Improving the instrumental learning experience through complexity management

Laurel S. Pardue, Andrew McPherson, Dan Overholt

Research output: Contribution to book/anthology/report/conference proceedingArticle in proceedingResearchpeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This position paper introduces the concept of complexity management in instrument design as a means to optimize the learning rewards cycle in an effort to maintain player motivation. Successful fluency and expertise on an instrument requires sustained practice. In the quest to enable exceptional levels of expression, instruments designed for virtuosic performance often have a high level of complexity, which can be overwhelming for a beginner, decreasing practice motivation. Here we explain complexity management, the idea of intentionally limiting instrument complexity on a temporary basis so that instrument difficulty is optimally matched to user skill and users always remain capable of focused learning and enjoy sufficient musical success to motivate continued practice. We discuss the relevance of Csikszentmihalyi's ideas about flow, along with concepts from traditional music learning, such as chunking and internalization, along with the importance of practice and enjoyment. We then propose our own concept of learning efficiency and the importance of controlling challenge. Finally, we introduce our own experiments into complexity management using the violin, an existing example of an instrument with high input complexity. We discuss the effects of simplifying intonation in order to make early musical success easier along with plans for further investigations.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 15th Sound and Music Computing Conference : Sonic Crossings, SMC 2018
EditorsAnastasia Georgaki, Areti Andreopoulou
Number of pages8
PublisherSound and Music Computing Network
Publication date2018
Pages150-157
ISBN (Electronic)9789963697304
Publication statusPublished - 2018
Event15th Sound and Music Computing Conference, SMC 2018 - Limassol, Cyprus
Duration: 4 Jul 20187 Jul 2018

Conference

Conference15th Sound and Music Computing Conference, SMC 2018
Country/TerritoryCyprus
CityLimassol
Period04/07/201807/07/2018
SeriesProceedings of the 15th Sound and Music Computing Conference: Sonic Crossings, SMC 2018

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by EPSRC under grant EP/N005112/1.

Publisher Copyright:
© Proceedings of the 15th Sound and Music Computing Conference: Sonic Crossings, SMC 2018. All rights reserved.

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