Can't Stand Standing (Details)
The following provides information about some of the composition techniques which help to communicate certain scientific themes and information related to the study. Further techniques are detailed in a forthcoming thesis.
(WST) ME Group Score -> Overall Duration
The severest ME group had the lowest WST score, at between 0 to 2.57. Can’t Stand Standing uses the WST of 2.57 for the length of the music, being two minutes and fifty-seven seconds in duration. Attributing this data to the duration, forms a link to the music, and as such a low standing score was managed by the affected group, it seeks to therefore raise awareness about the severity of the condition.
Difficulty Rating -> Melodic Series and Shape
During the study, participants were asked to stand for up to 20 minutes. The effect of doing so were measured at 2-minute intervals. A standing difficulty rating was created and the standing time (0 – 20 minutes) was weighted against a subjective standing difficulty score, the maximum being 14. The result is a Weighted Standing Time (WST) figure.
The following equation describes the calculation:
Weighted standing time (WST) = Time Standing (mins) x (1 – (difficulty/14))
Weighted standing time (WST) = Time Standing (mins) x (1 – (difficulty/14))
The severest ME group had the lowest WST score, at between 0 to 2.57. Can’t Stand Standing uses the WST of 2.57 for the length of the music, being two minutes and fifty-seven seconds in duration. Attributing this data to the duration, forms a link to the music, and as such a low standing score was managed by the affected group, it seeks to therefore raise awareness about the severity of the condition.
Difficulty Rating -> Melodic Series and Shape
As well as highlighting the WST, the music also aims to communicate the experiences of the ME group’s attempt at the standing task. This was recorded during the study, as a difficulty score. Lidbury et al. (2019, p.3) specify:
“The standing difficulty scale ranges from 0 (no difficulty standing during 20 min upright) to 10 (extreme difficulty to maintain an upright stance). If the participant was not able to stand for at least 10 min, they were given a standing difficult score of 14.”
Once again, to highlight the severity of the condition, a data-music link was created. The figure of 14 was attributed to the number of notes to be used for a melodic theme.
There are also various ways in which composition techniques communicate the topic. These will be detailed in Ricky’s forthcoming thesis. Below are two examples:
Ticking clock -> Woodblock
The use of the woodblock instrument depicts the ticking of a clock, portraying the aspect of time-related analysis within the study.
Exhaustion -> Melodic Contour
The shape of the melody portrays the experience of ME, (see figure 1). The initial rise depicts the attempt to stand. In sets of two adjacent notes a sense of climbing provides the notion that the rise is gradual and a struggle. This is followed by the rapid draining of energy with the notes sliding back down, and therefore communicating the need for recovery by sitting or laying down.
“The standing difficulty scale ranges from 0 (no difficulty standing during 20 min upright) to 10 (extreme difficulty to maintain an upright stance). If the participant was not able to stand for at least 10 min, they were given a standing difficult score of 14.”
Once again, to highlight the severity of the condition, a data-music link was created. The figure of 14 was attributed to the number of notes to be used for a melodic theme.
There are also various ways in which composition techniques communicate the topic. These will be detailed in Ricky’s forthcoming thesis. Below are two examples:
Ticking clock -> Woodblock
The use of the woodblock instrument depicts the ticking of a clock, portraying the aspect of time-related analysis within the study.
Exhaustion -> Melodic Contour
The shape of the melody portrays the experience of ME, (see figure 1). The initial rise depicts the attempt to stand. In sets of two adjacent notes a sense of climbing provides the notion that the rise is gradual and a struggle. This is followed by the rapid draining of energy with the notes sliding back down, and therefore communicating the need for recovery by sitting or laying down.
Figure 1: The rise and fall of the melodic contour, conveying the experience of the ME participants. Chaggar, R., 2021. 1. Can’t Stand Standing from The Search for an ME Biomarker.