Y3 | Timbre Semantics
Timbre Semantics
Y3 | Workgroup Summary
15 July 2021
11:30-13:00 EDT
Via Zoom
Workgroup Leaders:
C. Traube (Université de Montréal), Z. Wallmark (University of Oregon)
Aims:
1. to update attendees on various individual projects related to timbre semantics,
2. to discuss three ongoing projects in more depth and request new research contributions
3. to discuss “Timbre Lingo” contributions, including the CORE project related terminology
4. to develop new projects and outputs from the research
5. to discuss a modus operandi for the activities and interactions within the workgroup throughout the year.
Preamble
Prior to the workshop session, an online survey circulated among the workgroup members inquiring about their research interests and activities. Using the data collected in the survey, the content of the workshop was determined and a report, including the descriptions of all the active projects in timbre semantics, was prepared and shared with all the workgroup members, asking them to complete the information. Once it is finalized, the Y3 report for this workgroup, as shared in the repository, will be updated. The Timbre semantics workgroup webpage will be updated as well.
There are 21 active projects in total, and among them about half of the projects involve several ACTOR members.
19 ACTOR members have confirmed that they belong to the Timbre semantics workgroup. We have asked them to submit all the documentation they wish to share about their projects through the new TOR “content submission form”.
Report on the workshop session
The attendance at the workshop was 34.
1. Introductory framing questions:
· What excites you about this topic?
· What types of collaborative potential do you see here?
· Are you looking to partner with someone with a complementary skill set?
· What existing timbre semantics projects would you like to contribute to? How?
· What new research/creative work/outreach ideas do you have? Questions you want to explore?
2. Brief news and project updates
· fMRI study of crossmodality in timbre perception
· SpeaK Web Project: an online tool, free, to create sound lexicons
· Orchestration semantics, timbre-vowel analogies
· Voice timbre semantics
· Description of vocal timbre as influenced by gender perception
· Sound symbolism and vocables in Zambian Luvale
· Semantic description of a piece of music and its relation to perception of musical affect
· Acoustical correlates of felt tension and semantics of tension
· Interview with Martha di Francisco about piano timbre and piano recording
· Study on teaching style in baroque music piano performance
· Piano timbre and gesture semantics
· Semantics of the sinewave
3. Longer presentation and discussion periods dedicated to 3 topics:
· Semantic interactions between timbre and pitch
· Acoustic correlates of timbre semantic associations
· CORE terminology and Timbre Lingo project
3.1. Semantic interactions between timbre and pitch [15’]
Presentation of a project involving 5 ACTOR members in 4 different institutions:
Updated on validated perceptual database of timbre semantics looking at variation in timbre semantics of instruments based on register using 20 dimensions. They found for most of the 20 dimensions, register and instrument had an effect; however, brassy, metallic had no effect.
Ideas, interventions, call for contributions:
New study of oboe and French horn at 3 dynamics at 4 registers, using same 20 dimensions.
Suggestion: creating subgroups and designating leaders.
Was the interaction of pitch on timbre studied as well as that of timbre on pitch? Only the former was assessed.
It would be nice to see how this is discussed in orchestration treatises, conducting content analysis of orchestration treatises. This study was conceived as the first of a series moving towards investigation of interaction between timbre and other parameters.
Cross-Linguistic and Cross-Cultural Research
Compare linguistic groups, cultural groups, etc. Only English-speaking participants have been studied so far.
Looking cross-linguistically and cross-culturally
What do we prioritize? Which things do we dive into first? How do we design experiments to answer questions without being overwhelmed? What’s the most logical and productive order?
So far this has been an exploratory enterprise. Though more exploratory work to be done, we also have enough ground data to start focusing on testing hypotheses and coming up with theories. Start asking how can we be theorizing what’s happening and how can we test these theories with studies?
3.2. Acoustic correlates of timbre semantic associations [20’]
Topic in which we find a critical mass of ACTOR researchers.
Interest was expressed for this topic by a vast majority of workgroup members through the online survey sent prior to the workshop.
3 projects are presented
“Seeing Music” and “Timbre Explorer”: Two “gamified” online projects on timbre perception, timbre semantics, and crossmodal associations involving timbre intended for the general public.
Timbre synthesis in response to semantic prompts: Reverse engineering of standard timbre semantics paradigm, in which participants manipulate a synthesis interface to generate a novel polyphonic sound matching a semantic prompt derived from research on sound mass music.
Navigating noise: Project modeling perceptual correlates of noise-related semantic timbre categories with audio features.
3.3. Timbre Lingo and CORE terminology project
To initiate the discussion of this subject, a synthesis of the survey realized at the beginning of the ACTOR project was presented. This survey asked about the timbre-related terms that researchers from different disciplines have often to explain and terms that they would like to be explained. This synthesis also includes terms included in a document prepared for the CORE seminar:
There’s a powerful unintended gate-keeping function associated with terminology. Shared terminology can help dismantle the inaccessibility of timbre. The need for a three-tiered approach: Entry-level, advanced-level, fully elaborated-level. Next step should have been assessing the clarity and utility of terms, ranking them. This means that more complex terminology would be put aside in order to create a central list of primary terms necessary to define more complex topics. The two seminars were very impactful. The nature of conversations all deepened and improved (between composers, composers and performers, and composers, performers, and improvisors). Continua often seemed to be more useful to composers. Using continua in addition to or instead of pairs. Accessibility of language is very important and will composers/performers, etc. use it?
CORE terminology
Please look at the document on the repository. There is a dialogue in the comment section of the document on how to best define terms.
There is a consensus that we need to develop concrete plans to address terminology.
A survey of timbre terms was created. All members: please fill it out choosing minimum of 3 terms.
Terms will be assigned to groups. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfoE_geHk9JDS_vMgnT2WK9wimx6aDKIpWmvJzgMDNKo3xHTw/viewform?usp=sf_link
A meeting can be organized with all the ACTOR members involved in the definition of timbre and orchestration terms in order to make sure we coordinate our actions across 4 different workgroups:
· CORE workgroup (for CORE-related terminology)
· Taxonomy workgroup (for orchestration-related terminology)
· Acoustics workgroup (as the Dictionary of acoustics project could contribute to the Timbre Lingo project)
· Diversity group (for all the cross-linguistic aspects of timbre semantics)
4. Calls for subgroup leaders and organizers
Considering the amount of activities within this group, an organization in subgroups is proposed.
The first four subjects at the core of the workgroup would be:
1. Interaction between timbre and other sound parameters
2. Cross-modality in timbre perception
3. Timbre semantics and sound synthesis
4. Acoustical correlates of timbre verbal descriptors
Four other subjects are developed in collaboration with other workgroups:
1. CORE related terminology and Timbre Lingo (in collaboration with CORE workgroup)
2. Orchestration semantics and taxonomy (in collaboration with Taxonomy workgroup)
3. Vocal and voice-like instrumental timbre semantics (in collaboration with Voice workgroup)
4. Cross-cultural and cross-linguistic aspects of timbre semantics (in collaboration with Diversity workgroup)
Action Items:
1. An airtable form for TOR submissions has been created. Members working on timbre semantics should submit the form.
2. All members: Continue to pursue the impressive range of projects taking place under the Timbre Semantics umbrella and report to subgroups on progress, calls for collaborators, etc.
3. All members: Please fill out this survey choosing minimum of 3 terms. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfoE_geHk9JDS_vMgnT2WK9wimx6aDKIpWmvJzgMDNKo3xHTw/viewform?usp=sf_link