Duet Performance Research Articles

Impact of Dance and Movement on Stress and Mental Health

Today, dance and movement have also become fundamental elements of artistic performances - be it solo presentations, duet performances or even group performances; thus leading to the formation of different dance forms and styles with certain rules and regulations. Several research papers, over a span of many years, suggest that dance and movement have potential healing effects. Therapeutic movement has recently been known to manage stress, anxiety, symptoms of depression, and other mental health disorders. However, an interest in the systematic evaluation of the psychotherapeutic impact of dance and movement based modalities in different population settings in the context of psychotherapy is relatively recent. (C. Quiroga Murcia et al., 2010).Dancing and movement have become an integral part of our lives. For many, it is a medium to express their emotions; for some people, it is now a source of income and livelihood. Over time, dance and movement have evolved from tools and driving force that built societal relationships, to performance art-forms with choreographic roles on-stage and off-stage, to a formally recognised mode of therapy practice - known as Dance / Movement Therapy - an arts-based psychotherapeutic intervention that aims to facilitate the integration of the physical and psychological aspects of human beings.

Song-Writing Style of Bohdan Yanivskyi: Inspirations, Intentions and Text Eminence

The purpose of the article is to outline the style of songs written by B.-Yu. Yanivskyi for his collection “Vyshneva Vikhola” (“Cherry Snowstorm”) for solo and duet performance considering their inspirations, intentions, and means of musical-and-verbal interaction through the optics of the category of the “eminent text” (according to H.-G. Gadamer), as well the socio-cultural terms of the époque. The methods of the studies are based on the integration of the philosophic and art-studies approaches which help to highlight the eminent characteristics of the samples of the composer’s pop-song creativity. System-analytical, intermediate, typological methods of music-poetry studies of the song components in dialogue and, sometimes, polylogue interactions of music, poetry, and borrowed theatre techniques have been applied. Methods of generalisation and reflection enabled the author to trace the inspirations and intentions of B.-Yu. Yanivskyi’s appeals to entertaining music in the time of the Soviet Union. The scientific novelty of the research lies in an attempt of the contextual and intermediate analysis of the songs of the “Vyshneva Vikhola” collection, as the eminent texts. Conclusions. B. Yu. Yanivskyi’s professionalism of a composer, pianist, and concertmaster contributed to the creation of the artistically perfect samples of the pop-song genre. Vocal and piano parts make the suggestive potential of the poetic background more distinct and, at the same time, enrich them in an intermediate and eminent ways. Inspirations of B.-Yu. Yanivskyi’s song-writing style-formation were the national and local musical folklore, Galician traditions of song-entertaining genres and types of music-making, which absorbed the elements of song-and-dance art of other countries, along with preserving their unique features. Composer’s intentions were to popularise the entertainment songs of that time and to prove, that Ukrainian pop-song can be self-sufficient, that it can preserve the national identity at the same time organically reinterpreting the best of the Western heritage. Pop-music semiosis of B.-Yu. Yanivskyi embrace a wide range of intonation-rhythmic, harmonic, and textural marks of various genesis, which altogether make up the unique style of the author.
 Keywords: composer B.-Yu. Yanivskyi, pop-song genre, intermediality, eminent text, song, duet, piano part.

Behavioral and Neural Dynamics of Interpersonal Synchrony Between Performing Musicians: A Wireless EEG Hyperscanning Study.

Interpersonal synchrony refers to the temporal coordination of actions between individuals and is a common feature of social behaviors, from team sport to ensemble music performance. Interpersonal synchrony of many rhythmic (periodic) behaviors displays dynamics of coupled biological oscillators. The current study addresses oscillatory dynamics on the levels of brain and behavior between music duet partners performing at spontaneous (uncued) rates. Wireless EEG was measured from N = 20 pairs of pianists as they performed a melody first in Solo performance (at their spontaneous rate of performance), and then in Duet performances at each partner’s spontaneous rate. Influences of partners’ spontaneous rates on interpersonal synchrony were assessed by correlating differences in partners’ spontaneous rates of Solo performance with Duet tone onset asynchronies. Coupling between partners’ neural oscillations was assessed by correlating amplitude envelope fluctuations of cortical oscillations at the Duet performance frequency between observed partners and between surrogate (re-paired) partners, who performed the same melody but at different times. Duet synchronization was influenced by partners’ spontaneous rates in Solo performance. The size and direction of the difference in partners’ spontaneous rates were mirrored in the size and direction of the Duet asynchronies. Moreover, observed Duet partners showed greater inter-brain correlations of oscillatory amplitude fluctuations than did surrogate partners, suggesting that performing in synchrony with a musical partner is reflected in coupled cortical dynamics at the performance frequency. The current study provides evidence that dynamics of oscillator coupling are reflected in both behavioral and neural measures of temporal coordination during musical joint action.

A Methodological Framework for Assessing Social Presence in Music Interactions in Virtual Reality.

Virtual reality (VR) brings radical new possibilities to the empirical study of social music cognition and interaction. In the present article, we consider the role of VR as a research tool, based on its potential to create a sense of “social presence”: the illusory feeling of being, and socially interacting, inside a virtual environment. This makes VR promising for bridging ecological validity (“research in the wild”) and experimental control (“research in the lab”) in empirical music research. A critical assumption however is the actual ability of VR to simulate real-life social interactions, either via human-embodied avatars or computer-controlled agents. The mediation of social musical interactions via VR is particularly challenging due to their embodied, complex, and emotionally delicate nature. In this article, we introduce a methodological framework to operationalize social presence by a combination of factors across interrelated layers, relating to the performance output, embodied co-regulation, and subjective experiences. This framework provides the basis for the proposal of a pragmatic approach to determine the level of social presence in virtual musical interactions, by comparing the outcomes across the multiple layers with the outcomes of corresponding real-life musical interactions. We applied and tested this pragmatic approach via a case-study of piano duet performances of the piece Piano Phase composed by Steve Reich. This case-study indicated that a piano duet performed in VR, in which the real-time interaction between pianists is mediated by embodied avatars, might lead to a strong feeling of social presence, as reflected in the measures of performance output, embodied co-regulation, and subjective experience. In contrast, although a piano duet in VR between an actual pianist and a computer-controlled agent led to a relatively successful performance output, it was inadequate in terms of both embodied co-regulation and subjective experience.

The Noise Indoors

This article is a reflection of a collaboration between musicians Anton Hunter and José Dias who, in April 2020, organised a free, biweekly improvisation streaming festival, which ran for three weeks, entitled The Noise Indoors (TNI). Devised as a way of encouraging musicians and fans to stay home by providing the chance to continue experiencing and celebrating improvised music during confinement, TNI gathered twenty-eight artists based in seventeen cities across Europe who filmed solo or duet performances in their homes. As TNI progressed, this festival became a platform for sharing each artist’s intimate music-making, as well as an opportunity for networking and community building. In this article, using an eclectic mix of critical and dialogic writing styles (including field notes and text messages), they reflect on their experiences as researchers, musicians, and curators who organised and participated in TNI, and the potential wider implications of this.

APPLICATION OF AZERBAIJANI FOLK DANCE IN KHOREOGRAPHICAL COMPOSITION

Login: The article is dedicated to the embodiment of Azerbaijani folk dances on the professional stage. The main condition for the stage embodiment of folk dances is to take into account the laws of composition and stage criteria. When talking about the stage structure of folk dance, a number of important factors need to be clarified. The composition consists of several parts. These parts consist of dance combinations. For this, dance must express the parts of the composition as exposition, binding, development and complementary. Development: Angle factor is very important in stage arrangement of folk dances. The choreographer must take into account that the audience can see the artist from ane direction. Therefore, this fact should not be ignored during the making of the composition. One of the lyrical compositions of Azerbaijani folk dances is based on the “Uzundere” dance. The character of the dance,its lyrical and melodic melody make it possible to perform it as a bridal dance. “Uzundere” dance is ona of the solo dances. However,duet performances are also observed. It should not be forgotten that this danse is performed not only by women but also by men, and each performance has its own dance elements. The most common and professional version of the dance “Uzundere” is a also composition by a female dancer. One of the dances we have analyzed is the “Gaval dance”. The place of this musical instrument in national art is also reflected in dance. The musical content of the “Gaval dance” consists of two different parts. It includes both a slow-paced lyrics and a fast-paced section. These parts change during the dance. This sequence may be repeated several times, depending on the structural properties of the composition. The choreographic content of the dance has been preserved both as a solo and as a collective expression. Result: Based on our analysis and research, the main features of modern dance art can be characterized by the following provisions. As a result of the establishment and successful work of professional dance groups, the development of national dances has reached a new stage, and this process has been reflected in both folk dances and compositions based on the composer’s music. She based the stage arrangement criteria of folk dances on the professional synthesis of world classical traditions and Azerbaijani traditions with Azerbaijani choreography and national dance traditions.

The sound of silence: an EEG study of how musicians time pauses in individual and joint music performance.

Pauses are an integral feature of social interaction. Conversation partners often pause between conversational turns, and musical co-performers often pause between musical phrases. How do humans coordinate the duration of pauses to ensure seamless interaction? A total of 40 trained pianists performed a simple melody containing fermatas (notated expressive pauses of unspecified duration) first alone (Solo) and then with a partner (Duet) while electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. As predicted, Duet partners’ tone onset synchrony was reduced for tones following pauses. Pauses were shorter in Duet relative to Solo performance, and synchrony of partners’ Duet tone onsets was enhanced for tones following shorter pauses. EEG analysis revealed classic signatures of action preparation during pauses, namely decreases in the power of cortical beta oscillations (13–30 Hz, event-related desynchronization ERD). Beta ERD did not differ between pauses in Solo and Duet performance, but was enhanced for shorter relative to longer pauses, suggesting that reduced pause durations in Duet performance facilitated a neural state of enhanced action readiness. Together these findings provide novel insight into behavioural strategies by which musical partners resolve coordination challenges posed by expressive silence, and capture a clear neural signature of action planning during time-varying silences in natural music performance.

Modern piano duet: a retrospective analysis of performing arts

The subject of this research is the evolution of the art of piano duets since the middle of the XX century to the present day. Leaning on the retrospective analysis of ensemble uniqueness, an attempt is made to determine the key trends in artistic activity of piano duets of that time. The goal of this work consists in the analysis of the types of professional duet ensembles and their peculiarities, substantiated by the mobile form of concerts; study of the relevant questions of renewal of the repertoire; classification of piano duets by “performing specialization”: educational and theatricalized or "eccentric"’ as well as outlining the development prospects of duet performing arts. Research methodology is based on the comparative, logical, and retrospective methods. The retrospective method allowed defining the criteria for ensemble specialization of piano duets in accordance with the duet or duo principle, as well as the variety of educational duets based on the repertoire preferences. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that retrospective analysis applicable to modern duet performance, on the one hand revealed a tendency towards preserving and augmenting best traditions in performing culture of the piano due, while on the other – towards seeking of new, creative in their idea forms of ensemble art. For the first time the source of the new repertoire, which includes original compositions for four-handed ensemble, is presented by annotated catalogue of the American scholar K. McGraw (revised 2016 edition). The conclusion is made that tremendous potential of the genre (the ability to multi-level dialogue, theatrical expressiveness of visual image of the ensemble, and its special telegenic skills) contributes to the successful development of piano duet in music industry. Expanding the boundaries of the traditional concert space, members of the ensemble appose to the aesthetics of show or performance, which testifies to the experimental nature of piano duets in the first decades of the XXI century. As the development prospects, the author outlines the pursuit of new ways for popularization of the genre, research work on broadening the existing duet repertoire, and as well as potential creation of the Internet platform for centralizing the global repertoire of piano ensembles.

Negotiating a Shared Interpretation During Piano Duo Performance

Most notated forms of music require interpretation of loosely-defined score instructions. For music ensembles, coordinating a shared interpretation in which each performer plays a complementary role can be challenging, especially if performers have already established their own individual interpretations. This study aimed to identify the patterns of behavior that distinguish performance in collaborative and solo conditions. We tested the hypothesis that highly skilled pianists would be motivated to create more expressively variable and divergent interpretations in the collaborative duet setting than when performing solo. Pianists recorded solo and duet performances of a new piece following individual rehearsal. MIDI and head motion data were assessed. Contrary to expectations, duet performances were less expressively variable than solo performances and no more or less prototypical; indeed, prototypicality increased with years of training. Leader–follower relationships in note timing emerged, with primos tending to take the lead. Pianists moved less during duet performances, and more smoothly. Coordination in head acceleration patterns also emerged during duet performances. Our findings show how performers’ intent to collaborate encourages more communicative styles of head movement and a conservative or protective style of playing that prioritizes coordination over creativity.

Musical Role Asymmetries in Piano Duet Performance Influence Alpha-Band Neural Oscillation and Behavioral Synchronization.

Recent work in interpersonal coordination has revealed that neural oscillations, occurring spontaneously in the human brain, are modulated during the sensory, motor, and cognitive processes involved in interpersonal interactions. In particular, alpha-band (8–12 Hz) activity, linked to attention in general, is related to coordination dynamics and empathy traits. Researchers have also identified an association between each individual’s attentiveness to their co-actor and the relative similarity in the co-actors’ roles, influencing their behavioral synchronization patterns. We employed music ensemble performance to evaluate patterns of behavioral and neural activity when roles between co-performers are systematically varied with complete counterbalancing. Specifically, we designed a piano duet task, with three types of co-actor dissimilarity, or asymmetry: (1) musical role (starting vs. joining), (2) musical task similarity (similar vs. dissimilar melodic parts), and (3) performer animacy (human-to-human vs. human-to-non-adaptive computer). We examined how the experience of these asymmetries in four initial musical phrases, alternatingly played by the co-performers, influenced the pianists’ performance of a subsequent unison phrase. Electroencephalography was recorded simultaneously from both performers while playing keyboards. We evaluated note-onset timing and alpha modulation around the unison phrase. We also investigated whether each individual’s self-reported empathy was related to behavioral and neural activity. Our findings revealed closer behavioral synchronization when pianists played with a human vs. computer partner, likely because the computer was non-adaptive. When performers played with a human partner, or a joining performer played with a computer partner, having a similar vs. dissimilar musical part did not have a significant effect on their alpha modulation immediately prior to unison. However, when starting performers played with a computer partner with a dissimilar vs. similar part there was significantly greater alpha synchronization. In other words, starting players attended less to the computer partner playing a similar accompaniment, operating in a solo-like mode. Moreover, this alpha difference based on melodic similarity was related to a difference in note-onset adaptivity, which was in turn correlated with performer trait empathy. Collectively our results extend previous findings by showing that musical ensemble performance gives rise to a socialized context whose lasting effects encompass attentiveness, perceptual-motor coordination, and empathy.

Ears, heads, and eyes: When singers synchronise

We examined the relationship between endogenous rhythms, auditory and visual cues, and body movement in the temporal coordination of duet singers. Sixteen pairs of experienced vocalists sang a familiar melody in Solo and two Duet conditions. Vocalists sang together in Unison (simultaneously producing identical pitches) and Round Duet conditions (one vocalist, the Follower, producing pitches at an eight-tone delay from their partner, the Leader) while facing Inward (full visual cues) and Outward (reduced visual cues). Larger tempo differences in partners' spontaneous (temporally unconstrained) Solo performances were associated with larger asynchrony in Duet performances, consistent with coupling predictions for oscillators with similar natural frequencies. Vocalists were slightly but consistently more synchronous in Duets when facing their partner (Inward) than when facing Outward; Unison and Round performances were equally synchronous. The greater difficulty of Rounds production was evidenced in vocalists' slower performance rates and more variable head movements; Followers directed their head gaze away from their partner and used bobbing head movements to mark the musical beat. The strength of Followers' head movements corresponded to the amount of tone onset asynchrony with their partners, indicating a strong association between timing and movement under increased attentional and working memory demands in music performance.

FNIRS Responses in Professional Violinists While Playing Duets: Evidence for Distinct Leader and Follower Roles at the Brain Level.

Music played in ensembles is a naturalistic model to study joint action and leader-follower relationships. Recently, the investigation of the brain underpinnings of joint musical actions has gained attention; however, the cerebral correlates underlying the roles of leader and follower in music performance remain elusive. The present study addressed this question by simultaneously measuring the hemodynamic correlates of functional neural activity elicited during naturalistic violin duet performance using fNIRS. Findings revealed distinct patterns of functional brain activation when musicians played the Violin 2 (follower) than the Violin 1 part (leader) in duets, both compared to solo performance. More specifically, results indicated that musicians playing the Violin 2 part had greater oxy-Hb activation in temporo-parietal (p = 0.02) and somatomotor (p = 0.04) regions during the duo condition in relation to the solo. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in the activation of these areas between duo/solo conditions during the execution of the Violin 1 part (p’s > 0.05). These findings suggest that ensemble cohesion during a musical performance may impose particular demands when musicians play the follower position, especially in brain areas associated with the processing of dynamic social information and motor simulation. This study is the first to use fNIRS hyperscanning technology to simultaneously measure the brain activity of two musicians during naturalistic music ensemble performance, opening new avenues for the investigation of brain correlates underlying joint musical actions with multiple subjects in a naturalistic environment.

Scratching the surface of spectacle: Black hypermasculinity and the Television Talent Show

This study explores the construction of black hypermasculinity in television talent show competitions through the re-valuing of spectacle as an aesthetic experience. Drawing on a screendance analysis of eighteen duet, trio and group performances featured in ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) and Sky1’s Got To Dance (GTD) between 2008-2013, this study explores the circulation of black hypermasculinity and the potentiality for an alternate reading of spectacular displays of athleticism. Building upon Kristen Whissel’s concept of the emblematic nature of the special effect in cinema, the re-valuing of televised spectacles reveals themes regarding the black male experience in these competitions. Rather than dismissing these performances as commercial spectacles that recirculate notions of black hypermasculinity, these corporeal and televisual special effects instead highlight the thematic narrative of the reality television journey through themes of aspiration and transformation. Crews constructs images of superheroes, cartoons, animals and cyborgs, manipulated by camera angles and editing, that operate as both light entertainment and a reflection of the young black male experience in mediascope of reality television. The creation of spectacular and glossy images on screen therefore reveals the potentiality of a fluid gender and racialized representation.

Amplitude envelope correlations measure synchronous cortical oscillations in performing musicians.

A major question facing cognitive neuroscience is measurement of interbrain synchrony between individuals performing joint actions. We describe the application of a novel method for measuring musicians' interbrain synchrony: amplitude envelope correlations (AECs). Amplitude envelopes (AEs) reflect energy fluctuations in cortical oscillations over time; AE correlations measure the degree to which two envelope fluctuations are temporally correlated, such as cortical oscillations arising from two individuals performing a joint action. Wireless electroencephalography was recorded from two pianists performing a musical duet; an analysis pipeline is described for computing AEs of cortical oscillations at the duet performance frequency (number of tones produced per second) to test whether these oscillations reflect the temporal dynamics of partners' performances. The pianists' AE correlations were compared with correlations based on a distribution of AEs simulated from white noise signals using the same methods. The AE method was also applied to the temporal characteristics of the pianists' performances, to show that the observed pair's AEs reflect the temporal dynamics of their performance. AE correlations offer a promising approach for assessing interbrain correspondences in cortical activity associated with performing joint tasks.

Creative improvisation with a reflexive musical bot

ABSTRACTThis paper discusses improvisatory musical interactions between a musician and a machine. The focus is on duet performances, in which a human pianist and the Controlling Interactive Music (CIM) software system both perform on mechanized pianos. It also discusses improvisatory behaviours, using reflexive strategies in machines, and describes interfaces for musical communication and control between human and machine performers. Results are derived from trials with six expert improvising musicians using CIM. Analysis reveals that creative partnerships are fostered by several factors. The reflexive generative system provides aesthetic cohesion by ensuring that generated material has a direct relationship to that played by the musician. The interaction design relies on musical communication through performance as the primary mechanism for feedback and control. It can be shown that his approach to musical human-machine improvisation allows technical concerns to fall away from the musician's awareness and attention to shift to the musical dialogue within the duet.

A Kinase Duet Performance in the Asymmetric Division of Drosophila Neuroblasts.

The ability of progenitor stem cells to divide asymmetrically allows for the production of diverse daughter cell fates.[...].

Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford (review)

Reviewed by: Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford Elizabeth Bush Weatherford, Carole Boston Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement; illus. by Ekua Holmes. Candlewick, 2015 45p ISBN 978-0-7636-6531-9 $17.99 R Gr. 4-7 Twenty-two poems in first-person voice trace the life of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, from her childhood in a Mississippi sharecropping family (“doggone, dirt-poor doing-without”), through her initial involvement in voting rights (volunteering to register), and on to dangerous anti-segregation efforts with SNCC (arrested and beaten after approaching a whites-only lunch counter) and her runs for political office. Cited quotations are interlaced throughout the ragged right edge text, adding authenticity to the created voice. Holmes’ mixed-media collages are varied and effective: cotton sacks running like tears and sweat down rows in a sharecrop farm; delicate lace curtains backlit in a bullet-pocked wall as a shadowy [End Page 172] pickup truck filled with white vigilantes crosses by; Hamer’s black and white image filling a television screen in a broadcast of the 1964 Democratic Convention. Consider this not only as an accessible biography but also as a piece for solo or duet performance. An author’s note, timeline, source notes, and bibliography are included. Copyright © 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

When they listen and when they watch: Pianists' use of nonverbal audio and visual cues during duet performance.

Nonverbal auditory and visual communication helps ensemble musicians predict each other’s intentions and coordinate their actions. When structural characteristics of the music make predicting co-performers’ intentions difficult (e.g., following long pauses or during ritardandi), reliance on incoming auditory and visual signals may change. This study tested whether attention to visual cues during piano–piano and piano–violin duet performance increases in such situations. Pianists performed the secondo part to three duets, synchronizing with recordings of violinists or pianists playing the primo parts. Secondos’ access to incoming audio and visual signals and to their own auditory feedback was manipulated. Synchronization was most successful when primo audio was available, deteriorating when primo audio was removed and only cues from primo visual signals were available. Visual cues were used effectively following long pauses in the music, however, even in the absence of primo audio. Synchronization was unaffected by the removal of secondos’ own auditory feedback. Differences were observed in how successfully piano–piano and piano–violin duos synchronized, but these effects of instrument pairing were not consistent across pieces. Pianists’ success at synchronizing with violinists and other pianists is likely moderated by piece characteristics and individual differences in the clarity of cueing gestures used.

Temporal coordination in joint music performance: effects of endogenous rhythms and auditory feedback.

Many behaviors require that individuals coordinate the timing of their actions with others. The current study investigated the role of two factors in temporal coordination of joint music performance: differences in partners’ spontaneous (uncued) rate and auditory feedback generated by oneself and one’s partner. Pianists performed melodies independently (in a Solo condition), and with a partner (in a duet condition), either at the same time as a partner (Unison), or at a temporal offset (Round), such that pianists heard their partner produce a serially shifted copy of their own sequence. Access to self-produced auditory information during duet performance was manipulated as well: Performers heard either full auditory feedback (Full), or only feedback from their partner (Other). Larger differences in partners’ spontaneous rates of Solo performances were associated with larger asynchronies (less effective synchronization) during duet performance. Auditory feedback also influenced temporal coordination of duet performance: Pianists were more coordinated (smaller tone onset asynchronies and more mutual adaptation) during duet performances when self-generated auditory feedback aligned with partner-generated feedback (Unison) than when it did not (Round). Removal of self-feedback disrupted coordination (larger tone onset asynchronies) during Round performances only. Together, findings suggest that differences in partners’ spontaneous rates of Solo performances, as well as differences in self- and partner-generated auditory feedback, influence temporal coordination of joint sensorimotor behaviors.

Subspecific dialect differences in the Plain-tailed Wren (Pheugopedius euophrys), and behavioral implications

Event Abstract Back to Event Subspecific dialect differences in the Plain-tailed Wren (Pheugopedius euophrys), and behavioral implications Carlos Rodríguez1*, Eric Fortune2, Francesca Angiolani3, Ginette J. Hupe4, Ignacio Moore5, Melissa Coleman6 and Elisa Bonaccorso1 1 Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Ecuador 2 Johns Hopkins University, United States 3 Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Ecuador 4 University of Ottawa, Canada 5 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, United States 6 Claremont McKenna College, United States The Plain-tailed Wren sings a complex duet, in which male and females engage in a rapid exchange of alternating syllables with remarkable synchrony. However, there is considerable song variation among birds from the same population, and, more evidently, among birds of geographically isolated subspecies. Thus, a question arises as to how birds will perform against a partner that sings a version of the song that they may not have had the opportunity to learn. Taking advantage of the relative ease with which Plain-tailed Wrens duet in captivity, we paired wren from the same and different subspecies and recorded their songs. This set of experiments could give hints at the acoustic cues and behavioral interactions needed for engaging in a well sustained duet performance. Preliminary data on birds within the same subspecies, but different territories, at one location has already been gathered. There, one couple engaged in long duets within minutes of their presentation; but others (n = 3) took more time to initially engage in duet, and their performance improved over several days, delivering longer songs, with increased onset frequency. Motivation to engage in duet might be influenced by several factors in our experiments; however, once engaged, the birds may learn from each other in other to improve performance. Future experiments will include the observation of captive mixed couples from different subspecies; in this respect, preliminary results from playback experiments at two localities, one for each subspecies, are already showing that birds tend to be more responsive to recordings of their own dialect. Figure 1 Keywords: coordination, Dialect discrimination, Duetting behavior, Geographical variation, Pair-bonding, Song learning Conference: Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012. Presentation Type: Poster (but consider for participant symposium and student poster award) Topic: Communication Citation: Rodríguez C, Fortune E, Angiolani F, Hupe GJ, Moore I, Coleman M and Bonaccorso E (2012). Subspecific dialect differences in the Plain-tailed Wren (Pheugopedius euophrys), and behavioral implications. Conference Abstract: Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00429 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 03 May 2012; Published Online: 07 Jul 2012. * Correspondence: Mr. Carlos Rodríguez, Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador, bio.carodrgz@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Carlos Rodríguez Eric Fortune Francesca Angiolani Ginette J Hupe Ignacio Moore Melissa Coleman Elisa Bonaccorso Google Carlos Rodríguez Eric Fortune Francesca Angiolani Ginette J Hupe Ignacio Moore Melissa Coleman Elisa Bonaccorso Google Scholar Carlos Rodríguez Eric Fortune Francesca Angiolani Ginette J Hupe Ignacio Moore Melissa Coleman Elisa Bonaccorso PubMed Carlos Rodríguez Eric Fortune Francesca Angiolani Ginette J Hupe Ignacio Moore Melissa Coleman Elisa Bonaccorso Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.