Embodying Dynamical Systems in Music Performance

Abstract

The present contribution introduces a theoretical framework to explore music performance from a perspective inspired by the conceptual resources of two orientations known as Dynamical System Theory and Embodied Cognitive Science. We discursively elaborate on how music performance might be conceived of as a complex, multi-component system that deals with evolving patterns of stability and instability, and examine how a combination of cognitive, motor, and affective skills stands at the heart of the performer’s capacity to optimize their performance. In doing so, we consider how musicians often generate different interpretative “hypotheses” with little or no pre-planning and use their body to selectively navigate the range of possibilities such hypotheses entail. In conclusion, the relevance of this perspective is discussed in relation to current research in music performance and music education to outline continuities and differences between the two domains.

Music performance as knowledge acquisition: a review and preliminary conceptual framework

“…Cutting across the boundaries of well-defined areas of research such as motor learning, skill acquisition, cognition, and expressive behavior, music performance can be conceived of as a distinct field of study—one which arguably finds its place within the broader realms of perception and action studies—with a special focus on expert behavior ( Lehmann and Davidson, 2002 ; Alexander, 2003 ; Chaffin et al, 2003 ; Ericsson et al, 2007 ; Brown et al, 2015 ), creativity ( Deliège and Wiggins, 2006 ; Loui, 2018 ; Schiavio et al, 2022c ), embodiment ( Leman, 2007 ; Cox, 2016 ; Reybrouck, 2021 ), interaction ( Lesaffre et al, 2017 ; Reybrouck, 2023a ) and dynamic system theory ( Richardson and Chemero, 2014 ; Nijs et al, 2023 ). Due to this interdisciplinary nature, a number of contributions have approached the study of music performance through comparisons with other domains, such as sports (see Schiavio et al, 2019 for an overview) as well as seemingly distant areas including mathematics and chess ( Ericsson et al, 2007 ).…”