- Researchers have successfully composed music using only the power of thought
- An adapted brain-computer interface let participants write melodies by thinking
- This could allow the physically disabled to express themselves through music
Researchers have discovered how to compose music and transfer it into a musical score using only the power of thought.
The team tapped into a brain-computer interface (BCI) – which can replace some bodily functions to allow people to control special prostheses via their minds.
With this, they developed a system that allows users to do no more than think to compose melodies from scratch.
According to the researchers, this could provide an opportunity for physically impaired people to express themselves with music.
Researchers have discovered how to compose music and transfer it into a musical score using only the power of thought. The new application was derived from an established BCI method called P300, which is currently used for writing
'20 years ago, the idea of composing a piece of music using the power of the mind was unimaginable,' Gernot Müller-Putz, a BCI expert who led the study for TU Graz's Institute of Neural Engineering, said.
The new application was derived from an established BCI method called P300, which is currently used for writing.
With an adapted version of the BCI, music software called MuseScore, and an EEG cap that measures brain waves, Müller-Putz and his team tested the system with 18 subjects.
In one part of the experiment, they simply copied a given set of letters to test the device,
Then they 'copy-composed,' using the system to recreate pre-written melodies.
Next, they were asked to free-compose and truly 'think' brand new melodies into existence.
How it works
The new application was derived from an established BCI method called P300, which is currently used for writing.
With an adapted version of the BCI, music software, and a cap that measures brain waves, participants created scores by looking at options on a screen and focusing on their selections.
First they selected tone length, followed by pitch.
Sketch of the P300 matrix and the corresponding commands in MuseScore. (a) Screenshot of the black and white P300 stimulation matrix; (b) Screenshot of the MuseScore window
Then other musical notes would flash consecutively, and the subjects were asked to focus on the desired option when it lit up.
This would cause a change and their brainwaves and allow the BCI to recognize the change and draw a conclusion about how to transform the chosen option into part of the musical score.
After an hour and 30 minutes (including breaks), a participant had created a 14-second melody.
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For the copy and free composing, musical notes, pauses, and chords would flash consecutively on a table, and the subjects were asked to focus on the desired option when it lit up.
This would cause a change in their brainwaves and allow the BCI to recognize the change and draw a conclusion about how to transform the chosen option into part of the musical score.
'20 years ago, the idea of composing a piece of music using the power of the mind was unimaginable,' Gernot Müller-Putz (pictured), a BCI expert who led the study for TU Graz's Institute of Neural Engineering, said
The participants – which included late Graz composer and clarinettist Franz Cibulka – all had basic knowledge of music composition and had previously played musical instruments.
In a video showing the process, you can see a participant begin by selecting tone length.
Next, the person selects pitch.
Other possible selections included dot, tie, cord, pause, +/- note, +/- bar, and more.
In one part of the experiment, they simply copied a given set of letters to test the device, Then they 'copy-composed,' using the system to recreate pre-written melodies. Next, they were asked to free-compose and truly 'think' brand new melodies into existence.
After an hour and 30 minutes (including breaks), the participant had created a 14-second melody.
'The results of the BCI compositions can really be heard, and most importantly, the subjects enjoyed it,' Müller-Putz said.
Everyone in the experiment was of good physical health.
'The very positive results of the study with bodily healthy test persons are the first step in a possible expansion of the BCI composition to patients,' he said.
While Müller-Putz said 'we still need a bit more time before BCI is mature enough for daily applications,' he also stated this feat was 'unimaginable' not long ago
Watch video at Daily Mail UK: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4874522/Brain-computer-composes-music-reading-people-s-minds.html