Expression mark
What kind of feeling?
The word shown here—such as maestoso—describes the character of the current passage. Find the same word in the Expression Dictionary below to see its meaning: majestically.
Emotion PAD
Making musical expression visible
Emotion PAD extends musical expression into light, colour, movement and space.
BAO-Y shapes the timing, pauses, tempo changes and note dynamics of MIDI playback by hand, listening and refining the result. This is a way to make a musical interpretation audible, not simply to check the notes. The aim is to explore new possibilities for piano music and offer listeners a fresh experience.
In BAO-Y HALL TOKYO—a virtual concert hall, not a physical venue—lighting, colour, movement and spatial change extend the musical direction into images.
Performers communicate expression through the body, whether they play the piano, conduct, or perform on another instrument. Emotion PAD draws on that physical language and uses AI technology to help visualize it. The visual direction is not left to AI: BAO-Y, as the composer, specifies the colors, lighting, movement, and dramatic intent for each passage, then reviews and revises the results.
The sound carries the composer’s musical decisions; the visuals offer another way to encounter them. Neither depends on a future human performance to be shared as a work.
Human performances remain meaningful to BAO-Y. They can bring another interpretation and introduce the works to new listeners. They are not a prerequisite for sharing the composer’s own MIDI realization.
How to read the screen
Begin with the two panels on the left
While listening, first look at the Expression and Speed panels. They explain the musical character BAO-Y is visualizing at that moment.
1
2
1LOOK HERE
Expression
Expression
2LOOK HERE
Speed
Speed
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DICTIONARY MATCHMaestosoMajestically
Speed mark
How fast does it move?
The tempo word and metronome value are shown separately. In this example, Vivace means lively and fast, and ♩ = 150/min gives the measured speed.
Speed is not an item in the Expression Dictionary. It is read directly from the score.
From score to space
The hall is the canvas; Emotion PAD directs the change
A musical expression mark is interpreted through colour, intensity, focus, and movement. The architecture stays the same while its emotional character changes.
Expression dictionary
Find the word shown in Panel 1
The dictionary translates the score’s expression term into plain English. BAO-Y then interprets that character through hall lighting, color balance, movement, and spatial emphasis. The highlighted Maestoso card demonstrates the connection with the screen example above.