Constraint-Based Sound-Motion Objects in Music Performance

Rolf Inge Godøy

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.732729

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present principles of constraint-based sound-motion objects in music performance. Sound-motion objects are multimodal fragments of combined sound and sound-producing body motion, usually in the duration range of just a few seconds, and conceived, produced, and perceived as intrinsically coherent units. Sound-motion objects have a privileged role as building blocks in music because of their duration, coherence, and salient features and emerge from combined instrumental, biomechanical, and motor control constraints at work in performance. Exploring these constraints and the crucial role of the sound-motion objects can enhance our understanding of generative processes in music and have practical applications in performance, improvisation, and composition.

Highlights

A rapid harp glissando, a fast drum fill, a harpsicord ornament, a trumpet signal, or a tremolo crescendo on a cymbal are all examples of sound-motion objects in the sense that they combine salient sound energy envelopes with salient sound-producing body motion shapes into strongly coherent entities, typically in the duration range of 0.3–5 s
In (Klapp and Jagacinski, 2011), we find a strong claim for pre-programing in their notion of motor gestalts
It seems reasonable to infer that sound-motion objects can play an important role in music performance, yet that the corollary notions of a fundamental discontinuity and the associated intermittency hypothesis may go against established ways of thinking

Summary

Introduction

A rapid harp glissando, a fast drum fill, a harpsicord ornament, a trumpet signal, or a tremolo crescendo on a cymbal are all examples of sound-motion objects in the sense that they combine salient sound energy envelopes with salient sound-producing body motion shapes into strongly coherent entities, typically in the duration range of 0.3–5 s. The main features of sound-motion objects are that they are multimodal, meaning that they include sensations of both sound and sound-producing body motion, and that they are conceived and perceived holistically as strongly coherent and stable units and may be called objects in musical performance. The main idea of Constraint-Based Sound-Motion Objects

Objectives

Conclusion