s Digital Orchestra project. The performers in question have collectively practiced and performed with the T-Stic