Despite the increasing sophistication of digital musical instruments, many performers, composer and listeners remain captivated by traditional acoustic instruments. Interest has grown in the past 2 decades in augmenting acoustic instruments with sensor and actuator technology and integrated digital signal processing, expanding the instrument's capabilities while retaining its essential acoustic character. In this thesis we present a technique, travelling wave control, which allows active control of the vibrations of musical strings and yet has been little explored in the musical instrument literature to date. The thesis seeks to demonstrate that travelling wave control is capable of active damping and of modifying the timbre of a musical string in ways that go beyond those available through the more conventional modal control paradigm. However, we show that travelling wave control is highly sensitive to nonlinearity, which in practical settings can lead to harmonic distortion and even instability in the string response. To avoid these problems, we design and build a highly linear optical string displacement sensor, and investigate the use of piezoelectric stacks to actuate the termination point of a string. With these components we design and build a functioning travelling wave control system which is capable of damping the vibrations of a plucked string without adversely affecting its timbre. We go on to show that by deliberately adding nonlinearity into the control system, we are able to modify the timbre of the string in a natural way by affecting the evolution of the modal amplitudes. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the concept and lay the groundwork for future integration of travelling wave control into future actuated musical instruments.

Os avanços tecnológicos têm refletido não somente no modo de aprender e ensinar, mas também nas práticas pedagógicas e nas arquiteturas para o contexto educacional. Neste panorama, cresce a busca pela interdisciplinaridade, associada a uma visão holística do indivíduo, que leva em conta não somente a cognição, mas também os aspectos sociais e afetivos dos alunos. Diante desta realidade, percebe-se a necessidade de se construir e aplicar arquiteturas pedagógicas voltadas a esses aspectos, que englobem recursos tecnológicos tais como o computador e a construção de interfaces tangíveis pelos estudantes, a exemplo dos instrumentos musicais digitais (IMDs). Juntamente com esses, ampliaram-se as possibilidades da utilização da música no contexto educacional. Compreende-se que uma, dentre as características do público adolescente, é a busca pelo sentimento de pertença a um grupo. Esta pode ocorrer através da participação em diversas atividades voltadas para a expressão sonora e/ou musical através de tecnologias, tais como os IMDs. Perante essas premissas, esta pesquisa tem o objetivo de analisar como uma Arquitetura Pedagógica (AP) voltada para a construção e utilização de instrumentos musicais digitais (IMDs) pode contribuir para fomentar aspectos socioafetivos em estudantes adolescentes não musicistas. Para isso, o presente estudo fundamenta-se numa abordagem qualitativa. A coleta de dados foi realizada a partir de observações, questionários, vídeos, produções tecnológicas e registros sobre as interações sociais e os estados de ânimo dos estudantes. Entende-se que as contribuições desta investigação podem implicar em mudanças quanto ao design dos espaços de aprendizagem relacionados às arquiteturas pedagógicas para a construção e uso de protótipos físico-sonoros e/ou instrumentos musicais digitais com finalidade educacional. / Technological advances have reflected not only on the way of learning and teaching but also on pedagogical practices and architectures for the educational context. In this panorama, the search for interdisciplinarity, coupled with a holistic view of the individual, considers not only the cognition but also the social and affective aspects of the students. Faced with this reality, one can see the need to construct and apply pedagogical architectures focused on these aspects, which encompass technological resources such as the computer and the construction of tangible interfaces by students, such as digital musical instruments (DMIs). Along with these, the possibilities of the use of music in the educational context were extended. It is understood that one of the characteristics of the adolescent public is the search for the feeling of belonging to a group. This can occur through participation in various activities focused on sound and/or musical expression through technologies such as DMIs. Given these premises, this research has the goal of analyzing how a Pedagogical Architecture (PA) aimed at the construction and use of digital musical instruments (DMIs) can contribute to foster socio-affective aspects in non-musician adolescent students. For this, the present study is based on a qualitative approach. The data collection was made from observations, questionnaires, videos, technological productions and records about the social interactions and moods states of the students. It is understood that the contributions of this investigation may imply changes in the design of learning spaces related to pedagogical architectures for the construction and use of physical-sounding prototypes and/or digital musical instruments for educational purposes.

Os avanços tecnológicos têm refletido não somente no modo de aprender e ensinar, mas também nas práticas pedagógicas e nas arquiteturas para o contexto educacional. Neste panorama, cresce a busca pela interdisciplinaridade, associada a uma visão holística do indivíduo, que leva em conta não somente a cognição, mas também os aspectos sociais e afetivos dos alunos. Diante desta realidade, percebe-se a necessidade de se construir e aplicar arquiteturas pedagógicas voltadas a esses aspectos, que englobem recursos tecnológicos tais como o computador e a construção de interfaces tangíveis pelos estudantes, a exemplo dos instrumentos musicais digitais (IMDs). Juntamente com esses, ampliaram-se as possibilidades da utilização da música no contexto educacional. Compreende-se que uma, dentre as características do público adolescente, é a busca pelo sentimento de pertença a um grupo. Esta pode ocorrer através da participação em diversas atividades voltadas para a expressão sonora e/ou musical através de tecnologias, tais como os IMDs. Perante essas premissas, esta pesquisa tem o objetivo de analisar como uma Arquitetura Pedagógica (AP) voltada para a construção e utilização de instrumentos musicais digitais (IMDs) pode contribuir para fomentar aspectos socioafetivos em estudantes adolescentes não musicistas. Para isso, o presente estudo fundamenta-se numa abordagem qualitativa. A coleta de dados foi realizada a partir de observações, questionários, vídeos, produções tecnológicas e registros sobre as interações sociais e os estados de ânimo dos estudantes. Entende-se que as contribuições desta investigação podem implicar em mudanças quanto ao design dos espaços de aprendizagem relacionados às arquiteturas pedagógicas para a construção e uso de protótipos físico-sonoros e/ou instrumentos musicais digitais com finalidade educacional. / Technological advances have reflected not only on the way of learning and teaching but also on pedagogical practices and architectures for the educational context. In this panorama, the search for interdisciplinarity, coupled with a holistic view of the individual, considers not only the cognition but also the social and affective aspects of the students. Faced with this reality, one can see the need to construct and apply pedagogical architectures focused on these aspects, which encompass technological resources such as the computer and the construction of tangible interfaces by students, such as digital musical instruments (DMIs). Along with these, the possibilities of the use of music in the educational context were extended. It is understood that one of the characteristics of the adolescent public is the search for the feeling of belonging to a group. This can occur through participation in various activities focused on sound and/or musical expression through technologies such as DMIs. Given these premises, this research has the goal of analyzing how a Pedagogical Architecture (PA) aimed at the construction and use of digital musical instruments (DMIs) can contribute to foster socio-affective aspects in non-musician adolescent students. For this, the present study is based on a qualitative approach. The data collection was made from observations, questionnaires, videos, technological productions and records about the social interactions and moods states of the students. It is understood that the contributions of this investigation may imply changes in the design of learning spaces related to pedagogical architectures for the construction and use of physical-sounding prototypes and/or digital musical instruments for educational purposes.

Os avanços tecnológicos têm refletido não somente no modo de aprender e ensinar, mas também nas práticas pedagógicas e nas arquiteturas para o contexto educacional. Neste panorama, cresce a busca pela interdisciplinaridade, associada a uma visão holística do indivíduo, que leva em conta não somente a cognição, mas também os aspectos sociais e afetivos dos alunos. Diante desta realidade, percebe-se a necessidade de se construir e aplicar arquiteturas pedagógicas voltadas a esses aspectos, que englobem recursos tecnológicos tais como o computador e a construção de interfaces tangíveis pelos estudantes, a exemplo dos instrumentos musicais digitais (IMDs). Juntamente com esses, ampliaram-se as possibilidades da utilização da música no contexto educacional. Compreende-se que uma, dentre as características do público adolescente, é a busca pelo sentimento de pertença a um grupo. Esta pode ocorrer através da participação em diversas atividades voltadas para a expressão sonora e/ou musical através de tecnologias, tais como os IMDs. Perante essas premissas, esta pesquisa tem o objetivo de analisar como uma Arquitetura Pedagógica (AP) voltada para a construção e utilização de instrumentos musicais digitais (IMDs) pode contribuir para fomentar aspectos socioafetivos em estudantes adolescentes não musicistas. Para isso, o presente estudo fundamenta-se numa abordagem qualitativa. A coleta de dados foi realizada a partir de observações, questionários, vídeos, produções tecnológicas e registros sobre as interações sociais e os estados de ânimo dos estudantes. Entende-se que as contribuições desta investigação podem implicar em mudanças quanto ao design dos espaços de aprendizagem relacionados às arquiteturas pedagógicas para a construção e uso de protótipos físico-sonoros e/ou instrumentos musicais digitais com finalidade educacional. / Technological advances have reflected not only on the way of learning and teaching but also on pedagogical practices and architectures for the educational context. In this panorama, the search for interdisciplinarity, coupled with a holistic view of the individual, considers not only the cognition but also the social and affective aspects of the students. Faced with this reality, one can see the need to construct and apply pedagogical architectures focused on these aspects, which encompass technological resources such as the computer and the construction of tangible interfaces by students, such as digital musical instruments (DMIs). Along with these, the possibilities of the use of music in the educational context were extended. It is understood that one of the characteristics of the adolescent public is the search for the feeling of belonging to a group. This can occur through participation in various activities focused on sound and/or musical expression through technologies such as DMIs. Given these premises, this research has the goal of analyzing how a Pedagogical Architecture (PA) aimed at the construction and use of digital musical instruments (DMIs) can contribute to foster socio-affective aspects in non-musician adolescent students. For this, the present study is based on a qualitative approach. The data collection was made from observations, questionnaires, videos, technological productions and records about the social interactions and moods states of the students. It is understood that the contributions of this investigation may imply changes in the design of learning spaces related to pedagogical architectures for the construction and use of physical-sounding prototypes and/or digital musical instruments for educational purposes.

In order to further investigate the efficacy of interactive musical toys developed by students in the course DM2799 at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, we conducted a user study. The intended users of the toys are primary school children with special needs. The trials were held at the Rullen Dibber special needs school in Solna, Sweden. The study was conducted in order to be able to further develop the instruments and to better understand the needs and wants of the intended users. In order to do this, we studied the emergence of positive behaviors linked to musical expression. The study concluded that although the instruments did not result in any significant change in togetherness and nonverbal communication in the children during playing with the instruments, they were observed to be an effective tool in music therapy. / För att närmare undersöka inverkan av interaktiva musikaliska leksaker utvecklade av studenter i kursen DM2799 på KTH så har vi utfört en utförlig användarstudie. Den avsedda användaren av leksakerna är primärt barn i skolålder med funktionsvariationer. Försöken utfördes på Rullen Dibber särskola i Solna. Studien utfördes för att vidareutveckla instrumenten och att bättre förstå behoven hos den avsedda användaren. För att göra detta undersökte vi framväxten av positiva beteende kopplade till musikaliskt uttryck. Studien visar att trots att instrumenten inte påvisar någon ökad gemenskap bland barnen är de effektiva verktyg för musikterapi.

In this master’s thesis, a sound-based notation system is explored and developed in the composition and performance of a musical work for live electronics. My approach builds on existing systems for electroacoustic music analysis, most notably Dennis Smalley’s (1997) theory of spectromorphology and the symbolic language of Lasse Thoresen &amp; Andreas Hedman (2007) based on Pierre Schaeffer’s typo-morphology, as well as Mattias Sköld’s (2023) adaptation of this system for composition and transcription (Sound Notation).  By separating the compositional processes from the interpretational process in the creation of a mixed work for live electronics and acoustic instruments, the notation could be explored as an isolated activity in the writing of sound objects, later realized in a studio environment in the form playable instrument patches. This resulted in two performances of the piece Sonic Mechanics (2022) where the author performed the electronics part together with musicians from the ensembles Norrbotten NEO in Piteå (Sweden) and Ensemble mise-en in NYC (USA).  The thesis shows how symbolic notation does not need to be dismissed in live electronic performance, but that a sound-based score can complement the compositional and interpretational processes of instrument design and improvisation. The project thus demonstrates the plausibility of composing electronic music using a reduced sound- based notation system (spectromorphological reduction) and provides an example of how a sound-based score can be executed by an electronic performer, as well as investigating the affordances that this approach has for both the compositional and interpretational process. For composition, the affordances of sound-based notation are that it becomes a technology for thinking about sound and musical structures themselves, without interaction with audio technology. For performance, this approach enables different interpretations for other electronic instruments and setups. / <p>Artistic outcomes are presented in their entirety through the accompanying Research Catalogue Expositions:</p><p>https://www.researchcatalogue.net/profile/show-exposition?exposition=2012206</p><p>https://www.researchcatalogue.net/profile/show-exposition?exposition=2241923</p>

Interactive installations in public settings have increased in popularity over the past decade, as well as the construction of digital musical instruments. In this paper I present a study of the interaction with a large sized augmented string instrument intended for a large installation in a museum, with focus on encouraging creativity, learning, and providing engaging user experiences. In the study, 9 participants were video recorded while playing with the string on their own, followed by an interview focusing on their experiences, creativity, and the functionality of the string. I then used McCarthy and Wright’s framework for analysing technology as experience and Frank E Williams creativity taxonomy model to analyse the results. In line with previous research, results highlight the importance of designing for different levels of engagement (exploration, experimentation, challenge). However, results additionally show that these levels need to consider the users’ age and musical background as these profoundly affect the way the user plays with and experiences the string. / Interaktiva installationer i offentliga miljöer har ökat i popularitet under det senaste decenniet, liksom även skapandet av digitala musikinstrument. I denna uppsats presenterar jag en studie av interaktionen med ett stort augmenterat stränginstrument avsedd för en stor installation i ett museum, med fokus på att uppmuntra kreativitet, lärande, och att ge engagerande användarupplevelser. I studien blev 9 deltagare videoinspelade samtidigt som de spelade med strängen på egen hand, följt av en intervju med fokus på deras upplevelse, kreativitet, och strängens funktionalitet Jag använde sedan McCarthy och Wrights ramverk för att analysera teknik som upplevelse och Frank E Williams kreativitets taxonomi för att analysera resultaten. I linje med tidigare forskning så betonar resultaten vikten av att designa för olika nivåer av engagemang (undersökande, experimenterande, utmaning). Dock så visar resultaten dessutom på att dessa nivåer måste ta hänsyn till användarnas ålder och musikaliska bakgrund då dessa starkt påverkar hur användaren spelar med och upplever strängen.