Mirror neurons: Imitation and emulation in piano performance

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Mirror neurons: Imitation and emulation in piano performance"

Silvester Pearson
5 years ago
Views:

1 International Symposium on Performance Science ISBN The Author 2013, Published by the AEC All rights reserved Mirror neurons: Imitation and emulation in piano performance Cristine MacKie Department of Music, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK Research in performance science has grown considerably during the last ten years. But despite the potential for this field to inform educational and professional practice across the arts, its application in the field of piano performance has been largely neglected. This neglect is not surprising, since the area is steeped in traditional methods of performance practice, and suffers also from a mind/body dualism. The pilot study described in this paper will suggest that skilled pianism cannot be achieved exclusively by pursuing the traditional route, in which the student and the teacher sit side by side throughout the piano lesson. It may be better achieved by including some collaboration with other disciplines such as musical analysis, neuroscience, and dance. Keywords: mirror neurons; piano performance; musical analysis; choreography; ballet Recent research by the neuroscientist Rizzolatti, amongst others, shows that mirror neurons in the brain respond not only when a subject performs a given action, but more significantly when the subject observes someone else performing the same action. This study was designed as a preliminary test of the relevance of this idea to musical performance. In it a pianist, a music analyst, a choreographer, and two dancers from the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, collaborated in assisting the pianist to control the pacing of the ebb and flow of Clair de lune by Debussy through imitation and emulation of the dancers movements. The study which spanned a three hour period began with the analyst who provided the musical template for discussions with the pianist and the choreographer. At the end of the final performance, seven delegates who attended the workshop at the London International Piano Symposium (London, February 2013) were asked to assess whether or not there was any

2 818 notable improvement in the pianist s control of the pacing of the piece through the imitation and emulation of the dancers movements. MAIN CONTRIBUTION How do mirror neurons mediate understanding of actions performed by others? Rizzolatti and Craighero (2004) suggest that: The proposed mechanism is rather simple. Each time an individual sees an action done by another individual, neurons that represent that action are activated in the observer s premotor cortex. This automatically induced motor representation of the observed action corresponds to that which is spontaneously generated during active action and whose outcome is known to the acting individual. [In this way], the mirror system transforms visual information into knowledge (p. 172). Their evidence is based on examinations of the ventral premotor area of the frontal lobes of monkeys, where they found that certain neurons in the macaque premotor cortex will fire when the monkey performs a specific action with its hand such as grasping or putting food in its mouth. In 2006, Rizzolatti observed that in humans, as opposed to monkeys, the mirror neuron system codes transitive and intransitive acts and keeps precise track of the temporal aspects of the acts observed (p. 150). From this evidence it may be viable to assume that humans with their superior motor repertoire have greater potential for imitation, and above all for learning by imitation (Rizzolatti 2006, p. 150). This research underpins, in part, the approach taken in the study described here. In this pilot study, the pianist and the dancers each required a template to work from. The inherent problem for the pianist in performing Clair de lune is twofold: first, it is divided into different sections with seemingly unconnected material in each; second, Debussy s temporal instructions need some clarification so that the tempo is controlled without arbitrary fluctuations from one section to the next. With these issues in mind, the first analysis exposes the musical line, and the second presents a pitchless representation of Debussy s notation of the rhythm, which paces the ebb and flow from one section to the next. At the same time the choreographer designed the movement template for the dancers after listening to recordings of the piece by other performers.

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON PERFORMANCE SCIENCE 819 First analysis: Exposing the musical line Throughout Clair de lune, Debussy employs the scale of Db major, either in full or in part, in ascending

3 INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON PERFORMANCE SCIENCE 819 First analysis: Exposing the musical line Throughout Clair de lune, Debussy employs the scale of Db major, either in full or in part, in ascending or descending form. This technique enables the musical line to connect one section to the next in a coherent way, as we shall see. For example (see Figure 1), in bars 1-14 Debussy uses a single descending scale of Db in the treble clef in full, or in part, and again in bars where the same scale is artfully embedded in the triple octaves. In bars 19-27, the same scale ascends in octaves in the bass from Ab (with an added A natural in bar 20), before closing on the tonic Db in bar 26. The analysis of bars exposes also a descending scale in the bass, which shows Debussy s continuing dependence on scale patterns to produce the musical line, which otherwise would be too fragmented. Figure 1. First analysis.

4 820 Second analysis: Connecting the sections With the musical line established it remains to understand Debussy s temporal instructions which appear at the beginning of each section. Clarifying the meaning of these instructions is essential if the piece is to cohere from one section to the next. For example, the opening of section 2 is marked tempo rubato. There is no evidence of Debussy s own views on tempo, but historical evidence is provided by the American pianist Robert Schmitz (1966), who was both a colleague and a life-long friend. He writes that understanding tempo is essential when interpreting Debussy s music, for an overabundance of rubato, or arbitrary fluctuations in tempo, has long been current (p. 38). He notes appositely, what is needed is a basic tempo, which is exact for each succeeding section or break in texture, determined by Debussy s indications (p. 38). This evidence helps to underpin the view here that the piece should be performed without an abundance of rubato, or arbitrary fluctuations in tempo. On this basis, the author extracted the rhythm (see Figure 2), represented by a single headless note on Bb in the bars on each side of the sections, to show that Debussy s rhythmic notation allows for increases or decreases of movement without altering the tempo. For example, in bar 14 (see Figure 2a), Debussy uses duplets on the second and third beat of the bar to give a sense of a small ritenuto. He continues writing a duplet on the first beat of bar 15 (see Figure 2a) in the second section marked tempo rubato and then writes triplets on the second and third 2a 2b 2c 2d Figure 2. Second analysis.

5 INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON PERFORMANCE SCIENCE 821 beats to give a sense of an increase in the movement without having to increase the tempo. Between sections 2 and 3 (see Figure 2b) a subtle ritenuto is built into the rhythmic notation which is underpinned also by the expression dim molto. This tempo may be sustained through the beginning of the third section (bar 27) marked un poco mosso, and may remain so until bars where a nuanced accelerando in the tempo is indicated by the crescendo (see Figure 1). Thereafter, a subtle increase in the tempo may continue to be applied until bar 42 where a diminuendo suggests slowing down using the rhythm of the left hand semiquavers to smoothly connect to the semiquavers at bar 43 marked calmato at the beginning of section 4 (bar 43). Through bar 50 the performer may hear the opening triplets of bar 1 against the semiquavers to link the tempo smoothly into section 5 (see Figure 2d, bar 51) and establish a tempo 1 as marked. With the musical line revealed in the first analysis, and the suggestion in the second that the increase and decreases of the tempo between the sections should be imperceptible, the template is ready for the pianist to rework their performance. The collaboration In the first meeting the pianist and the dancers met for one hour to rehearse their movements to the accompaniment of Clair de lune played by the pianist in the traditional way. During the final workshop of two hours duration, the pianist, the analyst, the choreographer, and the dancers met again to discuss the findings of the analysis. This showed that the tempo, which is exact for each succeeding section (Schmitz 1966, p. 38) should be maintained throughout, albeit with subtle alterations. This produced some tensions in the discussion between the analyst and the choreographer, who had visualized the development of the movements of the pas de deux against recordings of Clair de lune by other performers, which he considered were interpreted with greater feeling but, as was pointed out by the analyst, had little regard for Debussy s temporal intentions. A consensus was eventually reached between the pianist, the analyst, and the choreographer, and they agreed that an overabundance of rubato, or arbitrary fluctuations in tempo, did indeed reduce the sense of coherence throughout the piece. The rehearsal was limited to two hours, during which time the pianist attempted to control her own pacing of the ebb and flow of Clair de lune through imitation and emulation of the dancers movements as they practiced connecting one section to the next with subtle fluctuations only in the tempo. The study concluded with an uninterrupted performance of the whole piece and at the end the audience of delegates was clearly moved and gave raptur-

6 822 ous applause. However, two weeks later, when seven delegates were asked to give their views, four found an improvement in the pianist s performance and three did not address the question at all. The pianist observed that the challenge for me is to be able to be fully aware of what the dancers are doing, rather than sticking to my own playing, which was the audience s criticism as well. This pilot study has suggested that the pianist might learn to control the pacing of the ebb and flow of Clair de lune from one section to the next through imitation and emulation of the dancers movements. While the analyses and the historical evidence provide some useful insights apropos the pacing of the ebb and flow from one section to another, it is difficult say whether or not the pianist developed a greater control of the pacing of the ebb and flow between the sections through imitation and emulation of the dancers movements, since the responses by the participants were too subjective, and in some cases the question was not fully understood. This inconclusive result suggests the necessity for applying more appropriate performance assessment criteria in the future. IMPLICATIONS In the domain of sport, applied research has long informed its practitioners by collaborating with other disciplines in order to develop innovative methods which will enhance their performance. Until now, this has not been the case in musical performance, however change is afoot and collaboration between different disciplines is being positively encouraged. Furthermore, software is becoming available which may make it possible to deliver a more quantifiable result in the future. Address for correspondence Cristine MacKie, 25a Deodar Road, London SW15 2NP, UK; mackie_cristine@ hotmail.com References Rizzolatti G. and Craighero L. (2004). Mirror neuron systems. Annual Review of. Neuroscience, 27, pp Rizzolatti G. (2006). Mirrors in the Brain. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Schmitz R. (1966). The Piano Works of Debussy. New York: Dover Publishers, Inc.

Instrumental Performance Band 7. Fine Arts Curriculum Framework

Instrumental Performance Band 7 Fine Arts Curriculum Framework Content Standard 1: Skills and Techniques Students shall demonstrate and apply the essential skills and techniques to produce music. M.1.7.1