Students Create iPhone Orchestra
A course taught at the University of Michigan offers students the chance to compose and perform music with an iPhone or iPod touch. The class, called "Building a Mobile Phone Ensemble," is taught by George Essl, an assistant professor of computer science and music who says he's been making sweet mobile phone music ever since 2005. Essl teaches students how to code their own instruments, using the full array of sensors that the iPhone so uniquely offers, along with a few extra audio tools. Once they've all honed their iSkills, the entire class gets onstage to show the world what they've conceived (video after the break). What's really cool is the extent to which some students have experimented with the medium. They've all come up with different ways to create sound using combinations of shakes, screen-touches, and puffs. One kid even came up with a way to implement the video display to create some sort of synaesthetic sound-color display. (We're gonna take a wild guess that it was one of these two).
The class recently displayed their iPhone virtuosity at a university orchestral performance, and as you can see from the video below, it's more John Cage than John Mayer. Although some might find the music inaccessibly ambient, it's hard to discount the resourceful innovation that went into creating it. At a time when the music most of us are creating with our iPhones tends towards the simplistic, it's refreshing to see people exploring just how far the device can take our imaginations. [From: Wired, via TUAW]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
evan said 12:07PM on 12-09-2009
Wow... that was really, um... Lame!
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amoozed said 11:15AM on 1-01-2010
Finally Fast is a scam, the software is a scam, the guarantee is a scam, the customer support is a scam. Ascentive software is a bunch of thieves.
They won't respond to any inquiry. Don't buy this sh*t software.
bet2001 said 7:51AM on 1-01-2010
Can you say RETARDED!
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rkw said 8:22AM on 1-01-2010
If I were a parent of one of these kids...or one of these kids, I'd want my money back for this course. They are clapping because it's finally over. I thought the Johns Hopkins University Thank You video was lame and cheesy, but this video takes the cake. It took Hopkins' and its University President over 3 minutes to write/say Thank You.....like this "music video', I couldn't wait for it to end. Essi must have tenure.....this was like watching someone taking their fingernails to a chalkboard.
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Dennis Ervin said 8:58AM on 1-02-2010
Wow parents must be besides themselves of what these kids learn to do for 40k+ in tuition,
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rkw said 8:22AM on 1-01-2010
If you want to drive Guantanomo prisoners and others crazy, play this video 24 hours a day.......this video is great for psychological warfare.....I almost reached my point in less than 6 minutes....if I were in the audience I'd be clapping feverishly for finally ending. If there were a razzie for videos, this would win---hands down.
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wxwindcalm said 8:36AM on 1-01-2010
WTF? Talk about stupid.
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Mike said 9:06AM on 1-01-2010
This is just the kind of mindless crap that turns the public on its ear in relating to "higher" education. In this case I use the term VERY loosely. If this course showed up on my child's transcript, I would be standing in the office of the university president within minutes demanding a tuition refund and bundling my child off to another university. As open as I am to "newthink", wasting valuable learning time in this way speaks volumes about the accountabilty to parents of this university. If they want to do something like this as an "extracurricular" activity, go for it. But as a part of the university curriculum..GET REAL !!
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lightasqa said 9:16AM on 1-01-2010
gtf off the stage that was hoorrible
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shannoncu said 10:31AM on 1-01-2010
Wow! Do we really have to ask ourselves why we are in the shape we're in as a country? This was a paid for course at an institution of higher learning. I'm sure there will be employers standing in line to hire someone who has this talent. Keep it up and China and India will be our masters. They say ignorance is bliss....in this case it's just ignorant.
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agesandsons said 10:53AM on 1-01-2010
Is this for real! I hear this crap while driving and passing through a construction site. Who is this nut? This is not music, this is nothing but iritating sounds and wow he included the EMERGENCY test sound as well. Very retarded and I hope he is granting all the students an "A" for aggrivating!
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mgrim97919 said 11:08AM on 1-01-2010
I was waiting for the kids to get picked up by aliens. Sounded like the beginning of an alien invasion of some sort. I agree though...not impressed.
Bre said 11:04AM on 1-01-2010
I actually thought it was pretty cool. Imagine modifying a small device to music electronic music. I would love to see it progress into faster pieces and see how it ends up. Remember that the iPhone is fairy new and not alot of hackmods have been created for it. As time will go on, the iPhone will evolve and so will the iPhone orchestra.
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Keioni said 11:39AM on 1-01-2010
im pretty sure that theres an app for this. and i had to turn it off b4 the speakers on my computer died from that horrable sound
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dancercrazexx01 said 3:20PM on 1-02-2010
It sounded like a wookie taking a shit and then dying.
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Carol Ross said 12:25PM on 1-01-2010
This is the third time I've tried to post a comment. How come all the garbage slips through and an honest comment is not accepted? Anyway, here goes the third try:
I am a fan of electronic music (chip music, 8 bit, techno, etc) as well as almost all genre of "regular" music (classical, pop, jazz, rock, country, etc). This just about the most unmusical stuff I've ever heard. If you're interested in some unusual electronic pieces, try tubing for 8 bit trip. In that one you get to see an incredible stop motion Lego animation as well, - or for techno try DJ Mangoo. In Philly look up a venue called 8static. I'm not where I can access that info, but it's where they have both open mike and imported artists like Trash 80 and Nonfinite. They have utilized game controllers (modded minus the graphics, etc) and play live. My daughter and grandson introduced me to 8static and we go to their monthly concerts whenever we can. (yes, I'm a grandma, 70 in three months and counting)
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T said 12:28PM on 1-01-2010
What happens if they lose connection? LOL
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davepawson said 1:04PM on 1-01-2010
Droning noise. I take it that it is feedback from having too many phones near each other? Did students who don't own i-phones fail this class?
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Hawk said 1:18PM on 1-01-2010
BAN THESE SPAMMERS ALREADY!!!!! Just look at their profiles and everything they post is SPAM!!!! WTF????
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Deborah said 2:10PM on 1-01-2010
Well, the concept was interesting, but the piece of "music" chosen was very dismal and depressing. Ugh. Also, a college class? Hope they didn't spend a lot of time on this or it was a huge waste of tuition. I am all for experimentation leading to creative thinking, but this missed the mark in my book.
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