Performing the Electric Violin in a Sonic Space

This article presents the development of the improvisation piece Transformation for electric violin and live electronics. The aim of the project was to develop an “invisible” technological setup that would allow the performer to move freely on stage while still being in full control of the electronics. The developed system consists of a video-based motion-tracking system, with a camera hanging in the ceiling above the stage. The performer's motion and position on stage is used to control the playback of sonic fragments from a database of violin sounds, using concatenative synthesis as the sound engine. The setup allows the performer to improvise freely together with the electronic sounds being played back as she moves around the “sonic space.” The system has been stable in rehearsal and performance, and the simplicity of the approach has been inspiring to both the performer and the audience.

[1]  Keith A. McMillen.  Stage-Worthy Sensor Bows for Stringed Instruments , 2008, NIME.

[2]  Deniz Peters,et al.  Enactment in Listening: Intermedial dance in EGM sonic scenarios and the listening body , 2010 .

[3]  Norbert Schnell,et al.  Extracting Human Expression For Interactive Composition with the Augmented Violin , 2012, NIME.

[4]  Knut Guettler,et al.  Victoria counts - a Case Study with Electronic Violin Bow , 2008, ICMC.

[5]  Sharon Poggenpohl,et al.  The Laws of Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life , 2007 .

[6]  Ville Pulkki,et al.  Spatial sound generation and perception by amplitude panning techniques , 2001 .

[7]  Dan Overholt,et al.  The Overtone Violin , 2005, NIME.

[8]  Diemo Schwarz,et al.  REAL-TIME CORPUS-BASED CONCATENATIVE SYNTHESIS WITH CATART , 2006 .

[9]  Allen Strange,et al.  The Contemporary Violin: ExtENDed Performance Techniques , 2001 .

[10]  Cléo Palacio-Quintin,et al.  Eight Years of Practice on the Hyper-Flute: Technological and Musical Perspectives , 2008, NIME.

[11]  Diana Young.  The Hyperbow: A Precision Violin Interface , 2002, ICMC.

[12]  Miller Puckette,et al.  Real-time audio analysis tools for Pd and MSP , 1998, ICMC.

[13]  Roger Dean,et al.  Hyperimprovisation: Computer-Interactive sound improvisation , 2003 .

[14]  Robert J. Crutcher,et al.  The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. , 1993 .

[15]  Henk Borgdorff,et al.  The debate on research in the Arts , 2010 .

[16]  Perry R. Cook,et al.  BoSSA: The Deconstructed Violin Reconstructed , 2000, ICMC.

[17]  Emmanuel Fléty,et al.  Latency Improvement in Sensor Wireless Transmission Using IEEE 802.15.4 , 2011, NIME.

[18]  Alexander Refsum Jensenius,et al.  Wireless Sensor Data Collection based on ZigBee Communication , 2010, NIME.

[19]  Hans Wilmers.  Bowsense - An Open Wireless Motion Sensing Platform , 2009, ICMC.

[20]  Serge Lemouton,et al.  The augmented violin project: research, composition and performance report , 2006, NIME.

[21]  Alexander Refsum Jensenius,et al.  Development and Evaluation of a ZigFlea-based Wireless Transceiver Board for CUI32 , 2012, NIME.

[22]  Mari Kimura.  Creative process and performance practice of interactive computer music: a performer's tale , 2003 .

[23]  Norbert Schnell,et al.  Wireless sensor interface and gesture-follower for music pedagogy , 2007, NIME '07.

[24]  Diemo Schwarz,et al.  Ftm - Complex Data Structures for Max , 2005, ICMC.

[25]  Kristian Nymoen,et al.  Comparing Inertial and Optical MoCap Technologies for Synthesis Control , 2011 .

[26]  Alexander Refsum Jensenius,et al.  Developing Tools for Studying Musical gestures within the Max/MSP/jitter Environment , 2005, ICMC.

[27]  Timothy A. Place,et al.  Jamoma: A Modular Standard for Structuring Patches in Max , 2006, ICMC.