The classical, disembodied approach to music cognition conceptualizes action and perception as separate, peripheral phenomena. In contrast, embodied accounts to music cognition emphasize the central role of the close coupling of action and perception. It is a commonly established fact that perception spurs action tendencies. We present a theoretical framework capturing the ways that the human motor system, and the actions it produces, can reciprocally influence the perception of music. The cornerstone of this framework is the common coding theory postulating a representational overlap in the brain between the planning, the execution, and the perception of movement. The integration of action and perception in so-called internal models is explained as a result of associative learning processes. Characteristic of internal models is that they allow intended or perceived sensory states to be transferred into corresponding motor commands (inverse modelling), and vice versa, to predict the sensory outcomes of planned actions (forward modelling). Embodied accounts typically adhere to inverse modelling to explain action effects on music perception (Leman, 2007). We extent this account by pinpointing forward modelling as an alternative mechanism by which action can modulate perception. We provide an extensive overview of recent empirical evidence in support of this idea. Additionally, we demonstrate that motor dysfunctions can cause perceptual disabilities, supporting the main idea of the paper that the human motor system plays a functional role in auditory perception. The finding that music perception is shaped by the human motor system, and the action it produces, suggests that the musical mind is highly embodied. However, we advocate for a more radical approach to embodied (music) cognition in the sense that it needs to be considered as a dynamic process, in which aspects of action, perception, introspection, and social interaction are of crucial importance.

This article presents results from an ongoing exploratory analysis of ancillary gestures of several advanced clarinetists playing standard concert solo repertoire. We build upon our previous work involving the analysis of clarinetists' gestures by focusing on the timing of various performance manners, the relation that ancillary gestures have to the musical score, the different styles of expressive movements among performers, and the perception of these movements by the audience.

This article addresses the evaluation of input devices for musical expression. The comparison and evaluation of input devices is a well-developed topic in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research area, a multidisciplinary field that presents several similarities (and many differences) to computer music. We here introduce an overview of various developments from HCI and discuss possible applications of this knowledge to the musical context. Results from previous experiments are commented and a set of musical tasks is suggested and discussed as a first step toward the evaluation of input devices for musical expression

This paper considers the issues involved in the design of electronic and computer interfaces, specifically mapping - the designed link between an instrument's playing interface and its sound source. It defines the problem area, reviews the literature, and gives examples of specific system mappings. A general model is presented, with the aim of providing a framework for future discussions on what makes an effective mapping. Several guidelines for mapping strategies are given, based on existing work.

EXPRESSIVE PERFORMER MOVEMENTS IN MUSICAL performances represent implied levels of communication and can contain certain characteristics and meanings of embodied human expressivity. This study investigated the contribution of ancillary body movements on the perception of musical performances. Using kinematic displays of four clarinetists, perceptual experiments were conducted in which participants were asked to rate specific music-related dimensions of the performance and the performer. Additionally, motions of particular body parts, such as movements of the arms and torso, as well as motion amplitudes of the whole body were manipulated in the kinematic display. It was found that manipulations of arm and torso movements have fewer effects on the observers' ratings of the musicians than manipulations concerning the movement of the whole body. The results suggest that the multimodal experience of musicians is less dependent on the players' particular body motion behaviors than it is on the players' overall relative motion characteristics.