http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/241 2013-05-25T10:46:06Z 2013-05-25T10:46:06Z Nicolls, S http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/7345 2013-04-23T13:25:03Z 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Seeking out the spaces between: Using improvisation for collaborative composition and interactive technology Authors: Nicolls, S Abstract: This article presents findings from experiments into piano performance live electronics undertaken by the author since early 2007. The use of improvisation has infused every step of the process---both as a methodology to obtain meaningful results using interactive technology and as a way to generate and characterize a collaborative musical space with composers. The technology used has included pre-built MIDI interfaces such as the PianoBar, actuators such as miniature DC motors and sensor interfaces including iCube and the Wii controller. Collaborators have included researchers at the Centre for Digital Music (QMUL), Richard Barrett, Pierre Alexandre Tremblay and Atau Tanaka. In seeking to create responsive “performance environments” at the piano, I explore live, performative control of electronics to create better connections for both performer (providing the same level of interpretive freedom as with a “pure” instrumental performance) and audience (communicating clearly to them). I have been lucky to witness first-hand many live interactive performances and to work with various empathetic composers/performers in flexible working environments. Collaborating with experienced technologists and musicians, I have witnessed time and again what, for me, is a fundamental truth in interactive instrumental performance: As a living, spontaneous form it must be nurtured and informed by the performer’s physicality and imagination as much as by the creativity or knowledge of the composer and/or technologist. Specifically in the case of sensors, their dependence on the detail of each person’s body and reactions is so refined as to necessitate, I would argue, an entirely collaborative approach and therefore one that involves at least directed improvisation and, more likely, fairly extensive improvised exploration. The fundamentally personal and intimate nature of sensor readings---the amount of tension created by each performer, the shape of the ancillary gestures or the level of emotional involvement (especially relevant when using galvanic skin response or EEG)---makes creating pieces with sensors extremely difficult for a composer to do in isolation. Improvisation therefore provides a way for performer and composer to generate a common musical and gestural language. Related to these issues is the fact that the technical or notational parameters in interactive music are not yet (and may never be) standardized, thereby creating a very real and practical need for improvisation to figure at least somewhere in the process. Description: Copyright © 2010 ISAST

2010-01-01T00:00:00Z Karageorghis, CI Terry, PC http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/6700 2012-09-25T10:55:12Z 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The psychological, psychophysical and ergogenic effects of music in sport: A review and synthesis Authors: Karageorghis, CI; Terry, PC Abstract: We have presented two complementary conceptual approaches underlying the study and application of music in sport and exercise contexts [103, 104]. We have also established that music can be applied to sports training and competition in many different ways, and have provided 573 initial evidence for a quartic relationship between exercise heart rate and music tempo preference. One of the main demonstrated benefits of music is that it enhances psychological state, which has implications for optimising pre-competition mental state and increasing the enjoyment of training activities. Used synchronously, music can boost work output and makes repetitive tasks such as cycling or running more energy efficient. When we embarked upon our programme of research almost two decades ago, our intention was to promote more judicious use of music. The evidence that we have accumulated coupled with the findings of many other researchers from around the world, should allow athletes and practitioners to tap the psychological, psychophysical and ergogenic effects of music with greater precision. Description: This is the post-print of this chapter - Copyright @ 2008 Routledge

2008-01-01T00:00:00Z Lawrence, Tom http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/6470 2012-09-27T15:21:33Z 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Methods and ideas for the creation of 'transparent' music in the classroom Authors: Lawrence, Tom Abstract: Methods and ideas for the creation of ‘transparent’ music in the classroom The aims of this port-folio are as follows; - To provide a coherent sequence of pieces and methods which can be used to create music in an educational context and also encourage students and teachers to develop their own creativity. - To provide pieces which develop student’s confidence in their own ability to create music in a variety of ways including composition, improvisation and creative leadership. - To provide exercises and pieces which help to develop the listening and appreciation skills essential for ensemble musicmaking. - To provide methods that enable the creation of ‘transparent music’. This is music in which the some, or all, of the decision making involved in the creation of a piece is accessible and apparent to an audience during its performance. This submission consists of a teaching book containing thirteen pieces/exercises, instructions giving guidance on their possible use in a teaching context and recorded examples. Also included are separate instructions where appropriate for the use of pieces in a concert or other non-educational setting and two essays giving context and background information on the ideas behind the pieces. Description: This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.

2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Wilkins, Caroline http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/6438 2012-10-23T10:16:31Z 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The instrument in space: The embodiment of music in the machine age Authors: Wilkins, Caroline Abstract: The body exists in space and time. It moves through cultural spaces and temporal rhythms. In the combination of instantiated actions and environmental conditions a context is created, this through embodiment. In this thesis I will attempt to link definitions of embodiment with the process of creating and performing new sound theatre works that involve live interaction with media technology. I will also examine terms such as inscription or incorporation and their application to processes of learning and memory within a particular context of inter-disciplinary skills. Finally, in the light of this genre, I will approach the problematic of analytical procedures that change the very parameters of embodied knowledge. The term sound theatre could be defined as a shift of play between music, image and text, incorporating elements such as gesture, choreography, audio and visual technology into a compositional dialogue. However this approach demands a re-examination of the spatial and temporal aspects involved in such inter-activity and their consequent relation to the performer. Taking the starting-point of sound and movement within the body of the performer, my research involves investigations into medial extensions of embodiment that have developed through a discourse with machines. This project takes an essentially practical basis for its research in the form of collaborations with musicians and practitioners of media technology towards a creative product. The result is a series of written compositions, each of which examines a different aspect of sound theatre. The valuable exchange that takes place during such a situation of experimentation becomes equally as important as the final product, providing much of the material framework for issues such as terminology and analytical procedures that concern my investigation. Description: This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.

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