Extending Instrumentality Through Mechanical Augmentation and Sound Synthesis in a Microtonal Harp

Han Zhang, and Anqi Liu

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract

This paper presents an augmented Harp-E that extends instrumentality through mechanical augmentation and synthesis continuity. Built upon a harp with a microtonal lever system, the instrument is mechanically extended via counterweighted fishing lines coupled to suspended textile surfaces. Gestural force propagates physically across distributed components before entering the sensing and digital processing chain, preserving excitation logic across acoustic, material, and computational domains. Sound synthesis is designed to align with characteristic string articulations for digital response functions as a continuation of string behavior rather than as an abstract control mapping. Realized within the multimedia improvisational performance, the system distributes gesture across sonic, visual, and spatial dimensions, transforming the instrument into a multimodal and participatory environment. By grounding digital extension in material continuity, this work proposes a model of augmentation that shifts emphasis from parameter expansion toward the extension of instrumentality itself.

Citation

Han Zhang, and Anqi Liu. 2026. Extending Instrumentality Through Mechanical Augmentation and Sound Synthesis in a Microtonal Harp. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20784475 [PDF]

BibTeX Entry

@inproceedings{nime2026_158,
 abstract = {This paper presents an augmented Harp-E that extends instrumentality through mechanical augmentation and synthesis continuity. Built upon a harp with a microtonal lever system, the instrument is mechanically extended via counterweighted fishing lines coupled to suspended textile surfaces. Gestural force propagates physically across distributed components before entering the sensing and digital processing chain, preserving excitation logic across acoustic, material, and computational domains. Sound synthesis is designed to align with characteristic string articulations for digital response functions as a continuation of string behavior rather than as an abstract control mapping. Realized within the multimedia improvisational performance, the system distributes gesture across sonic, visual, and spatial dimensions, transforming the instrument into a multimodal and participatory environment. By grounding digital extension in material continuity, this work proposes a model of augmentation that shifts emphasis from parameter expansion toward the extension of instrumentality itself.},
 address = {London, United Kingdom},
 articleno = {158},
 author = {Han Zhang and Anqi Liu},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20784475},
 editor = {Benedict Gaster and João Tragtenberg and Anna Xambó and Tom Mitchell},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {June},
 note = {},
 numpages = {4},
 pages = {1278--1281},
 presentation-video = {https://youtu.be/9dWcvyURioQ},
 title = {Extending Instrumentality Through Mechanical Augmentation and Sound Synthesis in a Microtonal Harp},
 track = {paper},
 url = {http://nime.org/proceedings/2026/nime2026_158.pdf},
 year = {2026}
}