Conducting Collective Instruments : A Case Study

Josep Comajuncosas, and Enric Guaus

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract:

According to the tradition, music ensembles are usually lead by a conductor who is the responsible to coordinate and guide the group under a specific musical criteria. Similarly, computer ensembles resort to a conductor to keep the synchronization and structural coordination of the performance, often with the assistance of software. Achieving integration and coherence in a networked performance, however, can be challenging in certain scenarios. This is the case for configurations with a high degree of mutual interdependence and shared control. This paper focuses on the design strategies for developing a software based conductor assistant for collective instruments. We propose a novel conductor dimension space representation for collective instruments, which takes into account both its social and structural features. We present a case study of a collective instrument implementing a software conductor. Finally, we discuss the implications of human and machine conduction schemes in the context of the proposed dimension space.

Citation:

Josep Comajuncosas, and Enric Guaus. 2014. Conducting Collective Instruments : A Case Study. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1178736

BibTeX Entry:

  @inproceedings{jcomajuncosas2014,
 abstract = {According to the tradition, music ensembles are usually lead by a conductor who is the responsible to coordinate and guide the group under a specific musical criteria. Similarly, computer ensembles resort to a conductor to keep the synchronization and structural coordination of the performance, often with the assistance of software. Achieving integration and coherence in a networked performance, however, can be challenging in certain scenarios. This is the case for configurations with a high degree of mutual interdependence and shared control. This paper focuses on the design strategies for developing a software based conductor assistant for collective instruments. We propose a novel conductor dimension space representation for collective instruments, which takes into account both its social and structural features. We present a case study of a collective instrument implementing a software conductor. Finally, we discuss the implications of human and machine conduction schemes in the context of the proposed dimension space.},
 address = {London, United Kingdom},
 author = {Josep Comajuncosas and Enric Guaus},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.1178736},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {June},
 pages = {513--516},
 publisher = {Goldsmiths, University of London},
 title = {Conducting Collective Instruments : A Case Study},
 url = {http://www.nime.org/proceedings/2014/nime2014_448.pdf},
 year = {2014}
}