Collaboration with Steven Harrison & Spencer Ferris. Consultants: Maho Ishiguro and Darsono (Emory University).

A PDF version of the SMPC 2024 poster is available to see here.

Any comments or questions can be sent to stefanie.acevedo[a]uconn.edu

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Abstract

(As presented at SMPC 2024 Conference)

We investigate how athletic and musical training affects synchronization during Javanese Gamelan performance. Gamelan A) represents a complex social coordination phenomenon across complexly nested rhythms; B) has mallet sizes that generate physical constraints, affecting movement organization (Russell & Sternad 2001; Manning et al. 2017); and C) contains melodic (balungan) beat IOIs between 400-9000 ms with rapid tempo changes (Brinner, 1995). Coordination with IOIs over 2000ms has not been studied (Repp 2005; Torre & Wagenmakers 2009; Repp & Su 2013). Anecdotal correspondence suggests heightened ability of athletes during gamelan performance. There is little research on the effect of athletic ability on musical performance (Miura et al. 2013, Janzen et al. 2014, Chatzopoulos 2019, Jin et al. 2019), which we test here.

After learning an 8-beat melody, subjects synchronize to recorded stimuli (protocol: Large et al. 2002; Pfordresher 2005) on a xylophone-like saron. Task conditions (simulating gamelan vs. Western music tendencies) include A) isochronous IOIs (375ms–2000ms); B) changing tempi (±30% to ±100% of initial tempo); and C) synchronization to two-layer (melody, kendhang drum) versus three-layer (subdividing peking) textures. Motion capture and EMG measures subject groups [non-musician/non-athlete controls, Western percussionists (musicians), and basketball/tennis players (athletes)] for 1) accuracy (beat-tap asynchronies), 2) kinematics (embodied timing/anticipatory movements), and 3) activation patterns (muscle pair co-contractions). Recent tapping synchronization (Scheurich et al. 2020) and rhythmic athletic (Katsuhara et al., 2010) studies suggest appropriate power at group sizes of n=30.

We discuss results based on the following hypotheses: Athletes should be more accurate than non-musicians since motor training influences timing tasks (Huff 1972; Zachopoulou et al. 2000; Katsuhara et al. 2010) and there is increased muscle synergy efficiency with physical activity and during mallet striking motions (Gribble et al. 2003; de Fonseca et al. 2006; Ford et al. 2008). Due to movement-enhanced rhythmicity (i.e. Manning et al. 2020), musicians and athletes should show embodied timing strategies that vary by stimuli tempo (Bardy et al. 2002; Toiviainen et al. 2010; Creath et al. 2015; Burger et al. 2018).

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Musical Examples

• Balungan = played on saron (same timbre and octave as participant’s instrument)
• Kendhang = lead drummer (modified from standard gamelan patterns)
• Peking (aka saron panerus) = 1st subdivision layer (octave above participant’s instrument)

Isochronous examples:

Examples recorded in an ecologically valid manner (which creates noise artifacts from the instrument’s timbre and internal reverberation) and edited with Pro Tools (including beat detection/quantization and filtering/compression).

Sample Gamelan Texture

The metrical grids below show two Irama types in the piece Moncèr (listen here).

The Balungan

The balungan (main melody) is performed by multiple instruments (slenthem, saron barung, and saron demung). The Peking (aka Saron Panera’s) and Bonang Barung perform the first subdivision level. Bonang Panerus usually plays the second subdivision level (not played in this example.

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