Comments on: Tokyo Lick Turns Simple Input Into Complex Output

By: Prole Art Threat

Prole Art Threat — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:12:07 +0000

I think what makes this more difficult to appreciate is:

1. Some of the hand motions look really broad and imprecise while others look subtle, yet the music doesn't correspond accordingly.

2. It seems like you could achieve similar results with simple IR beams triggering a few "sample and hold" modulators.

I'm not calling bullshit on this, just explaining why the video may not convey how complex the actual performance is.

By: Samuel Van Ransbeeck

Samuel Van Ransbeeck — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:49:18 +0000

What aer the algorithms used? Do you use some special kind of algorithms, Brownian movements, fractals, or are they self-invented algorithms?

By: Teejay

Teejay — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 05:32:52 +0000

I've not doubted for many years that continuing development of gestural devices and affiliated software will open up whole new performance spaces – e.g. ballet dancers who compose as they dance. Congratulations on being at the bleeding edge, and let the jealous skeptics whine.

By: synthhead

synthhead — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:44:28 +0000

Jeffrey – the challenge here is that people don't understand the mapping between your physical gestures and what they are hearing, like they do when they see someone play a traditional instrument.

That's a fundamental challenge for laptop electronic music performance.

If you're not waving your hands around, people think you're checking your email. If you are gesturing wildly, people have trouble making the connection.

By: synthhead

synthhead — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:44:11 +0000

Jeffrey – the challenge here is that people don't understand the mapping between your physical gestures and what they are hearing, like the do when they see someone play a traditional instrument.

That's a fundamental challenge for laptop electronic music performance.

If you're not waving your hands around, people think you're checking your email. If you are gesturing wildly, people have trouble making the connection.

By: Jeffrey Stolet

Jeffrey Stolet — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:18:59 +0000

This is a response to the comments of nuclearsound (above).

nuclearsound is incorrect. No faking … only practice.

Using a Yamaha Disklavier (or a surrogate synthesis module), two infrared sensors, and
two MIDI pedal controllers, I perform the piece by moving my hands through two
invisible infrared spheres and directing the data derived from those motions to algorithms
residing in customized interactive software created in the Max programming
environment.

There are no sequences or pre-recorded aspects in Tokyo Lick. Every note is performed in real-time. I can perform the piece virtually the same each time or quite differently each time.

To get the musical variety I remap those measurements of distance to pitch and to musical dynamics shuffling different parts of the piano keyboard under my hands as I perform. [Each time I move a different part of the piano keyboard under my hands the distance measurements are mapped to different parts of the keyboard.]

Tokyo Lick is enormously difficult piece to perform. If I do not practice it for several months, it takes me more than a week of rehearsing to again work the piece beyond the first minute.

Thanks for listening.

By: analoq

analoq — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:09:25 +0000

I think the key phrase is "pre-composed schedules". I've experimented with using the built-in camera in my MBP to use motion detection (frame deltas) as controller data, you don't get very fine control but with infrared it is probably much better.

So with scheduled algorithm switching and proper motion detection data to pump into the algorithms, this kind of performance does not appear too challenging.

By: nuclearsound

nuclearsound — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:33:24 +0000

this is bullshit. All is fake I swear