Music for Solo Performer

January 16, 2017
|In CHAPTER 3: Neuro-Modulating the Neural Material Substrate
|By

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Alvin Lucier collaborated with a physicist Edward Dewan in 1965 to create Music for Solo Performer. Lucier sat on a chair, eyes closed, whilst his brainwaves were recorded. His brainwaves were then amplified and wired to various different speakers. As the amplified alpha rhythm was below the human audible range, the loudspeakers were put ‘right up against’ various percussion instruments, which were then activated by means of vibration. “While Lucier attempted to refrain from mental activity, percussion sounds slowly started to fill the room, which were suddenly disrupted when he opened his eyes, engaged in mental exercise, or when his attention was drawn towards sounds from the audience.”1 Lucier’s work Music for Solo Performer was also performed by Steffi Weismann in 2010:

 

  1. Kahn, 2013