ProjectProposal-Gene Zhang
From CS160 User Interfaces Fa06
Contents |
Problem Description
Musicians get frustrated when they can't tell whether they are correctly playing a piece of music. Classical music notation, while unambiguous in its syntax, leaves the musician to his/her own devices for interpreting it. In other words, no feedback is given on how accurately the musician performs the piece. Often, the player is not aware of performance inaccuracies until the piece is played for someone more familiar with the piece (e.g. his/her teacher).
Target User Group
Instant playback of music notation is, I suspect, most useful to musicians in training, especially those who are still unfamiliar with the syntax. (An analogy can be made to compiling a programming language, where a beginner may compile frequently to check syntax as s/he learns it) However, even skilled musicians can benefit from instant playback.
Problem Context and Forces
A musician wants to practice part of a musical piece. S/he has the notation but wants to hear how it should sound.
One solution is to use a computer, with music notation software. I have seen software will let you notate on a standard PC with keyboard and mouse and then play back the notation. A problem with this solution is that a computer display is needed, which is not easy or comfortable to use when the musician is practicing (e.g. at a piano). Also, I have not seen any music notation software that provides the real-time tempo adjustment that I will propose.
A second, simpler solution is a (correct) .mp3/CD recording of the piece. Although this is a commonly used solution, there is still great tedium in searching the track(s) for specific parts to play back. Moreover, the recording plays at fixed tempo, often not giving the musician enough time to analyze the parts.
Solution Description
My solution utilizes sheet music printed on Anoto paper to allow the user to arbitrarily select subsections of a notated piece to be played from an electronic sound source (e.g. computer w/ speakers). Not only that, the user can, in real-time, control the tempo of the playback. This allows for more thorough analysis of the music by 1) slowing down the music as needed, and 2) not requiring the musician to play the music on an instrument just to hear it, thus leaving the musician with more mental resources to listen and analyze.
GUI Details
- Green areas designate the Anoto dot pattern.
- Green buttons at top do what they say when clicked/stroked.
- Long green bars under staves let users drag/stroke to playback the notated music in real-time.
Future Developments?
Karaoke?! Music Composition?! More brainstorming to come...
