The Hyperbow is an electronic violin bow interface that was developed as a result of an in-depth research project by students at
MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...
. The instrument is intended for use only by accomplished players and was designed to amplify their gestures, which lead to supplementary sound or musical control possibilities. It offers the violin player a range of expressive possibilities in its form as an augmented bow controller that lends itself to the control of bowed string physical models.
Development
The creation of musical instruments that utilize technology to increase the functionality and subtlety of control has been an endeavour of
Tod Machover
Tod Machover (born November 24, 1953, in Mount Vernon, New York), is a composer and an innovator in the application of technology in music. He is the son of Wilma Machover, a piano, pianist and Carl Machover, a computer scientist.
He was named ...
and his research group since 1986. This collaboration has produced a series of "augmented instruments" called Hyperinstruments such as the HyperCello, an acoustic cello created in 1991 for Yo-Yo Ma. The Hyperbow itself has an older version called Hyperviolin, which was designed for
Ani Kavafian
Ani Kavafian (, born May 10, 1948, Istanbul) is a classical violinist and professor at the Yale School of Music.
Early life and education
Born in Istanbul of Armenian heritage, Ani Kavafian began piano lessons at the age of three. After immigra ...
.
The Hyperbow project sought to capture the most intricate aspects of violin bowing technique, the subtle elements that immediately and directly impact the sound of the instrument while playing. It uses
accelerometer
An accelerometer is a device that measures the proper acceleration of an object. Proper acceleration is the acceleration (the rate of change (mathematics), rate of change of velocity) of the object relative to an observer who is in free fall (tha ...
s and electromagnetic field sensor in order to track the instrument's motion. There is also a mechanism that measures the force of the bow called single strain gauge. Both of these collect data that are then sent to the radio transmitter wirelessly. The data allows the evaluation of bowing techniques and drives a specified calibration procedure.
[Sit, p. 38.] The physical gesture data collected can also be used to control audio effects and synthesis algorithms in real-time.
The Hyperbow interface was featured in Toy Symphony performances with violinists
Joshua Bell
Joshua David Bell (born December 9, 1967) is an American violinist and conductor. He is currently music director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
Early life and education
Bell was born in Bloomington, Indiana, one of four children of ...
and
Cora Venus Lunny
Cora Venus Lunny (born 1982) is an Irish violinist, composer, and singer. She is the daughter of Irish musician Dónal Lunny and German photographer Julia Buthe.
Established as a classical musician since her teens, Lunny is active as a soloi ...
, and several pieces for cello and Hyperbow have recently been developed and recorded by colleagues at the
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...
.
Current research uses the Hyperbow as a measurement system to investigate the interaction of bowing parameters (acceleration, force, position) and the corresponding effects on the
audio
Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to:
Sound
*Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound
*Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum
*Digital audio, representation of sound ...
produced.
Diana Young
Diana most commonly refers to:
* Diana (name), given name (including a list of people with the name)
* Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon
* Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), ...
revised the Hyperbow hardware and created two Hyperbows for cello for a collaboration with the
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...
in London. Several compositions featuring the Hyperbows have been written and recorded. Two early pieces were presented on December 2, 2005 at the research seminar entitled New Tools, New Uses, at the
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...
and again at the New Instruments for Musical Expression conference
NIME
New Interfaces for Musical Expression, also known as NIME, is an international conference dedicated to scientific research on the development of new technologies and their role in musical expression and artistic performance.
History
The confer ...
on June 8, 2006 as part of a series of seminars on Digital Interfaces for the Violin Family.
References
Further reading
* Ray, Robin H.
"Grad student's Hyperbow makes music to measure" MIT News Office, July 6, 2006; and in ''MIT Tech Talk'' on September 13, 2006.
* Young, Diana
''A Methodology for Investigation of Bowed String Performance Through Measurement of Violin Bowing Technique'' PhD Thesis. M.I.T., 2007.
* Young, Diana
MIT.
* Templeton, David
Strings magazine, October 2002, No. 105.
External links
Hyperinstruments Group page at MIT
Violins
Musical bows
Music hardware