Studying Performances with Digital Musical Instruments: A Case Study of Ritual, a Piece for Solo Karlax

This chapter discusses ways to study sonic design from the perspective of musical performances with Digital Musical Instruments (DMIs). We first review the specificities of DMIs in terms of their unique affordances and limitations and comment on instrument availability, longevity, and stability issues, which impact the use of DMIs in musical practice. We then focus on the Karlax, a commercial device used in several musical performances for over a decade. We present an analysis of excerpts from three performances of D. Andrew Stewart’s piece Ritual for solo Karlax, discussing the variability of performers’ gestures and the musical choices made. We conclude by suggesting practice exercises to develop performance techniques with the Karlax and discussing musical composition and performance issues with DMIs.