Mari Romarheim Haugen

Ph.D. thesis:

Haugen, Mari Romarheim (2016). Music-Dance. Investigating Rhythm Structures in Brazilian Samba and Norwegian Telespringar Performance. (Ph.D. thesis) University of Oslo, Oslo. (PDF)

Articles and book chapters:

Haugen, Mari Romarheim (2024). Musical Meter as Shape: An Embodied Perspective on Metrical Trajectories and Curves. In: Jensenius, A.R. (eds) Sonic Design. SSD 2022. Current Research in Systematic Musicology, vol 12. Springer, Cham. 

Haugen, Mari Romarheim (2023). An embodied perspective on rhythm in music-dance genres. In W?llner, Clemens & London, Justin (Ed.), Performing Time. Synchrony and Temporal Flow in Music and Dance. Oxford University Press. ISSN 9780192896254.

Mari Romarheim Haugen (2021). Investigating Music-Dance Relationships. A Case Study of Norwegian Telespringar.  Journal of Music Theory, 65(1), 17-38.

Mari Romarheim Haugen and Anne Danielsen (2020). Effect of tempo on relative note durations in a performed samba groove, Journal of New Music Research, (PDF)

Haugen, Mari Romarheim (2016). Investigating Periodic Body Motions as a Tacit Reference Structure in Norwegian Telespringar Performance. Empirical Musicology Review, 11(3¨C4), 272¨C294. (PDF)

Haugen, Mari Romarheim (2017). Investigating Musical Meter as Shape: Two Case Studies of Brazilian Samba and Norwegian Telelspringar. In Edith Van Dyck (ed.),  Proceedings of the 25th Anniversary Conference of the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music. IPEM, University of Ghent, Belgium.  pp. 67¨C74. (PDF)

Haugen, Mari Romarheim and God?y, Rolf Inge (2014). Rhythmical Structures in Music and Body Movement in Samba Performance, In Moo Kyoung Song (ed.),  Proceedings of the ICMPC-APSCOM 2014 Joint Conference. College of Music, Yonsei University.  pp. 46¨C52. (PDF)

• Haugen, Mari Romarheim (2024). Musical Meter as Shape: An Embodied Perspective on Metrical Trajectories and Curves. In Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (Eds.), Sonic Design: Explorations Between Art and Science. Springer Nature. ISSN 978-3-031-57892-2. p. 37¨C48. doi: https:/doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-57892-2_3. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This edited volume is based on a selection of contributions at an international seminar organized in May 2022 to celebrate the achievements of Professor God?y upon his retirement from the University of Oslo. The 17 chapters cover different approaches to sonic design practice and theory, giving readers historical backdrops and an overview of the current state of both artistic and scientific research in the field.

• Danielsen, Anne; Br?vig, Ragnhild; B?hler, Kjetil Klette; C?mara, Guilherme Schmidt; Haugen, Mari Romarheim & Jacobsen, Eirik [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2024). There¡¯s More to Timing than Time: Investigating Musical Microrhythm Across Disciplines and Cultures. Music Perception. ISSN 0730-7829. 41(3), p. 176¨C198. doi: 10.1525/mp.2024.41.3.176. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The TIME project: Timing and Sound in Musical Microrhythm (2017¨C2022) studied microrhythm; that is, how dynamic envelope, timbre, and center frequency, as well as the microtiming of a variety of sounds, affect their perceived rhythmic properties. The project involved theoretical work regarding the basic aspects of microrhythm; experimental studies of microrhythm perception, exploring both stimulus features and the participants¡¯ enculturated expertise; observational studies of how musicians produce particular microrhythms; and ethnographic studies of musicians¡¯ descriptions of microrhythm. Collectively, we show that: (a) altering the microstructure of a sound (¡°what¡± the sound is) changes its perceived temporal location (¡°when¡± it occurs), (b) there are systematic effects of core acoustic factors (duration, attack) on microrhythmic perception, (c) microrhythmic features in longer and more complex sounds can give rise to different perceptions of the same sound, and (d) musicians are highly aware of microrhythms and have developed vocabularies for describing them. In addition, our results shed light on conflicting results regarding the effect of microtiming on the ¡°grooviness¡± of a rhythm. Our use of multiple, interdisciplinary methodologies enabled us to uncover the complexity of microrhythm perception and production in both laboratory and real-world musical contexts.

• Haugen, Mari Romarheim; C?mara, Guilherme Schmidt; Nymoen, Kristian & Danielsen, Anne (2023). Instructed timing and body posture in guitar and bass playing in groove performance. Musicae Scientiae. ISSN 1029-8649. doi: 10.1177/10298649231182039. Full text in Research Archive
• C?mara, Guilherme Schmidt; Sioros, George; Nymoen, Kristian; Haugen, Mari Romarheim & Danielsen, Anne (2023). Sound-producing actions in guitar performance of groove-based microrhythm. Empirical Musicology Review. ISSN 1559-5749. 18(1), p. 21¨C36. doi: 10.18061/emr.v18i1.9124. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper reports on an experiment that investigated how guitarists signal the intended timing of a rhythmic event in a groove-based context via three different features related to sound-producing motions of impulsive chord strokes (striking velocity, movement duration and fretboard position). 21 expert electric guitarists were instructed to perform a simple rhythmic pattern in three different timing styles¡ª¡°laidback,¡± ¡°on-the-beat,¡± and ¡°pushed¡±¡ªin tandem with a metronome. Results revealed systematic differences across participants in the striking velocity and movement duration of chords in the different timing styles. In general, laid-back strokes were played with lower striking velocity and longer movement duration relative to on-the-beat and pushed strokes. No differences in the fretboard striking position were found (neither closer to the ¡°bridge¡± [bottom] or to the ¡°neck¡± [head]). Correlations with previously reported audio features of the guitar strokes were also investigated, where lower velocity and longer movement duration generally corresponded with longer acoustic attack duration (signal onset to offset).

• Haugen, Mari Romarheim (2023). An embodied perspective on rhythm in music-dance genres. In W?llner, Clemens & London, Justin (Ed.), Performing Time. Synchrony and Temporal Flow in Music and Dance. Oxford University Press. ISSN 9780192896254.
• Haugen, Mari Romarheim (2021). Investigating Music-Dance Relationships. A Case Study of Norwegian Telespringar. Journal of music theory. ISSN 0022-2909. 65(1), p. 17¨C38. doi: 10.1215/00222909-9124714. Show summary

  This article studies the rhythm of Norwegian telespringar, a tradition with an intimate relationship between music and dance that features a nonisochronous meter; that is, the durations between adjacent beats are unequal. A motion-capture study of a fiddler and dance couple revealed a long-medium-short duration pattern at the beat level in both the fiddler's and the dancers' periodic movements. The results also revealed a correspondence between how the fiddler and the dancers executed the motion patterns. This correspondence suggests that the performers share a common understanding of the underlying ¡°feel¡± of the music. The results are discussed in light of recent theoretical perspectives on the multimodality of human perception. It is argued that the special feel of telespringar derives from embodied sensations related to the dance and how music and dance have developed in tandem over time. The study advocates a holistic view of music and dance, the importance of insider experience, and the role of embodied experience in guiding our understanding of the music as such.

• Haugen, Mari Romarheim & Danielsen, Anne (2020). Effect of tempo on relative note durations in a performed samba groove. Journal of New Music Research. ISSN 0929-8215. doi: 10.1080/09298215.2020.1767655. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Previous studies have revealed uneven duration patterns at the sixteenth note level of samba. In the present study, we investigated the influence of tempo on such sixteenth-note patterns in a performed samba groove.The results revealed an uneven duration pattern in all tempi. Interestingly, the shortest note becomes relatively shorter and the longest relatively longer as the tempo increases. We suggest that the differences in relative durations between tempi reflect the need to maintain the samba sixteenth note ¡®template¡¯ in all tempi: producing the samba ¡®feel¡¯ requires that relative durations have to be adjusted to tempo.

• Haugen, Mari Romarheim (2017). Investigating Musical Meter as Shape: Two Case Studies of Brazilian Samba and Norwegian Telespringar. In Van Dyck, Edith (Eds.), Proceedings of the 25th Anniversary Conference of the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music. IPEM, University of Ghent, Belgium. p. 67¨C74. doi: 10.18061/emr.v11i3-4.5029. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The perception of musical meter is fundamental for rhythm production and perception in much music. Underlying structures such as pulse, meter, and metrical subdivisions are often described as successive points in time. This paper investigates whether experienced musical meter may not only include such points in time, but also trajectories between the points¨Cthat is, metrical shapes. Previous studies have pointed out that there seems to be a relationship between musical meter and periodic body motion like foot tapping, head nodding and dancing. This paper investigates musical meter in music styles with an intimate relationship with dance, and whether metrical points and trajectories can be understood by investigating performers¡¯ periodic body motion. Two motion capture studies form the empirical basis of this paper; first, a percussionist and a dancer performing Brazilian samba; second, a fiddler and two dancers performing Norwegian telespringar. The analysis showed that it seemed to be a relationship between the periodic fluctuation in audio amplitude and the performers¡¯ periodic foot motion on sixteenth note level in samba. Furthermore, motion analysis revealed similar periodic shapes in both percussionist and dancer foot motion. In telespringar there seemed to be a relationship between the metrical beat level and the fiddler¡¯s foot stamping. In addition, the beat duration pattern, as indicated by the fiddler¡¯s periodic foot stamping, seemed to correspond to the shape of the dancers¡¯ vertical body motion. The results support the view that there is a close relationship between musical meter and performers¡¯ periodic body motion. This suggest that the underlying meter may not only include metrical points in time, but that each metrical beat/subdivision duration has a corresponding metrical trajectory with a certain shape. If this is the case, then perceivers¡¯ and performers¡¯ implicit knowledge of the underlying reference structure in samba and telespringar might incorporate knowledge about the underlying metrical shape.

• Haugen, Mari Romarheim (2016). Investigating Periodic Body Motions as a Tacit Reference Structure in Norwegian Telespringar Performance . Empirical Musicology Review. ISSN 1559-5749. 11(3-4), p. 272¨C294. doi: 10.18061/emr.v11i3-4.5029. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The pulse level in music is often described as a series of isochronous beats that provides an underlying reference structure against which we perceive rhythmic patterns. This notion is challenged by music styles that seem to feature an underlying reference structure that consists of beats of uneven duration, such as certain traditional Scandinavian dance music genres in so-called asymmetrical meter. This study investigates periodic body motion as a reference structure in a specific style of traditional Norwegian dance music called telespringar. The intimate relationship between music and motion is often highlighted in rhythm studies of telespringar, so this study encompasses both sound and motion analyses. It is based on a motion capture study of three telespringar performers; one fiddler and two dancers. Motion analysis of the fiddler's foot stamping indicates a stable long¨Cmedium¨Cshort duration pattern at beat level. Motion analysis of the dancers' vertical motion of the hips revealed a periodic pattern in synchrony with the beat duration pattern determined by the fiddler's foot stamping. This result implies that the underlying rhythmic structures in telespringar depend upon a shared and embodied knowledge of the underlying asymmetrical reference structure that is implicit in the production and perception of telespringar.

• Haugen, Mari Romarheim & Nymoen, Kristian (2016). Evaluating Input Devices for Dance Research. In Kronland-Martinet, Richard; Aramaki, Mitsuko & Ystad, S?lvi (Ed.), Music, Mind, and Embodiment :11th International Symposium, CMMR 2015, Plymouth, UK, June 16-19, 2015, Revised Selected Papers . Springer. ISSN 978-3-319-46281-3. p. 58¨C70. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-46282-0. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Recording music-related motions in ecologically valid situations can be challenging. We investigate the performance of three devices providing 3D acceleration data, namely Axivity AX3, iPhone 4s and a Wii controller tracking rhythmic motions. The devices are benchmarked against an infrared motion capture system, tested on both simple and complex music-related body motions, and evaluations are presented of the data quality and suitability for tracking music-related motions in real-world situations. The various systems represent different trade-offs with respect to data quality, user interface and physical attributes.

• God?y, Rolf Inge; Song, Min-Ho; Nymoen, Kristian; Haugen, Mari Romarheim & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2016). Exploring Sound-Motion Similarity in Musical Experience. Journal of New Music Research. ISSN 0929-8215. 45(3), p. 210¨C222. doi: 10.1080/09298215.2016.1184689. Show summary

  People tend to perceive many and also salient similarities between musical sound and body motion in musical experience, as can be seen in countless situations of music performance or listening to music, and as has been documented by a number of studies in the past couple of decades. The so-called motor theory of perception has claimed that these similarity relationships are deeply rooted in human cognitive faculties, and that people perceive and make sense of what they hear by mentally simulating the body motion thought to be involved in the making of sound. In this paper, we survey some basic theories of sound-motion similarity in music, and in particular the motor theory perspective. We also present findings regarding sound-motion similarity in musical performance, in dance, in so-called sound-tracing (the spontaneous body motions people produce in tandem with musical sound), and in sonification, all in view of providing a broad basis for understanding sound-motion similarity in music.

• Haugen, Mari Romarheim (2015). Asymmetrical meter in Scandinavian folk music and dance - A case study of Norwegian Telespringar, Proceedings of the Ninth Triennial Conference of the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music (ESCOM). Royal Northern College of Music. p. 432¨C436. Full text in Research Archive
• Haugen, Mari Romarheim & Nymoen, Kristian (2015).