Muscular Interactions. Combining EMG and MMG sensing for musical practice

We present the first combined use of the electromyogram (EMG) and mechanomyogram (MMG), two biosignals that result from muscular activity, for interactive music applications. We exploit differences between these two signals, as reported in the biomedical literature, to create bi-modal sonification and sound synthesis mappings that allow performers to distinguish the two components in a single complex arm gesture. We study non-expert players’ ability to articulate the different modalities. Results show that purposely designed gestures and mapping techniques enable novices to rapidly learn to independently control the two biosignals.