Combining EEG Frontal asymmetry studies with affective algorithmic composition and expressive performance models

This paper draws together two strands of research in different disciplines: EEG Frontal Asymmetry studies and Affective-based Algorithmic Composition and Performance. There have been numerous studies which support the hypothesis that Frontal EEG asymmetry is an indicator of arousal and valence of emotion. There have also been a number of studies examining which music features are related to which emotional perception, in the generative composition of, and performance of, music. This paper presents a novel system – called the Combined EEG System which utilises both types of studies. It takes as input raw EEG data, and attempts to output a piano composition and performance which expresses the estimated emotional content of the EEG data. Such a system may be the first step in the development of tools allowing unskilled composers or subjects with problems in emotional expression, to better express themselves through music.

[1]  E. Miranda,et al.  A survey of computer systems for expressive music performance , 2009, CSUR.

[2]  Andrew R. Brown,et al.  Controlling musical emotionality: an affective computational architecture for influencing musical emotions , 2007, Digit. Creativity.

[3]  L. Hall.  The language of music , 2006 .

[4]  Raveendran Paramesran,et al.  Two level PCA to reduce noise and EEG from evoked potential signals , 2002, 7th International Conference on Control, Automation, Robotics and Vision, 2002. ICARCV 2002..

[5]  L. Trainor,et al.  Frontal brain electrical activity (EEG) distinguishes valence and intensity of musical emotions , 2001 .

[6]  J. Sundberg,et al.  Does music performance allude to locomotion? A model of final ritardandi derived from measurements of stopping , 1999 .

[7]  P. Juslin,et al.  Emotional Expression in Music Performance: Between the Performer's Intention and the Listener's Experience , 1996 .

[8]  P. Lang.  The emotion probe. Studies of motivation and attention. , 1995, The American psychologist.

[9]  G Deffner,et al.  Empirical study of alexithymia: methodology and results. , 1986, American journal of psychotherapy.

[10]  R. Ruhr.  [Music in medicine]. , 1962, Hippokrates.

[11]  J. Sundberg,et al.  Overview of the KTH rule system for musical performance. , 2006 .

[12]  P. Juslin.  From mimesis to catharsis: Expression, perception, and induction of emotion in music , 2005 .

[13]  H. Jasper,et al.  The ten-twenty electrode system of the International Federation. The International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. , 1999, Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology. Supplement.

[14]  Curtis Roads,et al.  The Computer Music Tutorial , 1996 .

[15]  Richard J. Davidson,et al.  The neuropsychology of emotion and affective style. , 1993 .