aRio de Janeiro Federal University
bBiomedical Engineering Program, Rio de Janeiro Federal University
Abstract :
The heart beat is a central timing reference in life and in music.
Several composers and players along history have mentioned
the heart rate as a measure for the musical pulse. On the other
hand, it is known that listening and playing music affects the
heart beat frequency. besides other physiological signals. The
purpose of this project consists of building a device that detects,
measures and replicates a subject's heart beat and makes it
available for musical research and performance. The Kora-Som
system employs a commercial heart rate sensor, widely used in
sports. The data from this meter are received and decoded by
a remote sensor, connected to an arduino and a portable
computer. A piece of software generates and plays sounds
from wavetables, melodic sequences, midi files and other
formats and protocols. A player may litterally play with his/her
own heart, what opens a large range of composing and
improvising fields. A whole musical group is able to play to/with
a certain listener, such as a health patient, in a very touching
and stimulating situation. All timing and performing data is
recorded and made available for eventual processing and
evaluation.