10MB quicktime video
The rationale behind the development of the instrument was to keep the expressive
elements of the expert violinist, while incorporating the added benefits of gestural
controllers via embedded sensors. Any instrument can be augmented to different degrees
through the addition of extra sensors; such hybrid instruments offer musicians the
familiarity and expressivity of their chosen instrument along with the extended control
afforded by the sensors. There are two ways, however, in which the Overtone Violin
differs from most hybrid instruments. First, the extra sensors are used to capture a
completely separate (yet complementary) set of gestures, rather than just acquiring traditional
skills of the performer. Second, it is designed and built from scratch to be an
entirely new, specialized instrument that continues the evolution of the violin,
rather than retrofitting an existing instrument. The philosophy of this approach is
to use gesture sensors to add new functionality to the instrument, in addition to
capturing traditional playing techniques with as much nuance as possible - using optical pickups to accurately sense
the vibrations of the strings, which virtuosos have spent years perfecting. In fact,
the Overtone Violin can be viewed as two components tightly integrated into one: it
is both a traditional (electronic) violin, and a gestural computer music controller.
Sonofusion by John Thompson is an interactive audio-visual piece for the Overtone Violin.
In this piece, the instrument interactively manipulates audio, video, and three-dimensional graphics.
The piece journeys through a series of virtual spaces, each with their own set of underlying
processes which the performer controls through gesture and sound. Click the link above for more
information and videos of a performance.
Publications
The Overtone Violin
Proceedings of the New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME) Conference (Vancouver, Canada, 26-28 May 2005).
The Overtone Violin: a New Computer Music Instrument
Proceedings of the International Computer Music Conference (Barcelona, Spain, 5-9 September 2005).
Recent Developments in Violin-related Digital Musical Instruments: Where Are We and Where Are We Going?
Proceedings of the New Interfaces for Muscial Expression Conference (Paris, France, 4-8 June 2006).
Sonofusion: Development of a Multimedia Composition for the Overtone Violin
Proceedings of the International Computer Music Conference (Copenhagen, Denmark, 27-31 August 2007).
