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Learning & Teaching Lectures & Presentations Rhythm

The Poetry of Prediction

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Press & Interviews Research Rhythm TV & Media

Scientific American & Time-feel

Great to be involved in this Scientific American podcast episode unpacking micro-timing expression (‘swing’, ‘time-feel’ etc) with the brilliant Nina Kraus, Theo Geisel and Charles Keil. Thanks to host Joe Polidoro.

What That Jazz Beat Tells Us About Hearing And The Brain

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Guitar Writing

Jeff Beck in the Conversation

Some words on Jeff Beck (with John McGrath of the IGRC)for the Conversation

https://theconversation.com/jeff-beck-the-unorthodox-techniques-that-made-him-such-a-unique-guitarist-197840

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Guitar Music Theory Musical Illustrations Publications Research Writing

21st Century Guitar

Release of Perks & McGrath edited collection of contemporary guitar research. A wonderful project to be involved with (contributing a chapter on ‘The Digital Fretboard) and design the cover)

In the 21st Century, the guitar, as both a material object and tool for artistic expression, continues to be reimagined and reinvented. From simple adaptations or modifications made by performers themselves, to custom-made instruments commissioned to fulfil specific functions, to the mass production of new lines of commercially available instruments, the extant and emergent forms of this much-loved musical instrument vary perhaps more than ever before. As guitars sporting multiple necks, a greater number of strings, and additional frets become increasingly common, so too do those with reduced registers, fewer strings, and fretless fingerboards. Furthermore, as we approach the mark of the first quarter-century, the role of technology in relation to the guitar’s protean nature is proving key, from the use of external effects units to synergies with computers and AR headsets. Such wide-ranging evolutions and augmentations of the guitar reflect the advancing creative and expressive needs of the modern guitarist and offer myriad new affordances.

21st Century Guitar examines the diverse physical manifestations of the guitar across the modern performative landscape through a series of essays and interviews. Academics, performers and dual-practitioners provide significant insights into the rich array of guitar-based performance practices emerging and thriving in this century, inviting a reassessment of the guitar’s identity, physicality and sound-creating possibilities.

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/21st-century-guitar-9781501373305/

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Learning & Teaching Lectures & Presentations MiltOnNotes Music Theory

9 Ways Music Moves Us

An investigation of how music conveys and triggers such a range and depth of emotion. Featuring the BRECVEMA (aka EVERBEAM X) model of music psychology.

References:

Juslin & Västfjall, ‘Emotional responses to music: The need to consider underlying mechanisms, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 31, 2008; 559-621.

Juslin, Liljeström, Västfjäll, & Lundqvist. (2010). How does music evoke emotions? Exploring the underlying mechanisms. In P.N. Juslin & J. Sloboda (Eds.), Handbook of Music and Emotion: Theory, Research, and Applications (pp. 605-642). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Huron, D. (2006). Sweet anticipation: Music and the psychology of expectation. MIT Press

Pieces include:

QED Theme, Corale – Mermikides, M.

Small Comfort
– George Hrab

Categories
Data Sonification Lectures & Presentations Music Theory Research

Hidden Music Talk at Oxford University

“Hidden music” is a talk given in the interdisciplinary seminar series on Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing on 24.05.2022 at Linacre College, Oxford University. The talk is in two conceptual halves: The nature of music and the music of nature. For info and to watch the talk click below.

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Learning & Teaching Lectures & Presentations MiltOnNotes Music Theory

Tasty Chords

A short, deep dive into harmonic consonance and dissonance and an understanding of harmonic flavour and spiciness. Dissonance curves, interval classes, vectors, All-interval tetrachords and introducing the Harmonic Scoville (or Scofield?) Scale.

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Learning & Teaching Lectures & Presentations MiltOnNotes Music Theory

The Modal Compass

This video reveals the beautifully interconnected symmetry of the diatonic modes, three entwined cycle of rotation, brightness and reflection in a single compass. Further Reading/Sources: Touissaint’s original Euclidean paper (concerning rhythms but relevant here): http://cgm.cs.mcgill.ca/~godfried/pub… Persichetti’s quite awesome and insightful ’20th century harmony’: https://www.academia.edu/38883692/Vin…

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Composition Learning & Teaching Lectures & Presentations MiltOnNotes Music Theory

Every Chord in the Universe

Every chord in the (12TET) Universe – a gentle introduction to Pitch-class Set Theory.

To download the Mr. PC patches (for Max/MSP standalone and Max for Live click below. Note: 1) they both need the excellent and free Bach package by A. Agostini & D. Ghisi (installable in Max’s Package manager) consider donating (to them). 2) For Apple Silicon computers, Max needs to be running under Rosetta. 3) These are good enough tools for teaching and music adventure – use at your own theoretical risk.

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Learning & Teaching Lectures & Presentations MiltOnNotes Music Theory

Illuminating the Diatonic Cycle

A cosmic view of the earthly and unassuming diatonic scale.

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Events Guitar Music Theory Research

IGRC22

The IGRC are delighted to announce the International Guitar Research Centre Conference 7th to 9th October 2022

REGISTER HERE

For information: http://IGRC.site/IGRC22

Categories
Data Sonification Health & Training Research Science

Careful Impact

‘Taking Care’: supporting and recognising nurses’ caring role 

GSMD article

UK nursing trainees are better prepared to deliver patient-centred care as a result of ‘Taking Care’, a mixed-methods drama research project undertaken by researchers at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and Kingston University. This joint project was awarded the highest possible grade in the  2021 Research Excellence Framework.

The project was led by former Doctoral Programme Leader, Dr Alex Mermikides, who was inspired by the nurses she met when her brother Milton was treated for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia – a serious type of blood cancer. Taking Care addresses two challenges facing nurse educators: teaching the sensitive and effective communication of ‘care’ and preparing students for the demanding emotional labour required by their profession. The huge physical and emotional toll nursing can take on staff has been bought into sharp focus over the past two years, but the nursing curriculum hasn’t traditionally taught trainees how to ‘care’ for patients without compromising their own emotional wellbeing.

Mermikides’ ensemble created an interactive drama, Careful, following a collaborative research process with performers and trainee nurses. The process of devising Careful revealed that ‘care’ can be understood as a skilled practice rather than an inherent virtue. The feedback from students on the workshops and performances has been overwhelmingly positive and has led to the materials being rolled out to other nursing schools across the country. As student nurse Michal Kaim reflected in The Guardian, ‘elevating nursing to the level of art gave me another reason to be proud of the choice I have made to become one’. The full performance of Careful can be viewed online.

Categories
Data Sonification Lectures & Presentations Research

Sound Asleep at the World Sleep Congress

Keynote Lecture for the World Sleep Congress in Rome, Italy March 2022, examining the use of sonification to communicate and reveal the inner experience of sleep.

Categories
Guitar Lectures & Presentations Research

Exploring the Pitch Surface of the Guitar

A shamefully/lessly nerdy exploration of the guitar fretboard, its nature, language and futures. Adapted from my keynote lecture at the 2022 Guitar Foundation of America conference.

Categories
Learning & Teaching Lectures & Presentations Music Theory Research

GFA Keynote

It’s privilege to present the Keynote for the Guitar Foundation of America convention this year.

The event runs June 26, 2022,5 PM – 9:30 PM UTC+01 on Zoom (register to join)You are warmly invited to join us for a series of discussions with scholars from Brazil, the United States, Switzerland, and England. Attendees will have the opportunity to speak informally with the presenters or simply listen. Registration is required. Abstract below:

Diamonds, Abaci, and Hexagrams: Exploring the Pitch Surface of the Guitar Fretboard

In this presentation, I will analyze the idiosyncrasies, challenges, limits, and affordances of the guitar’s “pitch surface”: its fretboard and tuning. Whatever the context—staff notation, music theory, improvisation, performance, and other arenas of guitar activity—the layout of the fretboard exerts a profound influence on how guitarists learn, play, and compose. Inspired by De Souza, Goodrick, and Martino, I will also explore the benefits of creative constraints: scordatura, capo, MIDI tools, and other ways of remapping the guitar’s pitch matrix. These constraints can be used to break the guitarist’s tight auditory-motor link, revitalizing the fretboard as a primary musical space and insightful musical “abacus.”

Full Schedule

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Data Sonification Research

Kinship Sonification on RAI 3

A collaboration with Enzo de Sena (Senior Lecturer on the Tonmeister programme, University of Surrey), Deborah Dunn-Walters, Sarah Bailey and Nils Marggraf – sonifying kinship DNA and recognising familial relationships as shared motivic content. A documentary produced in collaboration with University of Surrey was aired on Italy’s Rai 3 flagship science programme Quinta Dimensione (viewership ≈886,000). Segment below.

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Data Sonification Events Lectures & Presentations Research

Hidden Music at Oxford University

May 24th 2022 2pm, a lecture for staff, students and public Oxford University’s wonderful new Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing. Directed by Prof Morten Kringelbach “The Centre undertakes interdisciplinary research into Human Flourishing, Eudaimonia and the Life Well-Lived with a special focus on human brain dynamics through its link with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford and Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University, Denmark.”

Image credit: Morten Kringelback 2021

The talk Hidden Music: Sonic translations of Nature will explore music as a tool for listening, and understanding patterns of the natural world, blurring the boundaries between people and the ‘outside world’, and ‘art’ and science. It will take place in the Pink Seminar Room in Linacre College and streamed online. Details here.

Categories
Data Sonification Music Research

Sound Asleep in World Sleep Congress, Rome

The Sound Asleep project was presented with Professor Debra Skene in the World Sleep Congress on March 11 2022, Rome, Italy,

World Sleep 2022 is a global scientific congress bringing the best of sleep medicine and research to Rome, Italy, March 11–16, 2022. The World Sleep congress, now in its 16th iteration, consistently gathers the best minds in sleep medicine and research for multiple days of scientific sessions and networking.

Sound Asleep has now been presented at British Sleep Society, European Sleep Research Conference and World Sleep Congress engaging with hundreds of members of the International Sleep Community.

Categories
MiltOnNotes Music Theory

MiltOnNotes: The 4 Chord Loop(s)

Categories
Music Music Theory Publications Writing

J.S.Bach in Aeon

My essay on J.S.Bach’s crafty brilliance and its implications for us all is now published in the wonderful Aeon digital magazine. Many thanks to Nigel Warburton (author, philosopher and podcaster) for the commissioning, editing and constant support.

https://aeon.co/essays/look-into-the-secret-world-of-numerology-and-puzzles-in-bach

Categories
Guitar Music Music Theory Musical Illustrations Publications

Led Zep IV at 50

It was fun writing this track-by-track musicological analysis of Led Zep IV (50 this year ahem) for the cover feature of Classic Rock Magazine. Limited by copyright and terminology, it’s challenging and instructive to communicate deep theory without dumbing down. Also I now know how to hear the beginning of Rock n Roll and the bridge of Stairway. Get it here and all reasonable shops.

Categories
Guitar Guitar Lessons Publications

Lessons from Eurovision

Total Guitar (Issue 345) has published an article on what Eurovision teaches us about music listening, and (guitar) performance. Some sample images below on rhythmic, perception, tempo and modulation respectively.

Categories
Guitar Music Publications

Eurometal in Guitar World

My Total Guitar article is here re-adapted and syndicated in Guitar World. The intersection of Metal and Eurovision – Eurometal.

(Image credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Categories
Guitar Lessons Jazz & Improvisation Publications

Holdsworth on the Radar

My article providing practical insights into the music and playing of the late, great Allan Holdsworth is now available for public free consumption on MusicRadar (including notation & audio). A teaser below.

Categories
Music Theory Musical Illustrations Publications

Arvo Pärt Analyses in Print

Musical illustrations of Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel and Beatitudes are now published in Arvo Pärt’s Resonant Texts: Choral and Organ Music 1956–2015 (Shenton 2018) and Illiano, R., & Locanto, M. (Eds.). (2019). Twentieth-century music and mathematics. Brepols.

These unpack the musical mechanisms of Arvo Pärt’s music as outlined in this lecture below.

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