The main goal of this thesis was to develop tools and methods for creating new music for the Japanese bamboo flute shakuhachi. Shakuhachi is an end-blown bamboo flute, which has existed in Japan since the seventh century. The oldest shakuhachi solo repertoire, honkyoku, can be considered as “tone-color melodies”, where the expression is primarily happening through microtonal alterations of pitch and timbre, while the melody is secondary. An early fascination with timbre led the author to the shakuhachi and its sound aesthetics, and towards exploring new methods for making music. The main method described is composing through improvisation, using nonlinearity to focus on the present with the sound and timbre of shakuhachi. To learn about unconscious factors during music making, a micro-phenomenological interview method is used, aiming to reach a deeper understanding of the decision-making and the pre-reflective experience during improvisation. The history, learning methods, aesthetics, and concepts of Japanese traditional shakuhachi music are explored to give inspiration and context for the work, in the search for a personal musical expression within the tradition. Analysis of timbral gestures is conducted to further research the timbral aspect of Japanese traditional music, as well as to analyze the musical connection between Japanese traditional shakuhachi music and the music composed in the project.

Questa tesi presenta i risultati teorici, metodologici ed empirici di una ricerca di dottorato incentrata sul tema della percezione del tempo nell’esperienza cinematografica. La prima parte fornisce un’introduzione teorica al tema. Il Capitolo 1 precisa il taglio e l’oggetto della ricerca. Il Capitolo 2 presenta i principali modelli teorici di percezione del tempo. Il Capitolo 3 si concentra sulla percezione del tempo nel contesto cinematografico. La seconda parte comprende gli esperimenti condotti nel corso della ricerca. Il Capitolo 4 illustra il primo esperimento. Attraverso misure comportamentali, questo studio ha indagato gli effetti sulla stima di durata e sulla percezione del passaggio del tempo di due variabili cinematografiche: il tipo di azione rappresentata e lo stile di montaggio. Il Capitolo 5 presenta il secondo esperimento. Tramite un metodo chiamato micro-fenomenologia, questo studio ha esplorato i processi esperienziali che fondano i compiti di stima di durata e percezione del passaggio del tempo. Il Capitolo 6 descrive il terzo esperimento. Attraverso una tecnica di neurostimolazione (tDCS), questo studio ha testato il coinvolgimento di una specifica area cerebrale (Area Supplementare Motoria) negli stessi compiti temporali. La terza parte riassume i risultati della ricerca (Capitolo 7) e discute possibili futuri sviluppi di quest’ultima (Capitolo 8). / This dissertation presents the theoretical, methodological, and empirical results of a doctoral research concerning time perception in the experience of cinema. The first part provides a theoretical introduction to the topic. Chapter 1 carves out the dissertation’s precise angle and object. Chapter 2 presents the main models of subjective time perception. Chapter 3 restricts the scope to time perception in the specific context of cinema. The second part reports about the three experiments conducted during the research. Chapter 4 introduces the first experiment. By using behavioural measures, this study addressed the effects on duration estimation and time passage perception of two cinematographic variables: the type of represented action and the style of editing. Chapter 5 presents the second experiment. By adopting a method called micro-phenomenology, this study explored the processes underlying the performance of the duration estimation and time passage perception tasks. Chapter 6 is devoted to the third experiment. By using a neurostimulation technique (tDCS), this study tested the involvement of a specific brain area (the Supplementary Motor Area) in the same timing tasks. The third part summarizes the essential findings of the research (Chapter 7) and re-opens it to some of its possible future developments (Chapter 8).