Extra-dimensional accordion playing using a surround sound system: Creating new music

Kaat Vanhaverbeke

Approaching the accordion bellows technique explicitly three-dimensionally instead of linearly has been a major step in finding my artistic voice as an accordionist. Hypothetically, the spatial movements implied in playing the accordion, prompt an extra musical dimension and affect with an audience. By addressing this aspect of accordion playing in compositional collaborations and by amplifying the movements of accordion playing and using a surround sound system, the technique, and hypothetically its impact on the audience, is made uncommonly explicit. In two phases and from two different perspectives (i.e. the perspective from an external composer and the composer-performer's perspective) new music for accordion and electronics was created, where the electronics are in both cases directly derivated from the accordion part. However, what it means to amplify and use the particular extra-dimensionality of accordion playing, was left open to the respective composer. The resulting music, presented at the research concert on September 22, 2023, in Studio LOOS The Hague, has shown two individual compositional approaches, yet it was clear that the movements of accordion playing functioned as an interesting and central dissonance within the music. In both the roles of performer and composer, this research has shown its significance. In collaboration with composers, it has introduced a way of working where this specific way of playing the accordion can be established in contemporary repertoire, whereas the electronic-artificial connection between music and movement has created interesting compositional tools suited for future projects.

Extra-dimensionality

Extradimensionality is a term I coined in my Master's research project. It can be understood as the characteristic of having extra dimensions, going beyond what is standard. Among other definitions, 'dimension' can refer to (a) one of the elements or factors making up a complete personality or entity; (b) the quality of spatial extension; (c) a level of existence or consciousness (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). The first definition can be applied to the concept of musical dimensions: in the creation and perception of music, we can identify different elements that together make music. Pitch, rhythm, timbre, etc. figure as such musical dimensions in the traditional music discourse (Sloboda, 2001). In the field of music psychology throughout the late 20th century, these dimensions have been looked at in relation to music perception and cognition, and the affective processes associated with music listening.

A 'dimension' can also refer to a property of space. In the article The spatiality of sounds, author Nicola Di Stefano distinguishes the literal and metaphorical meaning of space when applied to music - which is typically considered a temporal art form. The literal musical space would be sound-source localization, whereas metaphorically, musical space is a non-empirical and phenomenologically experienced space. Its perceptual features can be described, but finding a definition for musical space in itself necessarily fails. In mediating this metaphorical space-conceptualization (rather as a space-feeling than as space-conception), several scholars have acknowledged the role of movement. Musical motion and musical space emerge from the same logic: they are both metaphorical. The conceptualization of musical motion is influenced by our visual experience of the movement of physical objects through space (Di Stefano, 2022).

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References

Di Stefano, N. (2022). The spatiality of sounds. From sound-source localization to musical spaces. Aisthesis. Pratiche, Linguaggi E Saperi Dell'estetico, 15(1), 173-185. https://doi.org/10.36253/aisthesis-13617

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Dimension. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved September 14, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dimension

Sloboda, J. (2001). The late 20th century. In Psychology of music. Grove Music Online. Retrieved December 29, 2022, from https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000042574.

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Extra-dimensionality

References