Smule has announced that Leaf Trombone World Stage, an iPhone app described as the first massively multi-player musical game for the iPhone and iPod touch, is now available (iTunes App Store link).

Leaf Trombone builds on Smule’s work with Ocarina, creating virtual instruments that are interesting by themselves – but more interesting as part of music social networks. Leaf Trombone also throws in a dash of American Idol competitiveness.

If you try out Leaf Trombone, leave a comment with your thoughts!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Description:

Smule, the company behind Ocarina and Sonic Lighter, presented a sneak peek of the Leaf Trombone World Stage at Apple’s iPhone 3.0 event last month. As the name suggests, anyone can perform a tune on the Leaf Trombone before a global audience. A player can also request a panel of self-appointed judges, randomly selected from anywhere in the world, providing an instant critique of the performance, using a combination of emoticons and text. Judges can reward a performance or veto it mid-note.

The World Stage will separate the Music Gods from the Wannabes. “People can play at home, alone, as badly as they want. It’s like singing in the shower. Where’s the challenge? The thrill?” asks Smule CTO and co-founder Dr. Ge Wang. “We are inviting people to abandon their egos and put it all out there, before a global audience and a potentially merciless tribunal.”

Inspired by traditional Chinese leaf instruments, Smule’s Leaf Trombone is ideally suited to both the iPhone and iPod touch platform. Users move the slide up and down to change pitch, and, with iPhones, blow into the microphone to create sound. Leaf Trombone ships with a group of songs already loaded, so users can immediately begin learning how to play the instrument. A music box provides accompaniment, and floating leaves show beginners where to place the slide to achieve the correct note. Once users have mastered a song, they’re ready to perform on the World Stage.

“Leaf Trombone was developed to unleash people’s creativity and their inner rock star.” said Wang. “Now, with the Leaf Trombone, anyone can perform on the World Stage.”

The Mentalists may get their 15 minutes of fame as the first iPhone girl group.

They do a cover of Kids, by MGMT, on their iPhones and iPod Touches, using only apps downloaded from the Apple App Store. Apps used include Ocarina, Retro Synth, miniSynth and DigiDrummer Lite.

via ijustine

This interview by Mark Mosher of ModulateThis features Dr. Ge Wang, CTO and Co-founder of Smule.com – the makers of iPhone apps Sonic Lighter and Ocarina.

Wang is also an assistant professor at Stanford at the Center for Computer Research in Music an Accoustics and founding director of the Stanford Laptop Orhcestra.

In Part 1, above, Dr. Wang discuss the iPhone as an app platform, how constraint drives innovation, and his vision of how technology can bring us closer together.

In Part 2, below, Dr. Wang discusses how people are using Ocarina and how Ocarina has brought music to the disabled. He also discusses the future of the Ocarina and Smule, and what it’s like to be “Smulian”.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Mosher’s interview highlights that there’s a lot more the Ocarina app’s success than just letting people play tunes on their iPhone.

Virtual instrument company SMule is looking for the most “smulian” Ocarina videos in their This Contest Blows contest..

The Smule team does their holiday greetings on the iPhone Ocarina app.

I’d like to think it was a result of our previous Ocarina coverage – but I think it may have been this video of a girl playing Phantom Of The Opera on the iPhone with her nose that did it:

Click here to view the embedded video.

via TechCrunch

Remember the iPhone Ocarina?

I thought it was pretty cool, because it brought a range of expressiveness to iPhone instruments. 

Maybe I was wrong – in this video, goddesslynz plays Music of the Night from Phantom of the Opera on the iPhone Ocarina application…with her nose.

Smule has introduced a new app, Ocarina, that turns your iPhone into a virtual Ocarina. 

I’ve been skeptical about a lot of the iPhone virtual instruments, because many of them don’t offer much in the way of expressive capabilities. 

Ocarina challenges that skepticism by offering an application that responds to your breath, so you can control the pitch via the multi-touch pad while you control the dynamics with your breath. 

It’s priced at the chump change level, $.99. That’s pretty impressive for software that actually turns your phone into an expressive instrument. 

Now, if they’d just do an expressive synth!

Here’s a video of an iPhone Ocarino band doing Stairway to Heaven:

Click here to view the embedded video.

And, of course, there’s Zeldarian mode:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Description:

Ocarina is the first true musical instrument created for the iPhone. Both experts and beginners will be amazed by this innovative player. Ocarina is sensitive to your breath, touch and movements, making it even more versatile than the original. Unlike other musical applications, there are no pre-compiled riffs so musicians will find unlimited opportunities for self-expression. Advanced options allow you to choose between diatonic, minor and harmonic scales. Or channel your favorite video game adventurer with Smule’s Zeldarian mode.

Also, like most Smule products, Ocarina is a social application. Tap on the globe icon and you will see and hear other Ocarina players throughout the world. The globe view will highlight the source of the music. Rate your favorite performances so that others may benefit from your judgment. Name your Ocarina if you want listeners around the world to identify your performances. With this robust application beautiful music is created, appreciated and shared.

There’s a lot more great information on Ocarina at the Smule site.