Towards a Conceptual Framework for Exploring and Modelling Expressive Musical Gestures

Abstract This paper reports on a conceptual framework for the analysis and modelling of expressive musical gestures. This framework, called space of possibilities (SoP), is based on crossing the different constraints a player must face when playing his/her instrument. These constraints can be acoustical, biomechanical, and are considered along with the musicians' acquired skills. Such an approach can provide a unified ground for modelling performer–instrument relationships by encompassing different perspectives within a single view. We propose to define this SoP through the review of various computational techniques for expressive gestures: feature-based approaches, dynamic modelling, and segmental modelling. More precisely, we see how the notions of gesture invariance and variability, gesture qualities, and gesture primitives can help structure SoP.