Publications
Article | Video-based categorization system and frequency analysis of gestures in saxophone playing
Sofia Serra and Philippe Trovão are co-authors, along with Nadia Moura, Pedro Fonseca, Jorge Graça, Márcio Goethel, and João Paulo Vilas-Boas, of the article "Video-based categorization system and frequency analysis of gestures in saxophone playing" recently published in Sage Journals, open access.
The study of gestures in musical performance provides valuable insights into instrumental learning, which varies according to the specificities of each instrument. This study developed a gesture categorization system for saxophonists and analyzed their gestural behavior across different musical excerpts—the analysis of 100 recordings identified 15 types of gestures, which experts validated. The results indicated that knee and trunk flexion, foot lifting, and mediolateral swaying are common gestures among saxophonists, occurring more frequently in fast and energetic passages. Impulsive gestures, such as head nods, are characteristic of excerpts with repeated accented notes. This study contributes to injury prevention, body expression, and historically informed performance.