When Gestures Mean Music

Today's entry is an inspirational, wow, entry. Making music with the Kinect seems to one of it's "Hello World" examples, and while today's entry is music related, it's fairly unique and entertaining.

When Any Gesture Can Make Music: Conceptual Studies for Kinect

While we’re on the subject of making music with Kinect, the 3D computer vision camera with depth-sensing, here are some other experiments into how music might work. As with the classic Theremin, those musical gestures tend to be mapped against two-dimensional axes in space.

And from there, things become wide open. Johannes Kreidler, a musician and artist known for irreverent and inventive experiments in music, shares his studies for the Kinect, which he terms “conceptual music.” A solo “for violin” can involve literally waving a violin around. “House music” can mean making music whilst ironing a shirt. Any gesture in space becomes musical. Without tangible feedback, that can be challenging, and since these are just gestures in air, precision and nuance may not be a strong suit. But it’s a fascinating look into what’s possible, a set of thought experiments in music with a camera.

Project Information URL: http://createdigitalmusic.com/2011/08/when-any-gesture-can-make-music-conceptual-studies-for-kinect/

Contact Information:

• Blog: http://www.kreidler-net.de/english/works.htm
• Twitter: @_Kreidler