A practical approach to music theory on the Reactable

With the name “interactive music production systems” we identify those systems for music production, either musical instruments or other musical tools, based on computers, having most different interfaces, and requiring interaction with one or more users in order to fulfil their purpose. This is a rather general description that includes many different systems, from electronic musical instruments to sequencing and composition tools. The work hereafter presented is focused on electronic musical instruments based on tabletop and tangible interaction paradigms, using the Reactable as a case study and development platform.
In Chapter 1 we’ll see the concept of audiovisual performance and we’ll have a brief survey about systems that have been designed throughout history for this kind of performance, from early experiments to modern times, ending with a quick yet not too shallow description of the Reactable itself and its interaction paradigms. We’ll also detail the motivations for this original work and we’ll see a perspective on music education, and formulate an hypothesis about how the Reactable, together with the work here presented, may offer valuable help in the field.
Chapter 2 details the original work presented in this thesis. In this chapter we shall see all the iterations of the design process, from the first rough ideas to the final proposal, ready for assessment. We’ll go through each step in the process, explaining in great de- tail how every single idea was conceived, evaluated and eventually included in the final proposal, or rejected.
Chapter 3 will present the demo application that was developed, also describing implementation details and practical choices.
Finally, in Chapter 4 we’ll examine results and findings, as well as a number of future development proposals, both regarding enhancement that the implementation may include, and regarding music education and the use that can be made of this work by people with disabilities.