Brain-Computer Music Interfacing: Interdisciplinary Research at the Crossroads of Music, Science and Biomedical Engineering

Abstract

Research into Brain-Computer Music Interfacing (BCMI) involves three major challenges: the extraction of meaningful control information from signals emanating from the brain, the design of generative music techniques that respond to such information and the definition of ways in which such technology can effectively improve the lives of people with special needs and address therapeutic needs. This chapter discussed the first two challenges, in particularly the music technology side of BCMI research, which has been largely overlooked by colleagues working in this field. After a brief historical account of the field, the author reviews the pioneering research into BCMI that has been developed at Plymouth University’s Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research (ICCMR) within the last decade or so. The chapter introduces examples illustrating ICCMR’s developments and glances at current work informed by cognitive experiments.