Generating an integrated musical expression with a brain–computer interface

Electroencephalography (EEG) has been used to generate music for over 40 years, but the most recent developments in brain–computer interfaces (BCI) allow greater control and more flexible expression to use new musical instruments via EEG. We developed a real-time musical performance system using BCI technology and sonification techniques to generate chords with organically fluctuating timbre. We aimed to emulate the expressivity of traditional acoustic instruments by adding “non-coded” expressions that were not marked in the score. The BCI part of the system classifies patterns during neural activity while a performer imagines a chord. The sonification part of the system captures non-stationary changes in the brain waves and reflects them in the timbre by additive synthesis. In this paper, we discuss the conceptual design, system development, and the performance of this instrument.