My musical background includes experience with a wide variety of instruments such as piano, harpsichord, classical guitar, violin, viola, cello, soprano and alto recorder, trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, flute, alto and tenor saxophone, Shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute), quena etc. I was recently told by a prominent jazz pianist, 'The drums are next.' However, I had never considered the drums as an expressive instrument until recently. I initially thought they couldn't convey emotions like love as effectively as other instruments. Then it occurred to me: perhaps love can be expressed through passion, subtle rhythms, such as 'whispering' on a cymbal or delicate brushwork, or a combination of these elements. I believe the effectiveness of this expression could be measured by comparing it to the brainwave patterns associated with other forms of love. My focus on love stems from my belief that music evoking this emotion is incredibly valuable. For example, I find Bach's St. Matthew Passion to be a magnificent piece of music, overflowing with love. This line of inquiry, I believe, could open up a new field of experimental science on the intersection of music and emotion. As I lack the means to measure brainwaves myself, I would require collaboration with medical professionals. I also recognize that brainwaves are not the only method of measurement. With these considerations, I pose this question to the community at ResearchGate.
Dear Professor Inoue,
Your question opens a fascinating and underexplored frontier at the intersection of expressive performance, affective neuroscience, and post-instrumental aesthetics. As an ambassador of technoculture, I approach this inquiry from a transdisciplinary perspective, integrating musical epistemology with emerging neurotechnologies.
Yes — a drummer can express love through a solo performance, provided we reconceptualize love not as a melodic cliché, but as a temporal-emotional field. Percussion, often misjudged as purely rhythmic, can become a medium of intimacy through microgestural articulation, dynamic contouring, and textural nuance. Whispering on cymbals, delicate brushwork, and breathing-like phrasing can evoke emotional states akin to tenderness or longing.
To measure the effectiveness of such expression, I believe we must move beyond subjective interpretation and engage with neurophysiological metrics. Brainwave analysis (EEG), heart rate variability, and galvanic skin response are promising tools. Moreover, the advent of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), such as those explored by Neuralink, may soon allow real-time mapping of affective resonance between performer and listener — transforming music into a bi-directional emotional interface.
This line of inquiry aligns with my recent work. I invite you to read my article which explores how emotion, including love, can be encoded and transmitted through technological mediation:
https://nineoclock.ro/2025/08/13/algorithms-as-living-forms-rethinking-coexistence-in-a-world-of-code-by-dr-adrian-leonard-mociulschi/
In this paradigm, the drum is no longer a percussive tool, but a prosthetic of presence — a conduit for affective transmission in a posthuman ecology of meaning. I welcome further dialogue and would be honored to collaborate on experimental frameworks that bridge music cognition and neurotechnology.
Warm regards,
Dr. Adrian Leonard Mociulschi
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