PRIME Gesture Recognition
New paradigms for the interaction between Paetzold recorder players and machines in live electronic music
Simone Conforti and Angelika Güsewell
“PRIME 2012-2014 Gesture Recognition applied to the Paetzold recorder” is a research project realized at HEMU (Haute École de Musique Vaud Valais Fribourg) that deals with gesture-tracking as applied to this specific family of square recorders.
The main aim of the project was twofold: studying bodily movements of Paetzold players in order to develop a technology able to track gestures and to control the sound processes derived from this interaction in real time and by means of these very gestures; and understanding the musical meanings that can be inferred from this kind of relationship in terms of music creation.
To achieve these overall aims, PRIME Gesture Recognition has not only focused on gesture analysis, but has also featured a compositional sub-project: during its second year, the project was extended to a collaboration between the research group and six young composers who had the opportunity to write a series of pieces for the PRIME Recorder Ensemble.
The project culminated in the realization of a prototypical sensor system using selected electronic devices that can be implemented on any Paetzold, and of a set of software tools able to interact with the data derived from these sensors.
