Post on 30-Mar-2020
Designing Professional Instruments forComputer Music Performance
Justin MullinDecember 4, 2010
Introduction
Computer Music Performance
What IS computer music performance?live performance of computermusic by a human performer
(this excludes human compositionsplayed by a computer)
Introduction
Professional Computer Music Instruments
I am investigating the ideal of a professional instrument:an instrument which…
…could become a respectable entitywithin the music world.…could develop a following of musicianswho identify as players of the instrument.
…could be functionally competitivealongside typical traditional instruments.
IntroductionOutline
§ DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICSWhat are the primary characteristics aprofessional instrument should possess?
§ DESIGN PRINCIPLESWhat are the important factors to considerwhen designing professional instruments?
§ INSTRUMENT ANALYSISHow do real world instruments hold upagainst these criteria?
Characteristics of Professional Instruments
Overview
The literature suggests three primary desirablecharacteristics:
§ VIRTUOSITY
§ EXPRESSIVITY
§ FLEXIBILITY
Characteristics of Professional Instruments
Virtuosity
VIRTUOSO: an individual who possesses outstanding technicalability at singing or playing a musical instrument
(Wikipedia)
A virtuosic instrument is an instrumentwhich can support virtuosic players.
Characteristics of Professional Instruments
Virtuosity
An instrument which possesses
(a) a high ceiling for technical play (depth) and (b) broad technical potential (complexity)
will tend to promote virtuosity.
Characteristics of Professional Instruments
Virtuosity
Difficulty does NOT imply depth.
- NOTE -
(Obfuscation ≠ virtuosity)
Depth is derived from relevant difficulty:difficulty which is productively
employed in musical output
Characteristics of Professional Instruments
Expressivity
EXPRESSION: that element of musical performancewhich is something more than mere notes
An expressive instrument is an instrumentwhich can facilitate this type of expression.
(Brittanica)
(musical)
Characteristics of Professional Instruments
Expressivity
Typical modes of musicalexpression include…
Dynamics – variation of softness/loudnessArticulation – variation in ‘connectedness’ of notesVibrato – rapid and subtle change in pitchTremolo – rapid and subtle change in volume
Characteristics of Professional Instruments
Expressivity
An instrument which possesses
(a) varied methods of altering sound texture and (b) fine control over these methods
will tend to promote expressivity.
Characteristics of Professional Instruments
Expressivity
Expressivity is a challenge for computer music instruments.
Traditional instruments tend to havevery multi-dimensional inputs…
…electronic interfaces tend to bevery one-dimensional.
Creating interfaces which allow fornuanced input is challenging task.
Characteristics of Professional Instruments
Flexibility
FLEXIBILITY: a ready capability to adapt to new,different, or changing requirements
(Merriam-Webster)
A flexible instrument is an instrument which canbe adapted on-the-fly with minimal effort.
Characteristics of Professional Instruments
Flexibility
Computer music instruments have thepotential to be uniquely flexible.
Software allows for radical and rapid changesin an instrument’s behavior during aperformance…for example:
§ The type of sound can be changed.§ The instrument can be ‘retuned.’§ The method of input can be altered.
Characteristics of Professional Instruments
Flexibility
Accessing this flexibilitybecomes a question ofinterface:
A feature which cannot be easily usedduring play does not contributemeaningful flexibility.
Characteristics of Professional Instruments
Summary
So, let’s recap – we are searching for instrumentswhich are:
§ VIRTUOSIC
§ EXPRESSIVE
§ FLEXIBILE
(technically deep and complex)
(allowing for nuanced control of sound)
(adaptable mid-performance)
DesignPrinciple
sOverview
Next, we’ll discuss two important principles for thedesign of computer music instruments:
§ MAPPING
§ BODY/GESTURE
DesignPrinciple
sMapping
MAPPING: taking advantage of physical analogiesand cultural standards
(Design of Everyday Things)
Mapping is the correspondence between actionand reaction in an interactive object.
(natural)
Good mapping in the context of acomputer music instrument meansinteractions correspond to changes insound:
DesignPrinciple
sMapping
§ Displacement of a hand may be mapped to pitch.§ Velocity of struck key may be mapped to volume.§ The location of a key press may be mapped to timbre.
Natural mapping requires not only thatactions are mapped to reactions, but thatthey are mapped in a reasonable manner.
DesignPrinciple
sMapping
Faster key presses should equate to alouder sound, not a softer one.
DesignPrinciple
sBody and Gesture
Gesture: a movement usually of the body orlimbs that expresses or emphasizes anidea, sentiment, or attitude
(Merriam-Webster)
The body-instrument connection, sometimesreferred to as gesture, is the incorporation of theplayer’s physical actions into the sound produced.
(natural)
DesignPrinciple
sBody and Gesture
Traditional instruments make thisconnection necessary – the physicalaction is literally what produces thesound…
…by contrast, electronic interfacesmake this connection hard – thecausal chain between body andsound is tenuous and incidental.
DesignPrinciple
sBody and Gesture
We can emulate the body-instrumentconnection, and provide strong gesture by…
…building interfaces which are astangible as possible.…allowing the movement or positioningof the performer’s body to influence thesound.
…adding more depth to physicalinteractions.
DesignPrinciple
sSummary
We now have an established set of characteristicsand design principles we can apply to a computermusic instrument.
Virtuosity
Expressivity
Flexibility
Desirable Characteristics Design PrinciplesMapping
Body/Gesture
Analysis of Existing Instruments
Overview
Let’s turn to this analysis now, to seehow the criteria interact in practice.
The characteristics and principleswe’ve established should serve asuseful criteria for analysis of realinstruments.
Analysis of Existing Instruments
Overview
I will briefly discuss and analyze twoelectronic instruments:
§ The Theremin§ The Eigenharp
Analysis of Existing Instruments
The Theremin
The Theremin wascreated in 1920 byLéon Theremin, andwas the result ofresearch in proximitysensing technology.
Analysis of Existing Instruments
The Theremin
The Theremin operates bymeasuring the distancefrom two antennae toeach of the performer’shands.
Analysis of Existing Instruments
The Theremin
One hand controlsthe instrument’spitch:
…the other controlsthe instrument’s volume.
Analysis of Existing Instruments
The Theremin
A violin virtuosa from a youngage, Clara Rockmoretransitioned to the Thereminafter bone problems left herunable to play violin.
Rockmore became a universallyestablished Theremin virtuosa…so what makes the Theremin avirtuosic instrument?
Analysis of Existing Instruments
The Theremin
Playing even a single noteon the Theremin is anextremely technicalevent…playing a run ofnotes is exponentiallymore challenging.
Each successive note isconceptually located atan unmarked position inthe air…and each mustbe hit with precision.
Virtuosity
The technique involved in playing the Theremin isenormous, creating great potential for virtuosity
Analysis of Existing Instruments
The Theremin
Expressivity
On the Theremin, pitch and volumeare totally free, on a continuous level.
This allows for great expressivefreedom – altering the shape of thesound is natural and powerful.
Analysis of Existing Instruments
The Theremin
Flexibility
Although pitch and volume are totallyfree, the Theremin constrains theplayer’s actions to these two inputs.
With the exception of additional footpedals, there is no license for on-the-fly adaptation in the Theremin’sinterface, so flexibility is limited.
Analysis of Existing Instruments
The Theremin
Mapping
The Theremin’s action-reaction connectionsare strong and straightforward: the distanceof one hand maps to pitch, and the distanceof the other maps to volume…
…mapping is not necessarily natural, though;does moving the pitch hand closer raise orlower the pitch?
Analysis of Existing Instruments
The Theremin
Body/Gesture
On the one hand, there is no tangibleinteraction between the Theremin and itsperformer…
Evaluating the body-instrument connectionof the Theremin is interesting.
…on the other hand, the player’s body reallydoes become the instrument.
In the long run, gesture is a strong part of theTheremin’s design.
Analysis of Existing Instruments
The Eigenharp
The Eigenharp was released in2009 by UK company Eigenlabs.
Its creators tout it as “the mostrevolutionary new musicalinstrument of the last 60years,” and “the mostexpressive electronicinstrument ever made.”
Analysis of Existing Instruments
The Eigenharp
The interface is a huge array ofinputs:
§ 120 keys, which detect howfar they are depressed, as wellas their tilt on two axes§ A wind controller for breathcontrol§ Two touch strips along bothsides of the instrument§ 12 large keys at the bottomfor percussion
Analysis of Existing Instruments
The Eigenharp
It’s difficult to succinctlyexplain how one plays theEigenharp, since there aremany ways to do so…
We will analyze theinstrument with respect toits typical configurations,as in the video.
Analysis of Existing Instruments
The Eigenharp
Virtuosity
Technique abounds with theEigenharp – the depth andcomplexity of the instrumentguarantee a high skill ceiling.
The instrument is still fairlyyoung, but it seems likelyvirtuosos could develop intime.
Analysis of Existing Instruments
The Eigenharp
Expressivity
Expression is a key focus of theEigenharp’s design. The instrument’swide range of inputs and high level ofprecision allows for extensive controlover the sound, and each input is builtto be very precise and accurate.
Managing all of the different modes ofinteraction may prove difficult, but thepotential for expressivity is great.
Analysis of Existing Instruments
The Eigenharp
Flexibility
The greatest strength of the Eigenharp isits flexibility.
As we’ve seen the challenge of flexibility, as we’vebeen using the term, is in providing an interfacewhich allows the performer to adapt withoutsignificantly interrupting the performance.
Analysis of Existing Instruments
The Eigenharp
Flexibility
The Eigenharp addresses this difficulty with asystem which utilizes the instrument’s primarykeys, called Belcanto.
This allows the performer to quickly andunobtrusively issue commands while playing.
After entering a special mode with a buttonpress, a short sequence of keys are pressed,issuing a command to the Eigenharp.
Analysis of Existing Instruments
The Eigenharp
MappingMapping is difficult to assess on theEigenharp, because the inputs are usedfor many different things.
At default, however, most mappings arefairly natural and direct:§ Successive notes are laid out linearly
down the instrument, much like a guitar.§ Each axis of each key is mapped to one
effect (pitch bend, modulation)§ The wind controller is often mapped to
note volume
Analysis of Existing Instruments
The Eigenharp
Body/Gesture
The body-instrument connection isstrong when playing the Eigenharp.
Each interaction with a key is veryinvolved, since effectively the angle andforce of the key press factor heavily intothe resulting sound.
The interface is very tangible, andencourages many forms of physicalinteraction.
Conclusions
We’ve now evaluated two real-worldexamples against our criteria forprofessional computer musicinstruments.
These analyses should provide an ideaof how the desirable characteristics anddesign principles come into play ininstrument design.
Questions?
Thank You!