Hackable Instruments: Supporting Appropriation and Modification in Digital Musical Interaction

Abstract

This paper investigates the appropriation of digital musical instruments, wherein the performer develops a personal working relationship with an instrument that may differ from the designer's intent. Two studies are presented which explore different facets of appropriation. First, a highly restrictive instrument was designed to assess the effects of constraint on unexpected creative use. Second, a digital instrument was created which initially shared several constraints and interaction modalities with the first instrument, but which could be rewired by the performer to discover sounds not directly anticipated by the designers. Each instrument was studied with 10 musicians working individually to prepare public performances on the instrument. The results suggest that constrained musical interactions can promote the discovery of unusual and idiosyncratic playing techniques, and that tighter constraints may paradoxically lead to a richer performer experience. The diversity of ways in which the rewirable instrument was modified and used indicates that its design is open to interpretation by the performer, who may discover interaction modalities that were not anticipated by the designers.

Designing accessible musical instruments by addressing musician-instrument relationships

“…He states that designers approach a problem by breaking it down into component functions that they can solve whereas musicians are focused on deciding or making choices in the moment of doing (music). The way designers create and intend for instruments to be played is often altered or extended by musicians, a phenomenon that has been referred by HCI and NIME scholars as appropriation (Dix, 2007;Masu et al, 2016;Zappi and McPherson, 2018). Therefore, assessing the success of an instrument on the basis of its functions or behaviors as the designer knows them to attain predetermined goals is restrictive (Rodger et al, 2020).…”

Fostering Social Interaction Through Sound Feedback: Sentire

“…Parameter mapping consists of the specific correspondence between control parameters (derived from performers' actions) and sound synthesis parameters (Hunt, Wanderley and Paradis 2002). As with digital musical instruments, the mapping layer is a key factor in determining constraints (Magnusson 2010), dimensionality (Gurevich and von Muehlen 2001;Zappi and McPherson 2015), and expressiveness (Arfib, Couturier and Kessous 2005). Following Rovan's classic definition of parameter mappings (Rovan, Wanderley, Dubnov and Depalle 1997), Sentire uses a 'divergent' mapping, where a onedimensional gestural parameter (proximity) is simultaneously linked to multiple musical parameters.…”

Context-Aware Intelligent Mixing Systems

“…Paterson observes that the use of presets has "long been scorned by professional producers" [43], who possess the wherewithal to render the sounds they intend and imagine without assistance. Furthermore, because of their comparatively broader experience, professionals can imagine applying preset effects in numerous and varied situations and therefore may even be inspired to appropriate that preset for non-traditional application [44].…”

“…When experienced mixers hit the boundaries, they turn to exploring their problem space in divergent and sometimes creative ways. Their experience has taught them how to find potential and constraint workarounds, and in this way limitations inspire exploration [44]. Explorations are more likely to be fruitful when the context can be used to clearly identify the limits of appropriateness.…”