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December 27, 2009
Phone Music
Earlier this month I ran across this video about students at the University of Michigan creating music with iPhones. I didn't write about it here, because they seemed much more concerned with the technology involved, and the music was uninteresting. Reminds me of when Moog synthesizers first became available and the novelty of them inspired people to create all kinds of unlistenable music. Go here for their full 46-minute concert (if you have insomnia). It is pure tedium.
Stanford is working with the same technology. More here.
But there are people interested in making listenable music with iPhones:
Here you can see the iPhone's display as it used as a guitar:
This video shows you a more complex interface as "Stairway to Heaven" is played:
Using a piano interface this musician plays "Clocks." (Slow version here, if you want to study the fingering.)
Now that I know this Melody Bell interface exists, I wonder why I didn't run into any iPhone bell recitals this holiday season.
"Oh, Shenandoah" played beautifully on the ocarina interface. If only the musician had friends, one of them could have played the piano part on an iPhone, saving her from having to use that old fashioned player piano.
Hook up a professional musician with an iPhone and prepare to have your socks blown off. Skip ahead to about 8:25 if you are impatient.
By all means, avoid The Mentalists playing iPhones.
Now, here is the ultimate. They aren't using iPhones, but some other unidentified brand(s). I recommend you turn your speakers OFF and just watch to see how these Helsinki musicians rock & roll.
Filed under Music,Technology | permalink | December 27, 2009 at 06:32 PM
