How clarinettists vary amplitude, frequency, spectral features and microtiming to play music expressively

Nine experienced clarinettists were asked to produce a range of ‘expressive goals’ (EGs, related to emotions) through different performances of a set of melodies. Several performance features were analysed, including features concerned with rarely investigated aspects of the sustain portion of a note (SPOAN). In comparison to other EGs, Angry was played loud, maximum amplitude of SPOAN arriving early, and with a steep attack slope; Deadpan: with small amplitude variations of SPOAN; Expressive: with slow tempo, amplitude peak early in SPOAN; Fearful: with low amplitude and with large variations in SPOAN; Happy: with fast tempo, large amplitude variation in SPOAN; and, Sad: with slow tempo, maximum amplitude toward end of SPOAN, and slow attack. Within the anatomy of a note, attack slope, and amplitude related features (time of the peak in the envelope of SPOAN, envelope variability and curvature) are all varied considerably for different EGs, demonstrating how players of an instrument with sustained notes manipulate these features of individual notes, in addition to other features such as tempo and loudness, to communicate EGs.