The augmented violin

This project is part of an interdisciplinary research project regrouping composers, performers, musical assistants and scientific researchers on gesture in music. Specifically, this project is centered on the use of an "augmented violin", i.e. a normal acoustic violin with added gesture capture technology integrated on the bow.

For a summary of our first results, see Nicolas Rasamimanana' s master dissertation, Ircam 2004 [pdf].

The various sensors allow for the wireless measurement of:

  • x y z bow acceleration
  • bow position
  • finger pressure

 

first prototype - June 2004 (Emmanuel Flety)

The general aim is to provide musicians with novel opportunities for mixed acoustic/electronic music. This project poses important scientific questions:

  • characterization and recognition of bow strokes types, derivation of high level gesture parameters
  • relationship between measured gesture and sounds parameters

The figure on the left illustrates preliminary results on bow characterization. Each point corresponds to a single bow stroke, characterized by three parameters derived form the acceleration profiles. Each colors corresponds to a particular type of bow stroke. Our current studies seem to indicate that the clustering appearing on the figure remains valid for various dynamics of playing and seems consistent for different players.