A Live Performance Rule System informed by Irish Traditional Dance Music

This paper describes ongoing work in programming a live performance system for interpreting melodies in ways that mimic Irish traditional dance music practice, and that allows plug and play human interaction. Existing performance systems are almost exclusively aimed at piano performance and classical music, and none are aimed specifically at traditional music. We develop a rule-based approach using expert knowledge that converts a melody into control parameters to synthesize an expressive MIDI performance, focusing on ornamentation, dynamics and subtle time deviation. Furthermore, we make the system controllable (e.g., via knobs or expression pedals) such that it can be controlled in real time by a musician. Our preliminary evaluations show the system can render expressive performances mimicking traditional practice, and allows for engaging with Irish traditional dance music in new ways. We provide several examples online.