David Rosenboom

The Performing Brain

The primary purposes of this article are twofold: (1) to describe work done in the 1970s on the spontaneous generation of musical structures with a computer music system by using a detailed analysis of a performers brainwaves, and (2) to speculate on extensions of these ideas. Aside from its historical interest, this work has resulted in ideas for high-level musical input structures-new ways of playing intelligent, programmable musical instruments. Furthermore, my own work in biofeedback and the arts, begun over twenty years ago, is experiencing a revival due to the fact that advances in technology now permit realization of musical concepts in performance that depend on complex, realtime analysis of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, previously achievable only with cumbersome, non-real-time, laboratory-bound methods. Consequently, ideas that were impractical when they were proposed many years ago are now practical. It is beyond the scope of this article to include an explanation of the principles and techniques of EEG analysis on which much of the work depends. I refer the reader to a recent monograph entitled Extended Musical Interface with the Human Nervous System: Assessment and Prospectus (Rosenboom 1990). In this monograph, a great deal more information is presented concerning (1) biofeedback modeling and its history both inside and outside of the arts; (2) the varieties of bioelectromagnetic phenomena that have been explored in feedback paradigms; (3) a detailed model for classification of EEG phenomena with particular emphasis on eventrelated potentials (ERPs) and their significance to the study of the mechanisms of attention in musical experience; and (4) applications of new technology for sensing biomagnetism, such as superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs), multichannel brain imaging, and other developments in hardware and software arenas. In this

Extended Musical Interface with the Human Nervous System: Assessment and Prospectus

The original version of the monograph “Extended Musical Interface with the Human Nervous System: Assessment and Prospectus” was written in 1989 and published in 1990. The author’s purpose in creating this volume was to document work that had taken place since the publication in the mid-1970s of his earlier book Biofeedback and the Arts, Results of Early Experiments [1] and the original publication of the print edition of the monograph. The revised edition of the monograph has been updated for publication on the World Wide Web. The ideas contained in this monograph are intended to stimulate new ideas and inspirations. The purpose of this monograph is manifold: (1) to describe in detail work done in the midto late-1970s in which the author used a computer system to spontaneously generate formal musical architectures based on a detailed analysis of evoked responses to features in those architectures recorded from a performer’s brain; (2) to provide an overview of some historical events related to the development of artistic works that are in some way responsive to bioelectrically derived signals; (3) to describe briefly the emergence of the biofeedback paradigm and to discuss biofeedback modeling; (4) to survey accumulated knowledge regarding interpretation of electroencephalographic phenomena with particular emphasis on event-related potentials (ERPs) and their relation to aspects of selective attention and cognitive information processing; (5) to present a speculative model for the general interpretation of electroencephalographic waveforms; (6) to discuss some inferences and speculations relating these phenomena to musical experience; (7) to provide an assessment of some methods and techniques that have been applied to realizing works of art with these phenomena; (8) to describe some specific algorithms for generating self-organizing musical structures in a feedback system that relates a limited model of perception to the occurrence of event-related potentials in a performer’s brain; and (9) to discuss the potential of new and emerging technologies and conceptual paradigms for the future evolution of this work. Finally, an actual score containing a conceptual scheme for a biofeedback work involving electroencephalographic phenomena and electronic orchestrations is provided in an appendix to stimulate further thinking and ideas for applications in the arts. The writing is addressed to those with an interdisciplinary interest in the arts (particularly music) and the sciences (particularly those of the brain, psychology and perception, and the study of self-organizing systems). However, readers with backgrounds in the arts or sciences alone—or even other areas such as cognition, philosophy, computer science or musical instrument design—will also find material related to their interests. Many references are provided with which the reader may enhance her or his knowledge in a particular sub-discipline. Hopefully, the ideas presented herein may contribute in some way toward increasing our breadth of understanding concerning dynamic processes in the arts and sciences.

Method for Producing Sounds or Light Flashes with Alpha Brain Waves for Artistic Purposes

The author discusses his attitudes to music and the possible impact on it of technological developments. He describes the work he has done to apply the EEG Alpha brain-wave monitoring technique to a group encounter performance system for producing sounds by the conscious control of the character of the Alpha brain waves. This system can also be used at present for producing the flashing of lights. Questions posed by an audience after an informal talk on the subject by the author and his replies are included at the end of the text. L’auteur expose ce qu’il pense de la musique et de la possible influence des développements technologiques sur elle. Il décrit les expériences qu’il a faites pour appliquer à un groupe d’individus la technique de contrôle des ondes Alpha du cerveau à l’aide d’électroencéphalogrammes, dans le but de produire des sons grâce à la maîtrise consciente par chaque sujet de la nature de ses ondes Alpha. Ce Système peut aussi être utilisé à l’heure actuelle pour produire des éclairs lumineux. Des questions posées à l’auteur par des interlocuteurs au cours d’une discussion sur ce sujet et les réponses qu’il a données sont rapportées à la fin du texte.

MindMusic: Playful and Social Installations at the Interface Between Music and the Brain

Single- and multi-agent installations and performances that use physiological signals to establish an interface between music and mental states can be found as early as the mid-1960s. Among these works, many have used physiological signals (or inferred cognitive, sensorimotor or affective states) as media for music generation and creative expression. To a lesser extent, some have been developed to illustrate and study effects of music on the brain. Historically, installations designed for a single participant are most prevalent. Less common are installations that invite participation and interaction between multiple individuals. Implementing such multi-agent installations raises unique challenges, but also unique possibilities for social interaction. Advances in unobtrusive and/or mobile devices for physiological data acquisition and signal processing, as well as computational methods for inferring mental states from such data, have expanded the possibilities for real-world, multi-agent, brain–music interfaces. In this chapter, we examine a diverse selection of playful and social installations and performances, which explore relationships between music and the brain and have featured publically in Mainly Mozart’s annual Mozart & the Mind (MATM) festival in San Diego. Several of these installations leverage neurotechnology (typically novel wearable devices) to infer brain states of participants. However, we also consider installations that solely measure behavior as a means of inferring cognitive state or to illustrate a principle of brain function. In addition to brief overviews of implementation details, we consider ways in which such installations can be useful vehicles, not only for creative expression, but also for education, social interaction, therapeutic intervention, scientific and aesthetic research, and as playful vehicles for exploring human–human and human–machine interaction.

Propositional music from extended musical interface with the human nervous system.

Abstract: Results obtained from projects in which self‐organizing musical structures spontaneously arise through electrical interface between the brain and generative musical systems are surveyed. This provides a springboard for examining important paradigm shifts taking place in our thinking about what musical forms can be and how this might influence efforts to increase our understanding of the underlying neural dynamics. Implications of this work for the design of music curricula are considered, emphasizing the importance of active imaginative listening. A view of composing, termed “propositional music,” is introduced in which the proposition of cognitive models of music is an ongoing part of creative musical activity.

Interview with David Rosenboom

David Rosenboom, currently Coordinator of the Center for Contemporary Music at Mills College in Oakland, has long been an innovator in American experimental music. He has done significant work in composition, performance (as a pianist, violist, violinist, tablist, and electronic instrumentalist), theory, and instrument design. Among other things, Rosenboom pioneered the use of computers in live performance and the integration of biofeedback techniques in compositional environments. I took this opportunity to interview him not about his past, but about current and future trends in his work. I have supplied a brief discography at the end for those interested in listening to Rosenbooms work.

Propositional Music: On Emergent Properties in Morphogenesis and the Evolution of Music: Part II: Imponderable Forms and Compositional Methods

In Part I of this article, “Essays, Propositions and Commentaries,” published in Leonardo Volume 30, Number 4 (1997), a point of view about creative music making termed “propositional music” was described. This method of composing involves proposing models for whole musical realities emphasizing the dynamic emergence of forms through evolution and transformation. Related areas of music, science and philosophy influencing this view were discussed. In Part II, this discussion is continued by considering the comprehension of initially undefined or imponderable forms, some premises with which to approach making propositional music and some fundamental steps to consider in constructing methods for composition and improvisation. The article concludes with comments on how substantive phenomena emerge and spread through complex dissipative and resonant processes and discussion of the relationship of propositional music to society.

Prepositional Music: On Emergent Properties in Morphogenesis and the Evolution of Music, Part I: Essays, Propositions and Commentaries

This two-part article describes the author’s point of view about creative music-making, termed propositional music. According to this view, composing involves proposing models for whole musical realities, emphasizing the dynamic emergence of forms through evolution and transformation. In Part 1, the author discusses related areas of music, science and philosophy that influence this view, including morphogenesis; the emergence of global properties; the nature of forms; the natural emergence of networked interactivity; implications of the infosphere for art making; and potential sources of new mythology for our culture. Part 2 is forthcoming in Leonardo Music Journal Volume 7 (1997).

Active imaginative listening—a neuromusical critique

The parallel study of music in science and creative practice can be traced back to the ancients; and paralleling the emergence of music neuroscience, creative musical practitioners have employed neurobiological phenomena extensively in music composition and performance. Several examples from the authors work in this area, which began in the 1960s, are cited and briefly described. From this perspective, the author also explores questions pertinent to current agendas evident in music neuroscience and speculates on potentially potent future directions.

Symposium on Computer Music Composition

Author(s): Curtis Roads, Marc Battier, Clarence Barlow, John Bischoff, Herbert Brün, Joel Chadabe, Conrad Cummings, Giuseppe Englert, David Jaffe, Stephan Kaske, Otto Laske, JeanClaude Risset, David Rosenboom, Kaija Saariaho, Horacio Vaggione Reviewed work(s): Source: Computer Music Journal, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Spring, 1986), pp. 40-63 Published by: The MIT Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3680297 . Accessed: 19/02/2012 20:36