The Musical-Mathematical Mind: The Mechanics of Tipping Points

Now in print, this chapter on The Mechanics of Tipping Points in The Musical-Mathematical Mind is based on a lecture given at the International Congress on Mathematics and Music, which took place 26-29 November 2014 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  I was unable to attend due to visa delays, and instead made the video below.  This book chapter was the first paper authored on tipping points, although it was preceded in print by another one in Music Perception.

Elaine Chew International Congress on Music and Mathematics Guest Lecture on Vimeo.

Reference:

Chew, E. (2017). The Mechanics of Tipping Points: A Case of Extreme Elasticity in Expressive Timing. In G. Pareyon, S. Pina-Romero, O. A. Agustin-Aquino, E. Lluis-Puebla (eds.): The Musical-Mathematical Mind – Patterns and Transformation, pp. 79-88, Computational Music Science, Cham: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-47337-6_9.

Abstract:

Tipping points are an observable and experienced natural phenomenon that has been invoked metaphorically across various domains external to physics. This article introduces the tipping point analogy for musical timing, and presents three case studies illustrating the concept. Quantitative data from recorded performances presented in score-time graphs support the illustrations. The examples show how musicians employ tipping points in performance, and demonstrate how tipping points play on the listener’s expectations to elicit emotion. Tipping points form principal tools for the performer’s choreography of expectation; the pervasiveness of tipping points in human experience make them an important strategy also for ensemble coordination.




About the Book (Source: Springer)

This book presents a deep spectrum of musical, mathematical, physical, and philosophical perspectives that have emerged in this field at the intersection of music and mathematics. In particular the contributed chapters introduce advanced techniques and concepts from modern mathematics and physics, deriving from successes in domains such as Topos theory and physical string theory. The authors include many of the leading researchers in this domain, and the book will be of value to researchers working in computational music, particularly in the areas of counterpoint, gesture, and Topos theory.