Brain-computer music interfacing for continuous control of musical tempo

A Brain-computer music interface (BCMI) is developed to allow for continuous modification of the tempo of dynamically generated music. Six out of seven participants are able to control the BCMI at significant accuracies and their performance is observed to increase over time.

Is there a Rhythm Of The Rain? An analysis of weather in popular music

Weather is frequently used in music to frame events and emotions, yet quantitative analyses are rare. From a collated base set of 759 weather-related songs, 419 were analysed based on listings from a karaoke database. This article analyses the 20 weather types described, frequency of occurrence, genre, keys, mimicry, lyrics and songwriters. Vocals were the principal means of communicating weather: sunshine was the most common, followed by rain, with weather depictions linked to the emotions of the song. Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the most weather-related songs, partly following their experiences at the time of writing.

What does current generative theory have to say about the explicit-implicit debate?

Taking a generative perspective, we divide aspects of language into three broad categories: those that cannot be learned (are inherent in Universal Grammar), those that are derived from Universal Grammar, and those that must be learned from the input. Using this framework of language to clarify the “what” of learning, we take the acquisition of null (and overt) subjects in languages like Spanish as an example of how to apply the framework. We demonstrate what properties of a null-subject grammar cannot be learned explicitly, which properties can, but also argue that it is an open empirical question as to whether these latter properties are learned using explicit processes, showing how linguistic and psychological approaches may intersect to better understand acquisition.

Musiken ler, bilden skriker : En analys av ”anempathetic music” i film

Denna kandidatuppsats avhandlar tre stycken analyser av tre stycken filmscener från filmerna A Clockwork Orange, Reservoir Dogs och Watchmen, tre stycken exempel på scener där så kallad anempathetic music används. Denna form av musik kan beskrivas som att den distanserar sig från vad som händer i den rörliga bilden genom att förmedla den motsatta känslan, till exempel om musiken är glad och lättsam medan en våldtäkt sker i bild. Denna uppsats analyserar i dessa tre analysexempel vad sådan filmmusik kan bidra med för berättarfunktioner och meningspotential i filmexemplens narrativ. Resultaten från analysen visade på att musiken i de tre valda analysexemplen bidrar till ökad reflektion hos publiken och hur detta möjliggör för att anempathetic music kan ses som empathetic mot publiken och deras tolkning av filmscenernas narrativ.

The Music Salon in Falun During the 19th Century

The aim of the project is to examine the music salon in Falun as a part of the mining community and in the historical context of European salon culture. A specifc goal is to develop a deeper understanding about the salon when it comes to education and pedagogic ideas. Of a certain interest is Johan Henrik Munktell’s (1804-1861) education travelling (bildningsresor). Inspired by Mendelssohn’s music salon in Berlin and the early salons in Upp-sala he created his own salon in Grycksbo. A letter collection from J.H. Munktell to his father J.J. Munktell in 1828-30 can be considered a unique historical material, which places the salon in Falun in a continental context of culture, education and industrial pretensions. The results have potential to extend the knowledge of Nordic salon culture and how it has infuenced general pedagogy and music education.