Aspects of the Multiple Musical Gestures

Abstract

A simple to use pointer interface in 2D for producing music is presented as a means for real-time playing and sound generation. The music is produced by simple gestures that are repeated easily. The gestures include left-to-right and right-to-left motion shapes for spectral envelope and temporal envelope of the sounds, with optional backwards motion for the addition of noise; downward motion for note onset and several other manipulation gestures. The initial position controls which parameter is being affected, the notes intensity is controlled by the downward gesture speed, and a sequence is finalized instantly with one upward gesture. Several synthesis methods are presented and the control mechanisms are mapped into the multiple musical gesture interface. This enables a number of performers to interact on the same interface, either by each playing the same musical instruments simultaneously, or by performing a number of potentially different instruments on the same interface.