Synchronization of intonation adjustments in violin duets: towards an objective evaluation of musical interaction
In ensemble music performance, such as a string quartet or duet, the musicians interact and influence each other’s performance via a multitude of parameters – including tempo, dynamics, articulation of musical phrases and, depending on the type of instrument, intonation. This paper presents our ongoing research on the effect of interaction between violinists, in terms of intonation. We base our analysis on a series of experiments with professional as well as amateur musicians playing in duet and solo experimental set-ups, and then apply a series of interdependence measures on each violinist’s pitch deviations from the score. Our results show that while it is possible to, solely based on intonation, distinguish between solo and duet performances for simple cases, there is a multitude of underlying factors that need to be analyzed before these techniques can be applied to more complex pieces and/or non-experimental situations.