Introduction : what is embodied music interaction?

This chapter discusses the major trends in our current understanding of human–music interaction. These trends can be identified along three axes of scientific understanding, called "clarification", "evidence", and "modeling". Music research addresses dynamic constraints, meaning formation, and social aspects by focusing on bottom-up and top-down flows, as well as human–music flows. Gathering empirical evidence is a primary characteristic of modern music research, and reliable knowledge forms the cornerstone of the instrumental power of our understanding. Modeling offers an instrumental understanding of embodied music interactions, and this understanding paves the way for applications that may have a practical impact in the domain of study. This chapter also presents key concepts discussed in the book. The book outlines the dynamical perspective on embodied music interaction, focusing on the particular tension between sensorimotor principles and their potential to shape musical experiences and meanings