Performers and an active audience: Movement in music production and perception

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Bishop ◽  
Werner Goebl
Keyword(s):  
Music Perception ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Music Cognition ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Human Movement ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
Subjective Experiences ◽  
Optical Motion ◽  
Crossmodal Associations ◽  
Musical Communication

Musical communication involves performance and perception processes, both of which engage the sensorimotor system. In much of the performance science literature, however, musical communication is conceptualized as a one-way trajectory from active performer to passive listener, minimizing the contribution of the listener and the collaborative nature of communication. In this paper, we discuss how movement contributes to 1) music performance, through sound production, interperformer coordination, and visual expressivity, and 2) music perception, through the simulation of observed gestures, activation of crossmodal associations, and induction of overt synchronized responses. Embodied music cognition, which treats musical communication as a process of dynamic interaction between individuals, and emphasizes the role of the physical body in mediating between environmental stimuli and subjective experiences, provides a background for our discussion. We conclude the paper with a discussion of how ongoing technological developments are simultaneously enhancing our ability to study musical communication (e.g., via integration of optical motion capture and mobile eye tracking) and, by introducing means of performing music that do not rely on human movement, challenging our understanding of how music and movement relate.

scholarly journals Motor Constraints Shaping Musical Experience

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rolfe Inge Godøy
Keyword(s):  
Electronic Music ◽  
Music Perception ◽  
Music Cognition ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Body Motion ◽  
Musical Experience ◽  
Musical Sound ◽  
Perceptual Features ◽  
Motor Constraints

In recent decades, we have seen a surge in published work on embodied music cognition, and it is now broadly accepted that musical experience is intimately linked with experiences of body motion. It is also clear that music performance is not something abstract and without restrictions, but something traditionally (i.e., before the advent of electronic music) constrained by our possibilities for body motion. The focus of this paper is on these various constraints of sound-producing body motion that shape the emergent perceptual features of musical sound, as well as on how these constraints may enhance our understanding of agency in music perception.

scholarly journals Computational Modeling of Music Cognition: A Case Study on Model Selection

2006 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 365-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henkjan Honing
Keyword(s):  
Model Selection ◽  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Music Cognition ◽  
Kinematic Model ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Limited Range

While the most common way of evaluating a computational model is to see whether it shows a good fit with the empirical data, recent literature on theory testing and model selection criticizes the assumption that this is actually strong evidence for the validity of a model. This article presents a case study from music cognition (modeling the ritardandi in music performance) and compares two families of computational models (kinematic and perceptual) using three different model selection criteria: goodness-of-fit, model simplicity, and the degree of surprise in the predictions. In the light of what counts as strong evidence for a model’s validity—namely that it makes limited range, nonsmooth, and relatively surprising predictions—the perception-based model is preferred over the kinematic model.

scholarly journals Time perception in human movement: Effects of speed and agency on duration estimation

2020 ◽  
pp. 174702182097951
Author(s):  
Emma Allingham ◽  
David Hammerschmidt ◽  
Clemens Wöllner
Keyword(s):  
Time Perception ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Time Estimation ◽  
Human Movement ◽  
Human Motion ◽  
Movement Speed ◽  
Acting Out ◽  
Optical Motion ◽  
Point Light ◽  
Duration Estimation

While the effects of synthesised visual stimuli on time perception processes are well documented, very little research on time estimation in human movement stimuli exists. This study investigated the effects of movement speed and agency on duration estimation of human motion. Participants were recorded using optical motion capture while they performed dance-like movements at three different speeds. They later returned for a perceptual experiment in which they watched point-light displays of themselves and one other participant. Participants were asked to identify themselves, to estimate the duration of the recordings, and to rate expressivity and quality of the movements. Results indicate that speed of movement affected duration estimations such that faster speeds were rated longer, in accordance with previous findings in non-biological motion. The biasing effects of speed were stronger for watching others’ movements than for watching one’s own point-light movements. Duration estimations were longer after acting out the movement compared with watching it, and speed differentially affected ratings of expressivity and quality. Findings suggest that aspects of temporal processing of visual stimuli may be modulated by inner motor representations of previously performed movements, and by physically carrying out an action compared with just watching it. Results also support the inner clock and change theories of time perception for the processing of human motion stimuli, which can inform the temporal mechanisms of the hypothesised separate processor for human movement information.

Nonverbal behaviours in popular music performance: A case study of The Corrs

2005 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaori Kurosawa ◽  
Jane W. Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Popular Music ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Live Performance ◽  
Musical Narrative ◽  
Nonverbal Behaviour ◽  
Musical Communication

The aim of this study was to investigate performer nonverbal behaviour in popular music performance in order to understand the use and functions of gestures, postures, and facial expression. To this end, the study begins by reviewing relevant psychological and sociological research including Ekman and Friesen and Argyle's categorisations of nonverbal behaviour. Drawing on these specific categories, functions of nonverbal behaviours in popular music performance are proposed. These include: to maintain performer self-control; to provide musical, narrative, emotional and personal information; to regulate and manipulate relationships between performer, co-performer and audience. The investigative work focuses on a case study of The Corrs and is carried out by observing two commercially available film recordings of the band in live performance. The songs demonstrate that within this band, three of the four members take turns singing solos. In the first performance, What can I do? is sung by Andrea (principle vocal), and in the second performance, No frontiers is sung by Sharon and Caroline. Focusing on the soloists, all their nonverbal behaviours are classified in terms of types ( e.g., emblem, illustrator, regulator, adaptor, affect display) and frequency of behaviour. The results demonstrate that Ekman and Friesen and Argyle's categorisations provide a complete description of the nonverbal behaviours found in the performances. Moreover, the analysis reveals differences between individuals and the two songs. With these findings, the paper concludes that nonverbal behaviours in this type of performance are crucial to the development, production and perception of the musical performance. Though preliminary, the study indicates a need for much more detailed research of this topic if performers, educators and researchers are to understand and exploit the nonverbal aspects of a musical communication fully.

Do Mathematicians Have Above Average Musical Skill?

2011 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Haimson ◽  
Deanna Swain ◽  
Ellen Winner
Keyword(s):  
Reading Ability ◽  
Music Perception ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Sight Reading ◽  
Modern Language Association ◽  
Doctoral Level ◽  
Music And Mathematics ◽  
Performance Ability ◽  
And Mathematics

accompanying the view that music training leads to improved mathematical performance is the view that that there is an overlap between the kinds of skills needed for music and mathematics. We examined the popular conception that mathematicians have better music abilities than nonmathematicians. We administered a self-report questionnaire via the internet to assess musicality (music perception and music memory) and musicianship (music performance and music creation). Respondents were doctoral-level members of the American Mathematical Association or the Modern Language Association (i.e., literature and language scholars). The mathematics group did not exhibit higher levels of either musicality or musicianship. Among those reporting high music-performance ability (facility in playing an instrument and/or sight-reading ability), mathematicians did not report significantly greater musicality than did the literature/language scholars. These findings do not lend support to the hypothesis that mathematicians are more musical than people with nonquantitative backgrounds.

When the Eye Listens: A Meta-analysis of How Audio-visual Presentation Enhances the Appreciation of Music Performance

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friedrich Platz ◽  
Reinhard Kopiez
Keyword(s):  
Effect Size ◽  
Music Perception ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Visual Presentation ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Total N ◽  
Visual Component ◽  
Visual Music ◽  
Medium Effect Size

the visual component of music performance as experienced in a live concert is of central importance for the appreciation of music performance. However, up until now the influence of the visual component on the evaluation of music performance has remained unquantified in terms of effect size estimations. Based on a meta-analysis of 15 aggregated studies on audio-visual music perception (total N = 1,298), we calculated the average effect size of the visual component in music performance appreciation by subtracting ratings for the audio-only condition from those for the audio-visual condition. The outcome focus was on evaluation ratings such as liking, expressiveness, or overall quality of musical performances. For the first time, this study reveals an average medium effect size of 0.51 standard deviations — Cohen's d; 95% CI (0.42, 0.59) — for the visual component. Consequences for models of intermodal music perception and experimental planning are addressed.

scholarly journals Listening as a Creative Act

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan B. L. Smith ◽  
Isaac Schankler ◽  
Elaine Chew
Keyword(s):  
Structural Unit ◽  
Music Perception ◽  
Music Cognition ◽  
Multimodal Interaction ◽  
Software System ◽  
Musical Structure ◽  
Tonal Music ◽  
Generative Theory ◽  
Machine Improvisation

Some important theories of music cognition, such as Lerdahl and Jackendoff’s (1983)A Generative Theory of Tonal Music, posit an archetypal listener with an ideal interpretation of musical structure, and many studies of the perception of structure focus on what different listeners have in common. However, previous experiments have revealed that listeners perceive musical structure differently, depending upon their music background and their familiarity with the piece. It is not known what other factors contribute to differences among listeners’ formal analyses, but understanding these factors may be essential to advancing our understanding of music perception.We present a case study of two listeners, with the goal of identifying the differences between their analyses, and explaining why these differences arose. These two listeners analyzed the structure of three performances, a set of improvised duets. The duets were performed by one of the listeners and Mimi (Multimodal Interaction for Musical Improvisation), a software system for human-machine improvisation. The ambiguous structure of the human-machine improvisations as well as the distinct perspectives of the listeners ensured a rich set of differences for the basis of our study.We compare the structural analyses and argue that most of the disagreements between them are attributable to the fact that the listeners paid attention to different musical features. Following the chain of causation backwards, we identify three more ultimate sources of disagreement: differences in the commitments made at the outset of a piece regarding what constitutes a fundamental structural unit, differences in the information each listener had about the performances, and differences in the analytical expectations of the listeners.

scholarly journals Error-state Kalman filter for lower-limb kinematic estimation: Evaluation on a 3-body model

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0249577
Author(s):  
Michael V. Potter ◽  
Stephen M. Cain ◽  
Lauro V. Ojeda ◽  
Reed D. Gurchiek ◽  
Ryan S. McGinnis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Kalman Filter ◽  
Lower Limb ◽  
Injury Risk ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Human Movement ◽  
Lower Limbs ◽  
Direct Evaluation ◽  
Body Model ◽  
Optical Motion ◽  
Error State

Human lower-limb kinematic measurements are critical for many applications including gait analysis, enhancing athletic performance, reducing or monitoring injury risk, augmenting warfighter performance, and monitoring elderly fall risk, among others. We present a new method to estimate lower-limb kinematics using an error-state Kalman filter that utilizes an array of body-worn inertial measurement units (IMUs) and four kinematic constraints. We evaluate the method on a simplified 3-body model of the lower limbs (pelvis and two legs) during walking using data from simulation and experiment. Evaluation on this 3-body model permits direct evaluation of the ErKF method without several confounding error sources from human subjects (e.g., soft tissue artefacts and determination of anatomical frames). RMS differences for the three estimated hip joint angles all remain below 0.2 degrees compared to simulation and 1.4 degrees compared to experimental optical motion capture (MOCAP). RMS differences for stride length and step width remain within 1% and 4%, respectively compared to simulation and 7% and 5%, respectively compared to experiment (MOCAP). The results are particularly important because they foretell future success in advancing this approach to more complex models for human movement. In particular, our future work aims to extend this approach to a 7-body model of the human lower limbs composed of the pelvis, thighs, shanks, and feet.

scholarly journals Gaya Bernyanyi dengan Teknik Bel Canto: (Re)Konstruksi Subjektivitas Penyanyi Perempuan dalam Pertunjukan Musik

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susi Gustina ◽  
Timbul Haryono ◽  
G.R. Lono L. Simatupang ◽  
Triyono Bramantyo
Keyword(s):  
Classical Music ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Feminist Perspective ◽  
Bel Canto ◽  
Subjective Experiences ◽  
Cultural Perception ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Music Genre ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Western Classical Music

Bel Canto Singing Technique. This article attempting to understand the subjectivity of a woman singer in musicperformance. The poststructuralist feminist perspective is used to focus on the historical and cultural backgroundof the woman’s experiences. Based on the perspective, the research questions refer to: 1) the application of womansinger’s knowledge and cultural perception in songs reproduction so that she can (re)construct her subjectivity; and2) the intention of woman singer to use Western classical music or seriosa in music performance. The life historymethod is used to understand all the subjective experiences of woman singer based on her perspective. The fi ndingsof this research are: 1) subjectivity (re)construction of a woman singer is depend on her knowledge and culturalperception so that her subjectivity is differ from others; and 2) the difference that a woman singer do in musicperformance is related to her intention, i.e. to struggle a music genre that she loves since in the early of her life.

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