Dictionary for Music Moves

Accelerometer
Motion sensor that measures acceleration.
Action
An action can be defined as a motion sequence with a beginning and an end. Actions are often (but not always) goal-directed.
Aesthetic quality
A quality related to taste and judgement – of what we like/dislike.
Affordance
Action possibilities of something that is perceived, for example an object (a chair offers the possibility to sit) or musical sound (offers the possibility to dance). Affordances are always relative to the perceiver.
Alexander technique
A bodily method to promote well-being by focusing on one's awareness and posture to ensure minimum effort and strain.
Attack
Often used to describe the first part of a sound object; the time from silence to the maximum amplitude.
Attractor
An attractor in a dynamic system is a position, a point in time, a numeric value, etc. that attracts the trajectory of an oscillation. If the entrainment process in music is considered a dynamic system, rhythmic sounds or accentuations can be named attractors that shape an oscillatory movement of muscle behaviour (in for example head nodding or foot tapping).
Bottom up process
In auditory perception, bottom-up refers to a data-driven process starting with the stimulus itself, and moving from vibrations in the air to the ear and finally to the brain. (see also top down process)
BPM (Beats per minute)
Measurement unit for musical tempo. A typical dance tempo is 120 BPM, which means that there are 2 beats per second.
Coarticulation
A grouping of two or more sequential elements into a larger “chunk”. This can be how a fast sequence of sound-producing actions in music may be perceived as one coherent segment, or how phonemes in speech are coarticulated into words or phrases. We may talk about coarticulated actions of a performer, but also to explain how sequential elements are experienced.
Cognition
Conscious mental activities, such as thinking, understanding, learning, and remembering.
Communicative movements
Movements intended for communication, for example how musicians give signs to each other during a performance, or communicate directly to the audience through body language or gestures.
Controlled environment
Used in research to control variables. For instance in a lab-setting.
Dalcroze
Emile Jaques-Dalcroze developed a method for teaching the interconnections between music, movement, dance and theatre. One of the most well-known parts of the Dalcroze system is called eurhythmics.
Demographical data
Information about a person such as age, gender, cultural background, etc. Such information is often collected in experiments to have background information about participants.
Descriptive analysis
The analysis of a phenomenon like movement by describing how it is performed, for example the kinematics of the body (velocity or acceleration of body parts) or spatial features (size and position in the room). Descriptive analysis may often be a useful “objective” starting point for further functional or aesthetic analysis.
Descriptors (movement)
Movement descriptors are numerical summaries of movement. This can for instance be the movement velocity or the overall movement energy.
Descriptors (sound)
Sound descriptors are numerical summaries of sound. This can for instance be the energy of a sound recording or the pulse clarity in a piece of music.
Dynamic envelope
The dynamic envelope of a sound describes how the dynamics (mainly the sound energy) unfolds over time. The dynamic envelope of a sound can typically be categorised into one of three main types (1) impulsive, (2) sustained, (3) iterative.
Ecological setting
In research experiments, there is often a trade-off between controllability (being in control of all variables) and ecological validity where something is studied in its natural context. For example, studying a musician in a lab (controllable), or on stage during a concert (ecologically valid).
Effort
A subcategory of the Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) system. Contains four dimensions: space, time, weight, flow.
Embodied cognition
In the field of embodied cognition, cognitive processes are explained as being inseparable from the body. The perceiver is not only a passive receiver of information that is being processed and understood in the brain alone. Rather, the perceiver interacts with the environment. See also Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry.
Emotion (in music)
Any experience of intense mental activity and high degree of pleasure/displeasure caused by the interaction with music.
Emotional attunement
Changing emotional state towards an emotion expressed by some external factor, for instance, cheering up when listening to upbeat music.
Entrainment
The synchronization of two (or more) independent processes. For example, moving one’s foot to the pulse of the music. Here the tapping of the foot entrains to the beats in the musical sound.
Equilibrium
When a system is (or perceived as) in balance.
Excitation
The moment of energy transfer from sound-producing action to sounding object. For instance, the moment when a guitar string is released or the time span in which a clarinet player blows into the clarinet.
Functional analysis
The analysis of a phenomenon through its functional properties, such as whether an action is sound-producing, sound-modifying, etc. This is as opposed to descriptive analysis.
Fundamental frequency
Most harmonic tones are built up from an array of partials. These include the fundamental frequency, and overtones which are whole number multiples of the fundamental frequency.
Gesture
A movement of part of the body, often a hand or the head, to express an idea or meaning.
Global descriptors
Descriptor that describes an entire sound or entire action (as opposed to a time-varying descriptor that varies throughout the sound or action)
Groove
Groove is a musical element that relates to the rhythmic “feel”. It is commonly used as a description for a repeated pattern and how it is played (or produced).
Gyroscopes
Motion sensor that measures rotation.
Image schemata
A cognitive structure establishing patterns for understanding and reasoning. First coined in linguistics, but also used in musicology to explain our coherent experience of musical sound and related body motion.
Impulsive action
A type of sound-producing action where a short, abrupt transfer of energy occurs between the sound-producing action and a sounding object. For instance, crashing two cymbals together.
Iterative action
A type of sound-producing action where a rapid series of impulsive actions fuse together into a continuous stream. For instance dragging the fingers across all the strings of a harp.
Kinematics
The branch of physics that describes the motion of objects in space over time. Kinematics does not take into account the force and energy needed for the motion.
Kinesphere
The imaginary volume that one can reach around one’s body. The kinesphere is where our current actions can be carried out.
Laban Movement Analysis (LMA)
The movement analysis system developed by Rudolf Laban.
Labanotation
The movement notation system developed by Rudolf Laban. The notation is based on writing symbols of the different body parts along a vertical axis.
McGurk effect
A phenomenon that demonstrates how two different sensory stimuli (visual and aural) can lead to the perception of a third perceived object.
Metaphors
In everyday language “metaphor” is mostly used to describe an obvious figure of speech (like “the world is one’s oyster”). George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s work on basic metaphors demonstrate how metaphors are present in languages in a more all-embracing manner. We wake “up”, we “fall” asleep, etc. They argue that these metaphors relates to our physical (bodily) and social experiences of the world.
Mirror neurons
Neurons in the motor centre of the brain that activate when we perceive an action performed by others. Mirror neurons have also been found to fire when only listening to an action, hence being important also for music cognition.
Modality
The term modality can be understood as a channel of sensory information. It includes, but is broader than, the five senses seeing, hearing, tactility, taste, and smell.
Motion
The displacement of an object in space over time. Often used interchangeably with movement, although motion is often the preferred term in physics and scientific research.
Motion capture
A technique for measuring and storing human body motion through various types of technological systems.
Motion image
An image created by calculating the difference between the current video frame and the previous video frame. Often used as the basis for other types of computer-based video analysis.
Motiongrams
A technique for visualising motion over time, based on motion images from ordinary video files.
Music-related body movement
A diverse category of movement, ranging from purely instrumental, such as hitting a piano key, to purely communicative, such as gesticulating in the air. Music-related movement may occur in any type of location, for example a concert hall, at home, in the street, or in a club setting.
MYO
A commercially available sensor armband from Thalmic Labs. The MYO has eight sensors that capture the muscle tension of the lower arm in addition to a gyroscope and accelerometer for measuring the rotation and motion of the device.
NIME (New Interface for Musical Expression)
A community of researchers and an annual conference focusing on the development of new technologies for musical expression. See also http://www.nime.org
Optical marker-based motion capture system
State-of-the-art technology for measuring movement using cameras and reflective markers.
Oscillation
The repetitive variation of a phenomenon over time (e.g. sound or movement).
Overtone
Most harmonic tones are built up from an array of partials. These include the fundamental frequency, and overtones which are whole number multiples of the fundamental frequency.
Perceive
To experience, be aware of, realize or understand something. The term is closely related to, but broader than sensing.
Perception
See perceive.
Pitch
The perceived “height” of a tone. Closely connected to (but not necessarily the same as) the fundamental frequency of a tone.
Prefix
When describing sound-producing actions, the prefix refers to the part that occurs before excitation, such as the preparation of a drumstroke and the path of the drumstick towards the drum.
Premotor cortex
See Wikipedia entry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premotor_cortex
Proprioception
See Wikipedia entry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proprioception
Qualitative analysis
Analysis based on verbal or categorical information and using interpretation and reasoning as methods. Qualitative analysis is often used in the humanities and parts of the social sciences.
Quantitative analysis
Analysis based on numerical data using mathematical and statistical methods. Quantitative analysis is often used in the natural sciences, but increasingly also in other fields.
Quantity of motion (QoM)
Measure used to describe the overall amount of movement in a recording. Quantity of motion may be calculated in different ways, for example by averaging the velocities of all recorded markers in a full-body motion capture recording.
Sampling frequency
The sampling frequency is the number of times per second a phenomenon is measured and stored as a number. For audio, a typical sampling frequency is 44.1 kHz, which means that 44 100 measurements are done per second. For movement data, sampling frequencies are typically much lower, between 50 and 1000 Hz (50 to 1000 measurements per second).
Skin conductance sensor
Sensor that measures the electrical conductivity of the skin. Used in lie-detectors and also useful as a tool for sensing changes in human emotions.
Sonogram
See spectrogram
Sound-accompanying action
Actions that follow some features in the musical sound, but that are not involved in sound production. Example: playing “air-guitar” or “conduct” to music.
Sound feature/sound descriptor
See descriptor (sound)
Sound-modifying action
An action which modifies the sound, such as changing the pitch with the left hand on a string instrument or the mute position on a brass instruments.
Sound-producing action
An action that creates sound through excitation, such as hitting, stroking, and blowing.
Spectrogram
A visual display that shows the frequency content of the sound over time. Is often used in sound analysis.
Spectral centroid
The “centre of gravity” of a sound spectrum. In other words, the point of the spectrum where there is an equal amount of energy above and below the threshold.
Spectral flux
A measure of the rate of change in the spectrum of a signal.
Spectrum
The amplitudes of the frequency components of the sound.
Stimulus
A term often used in experimental psychology, in which the stimulus is the controlled input used in the study. In some articles describing experiments on music-related movement, the term stimulus may refer to the musical sound being used, while the dance movement is the response.
Suffix
When describing sound-producing actions, the suffix refers to the part that occurs after the excitation, such as the rebound of a drumstick.
Sustained actions
A type of sound-producing action where there is a continuous transfer of energy between a sound-producing action and the sounding object. For instance, using a violin bow on a string, or blowing into a flute.
Tempo
Musical tempo is the speed or pace of the music, often measured in beats per minute (BPM).
Time-varying descriptors
Descriptors that are calculated from short, sequential time-frames, and then forming a sequence of numbers.
Top down process
In perception, top-down refers to hypothesising about stimuli based on previous experiences and memories. See also bottom-up process.
Verbal descriptions
Verbal description of sound include all words or labels that we use to describe a sound or an entire piece of music.
Vocal apparatus
The organs in the chest, neck, and head that are involved in the production of speech and other vocal sounds.
Waveform
A waveform representation of a sound signal shows how the amplitude varies over time.
Published Mar. 16, 2020 12:00 PM - Last modified Feb. 12, 2022 8:22 AM
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