Virtual Guitar String

Much of this quarter was spent working with a guitar string model implemented in Max/MSP, originally designed by Adam Bowen. Inspired by the visual and auditory performance opportunities offered by Japanese Taiko drumming, I chose to excite the virtual string with "hits" using my Beat Boxing gloves. This interface simulates a forest of giant bass or piano strings surrounding the musician which they play with percussive strikes, providing a musical interface that takes advantage of the physicality these gloves are designed to support. By shifting the fundamental frequency and overtone pattern of the virtual string and exciting it with different levels of force I was able to produce a wide range of sounds.

I soon found that deeper bass timbres best fit rythmic, primarily monotonic character of the interface. I spent some time looking for inspiration among contemporary bass players, and quickly renewed my fascination withy the technique and style of Victor Wooten. While one of the most technically proficient bass players performing today, Wooten's primary musical focus lies in capturing a range of natural, organic grooves. This musical philosophy strongly influenced my own artistic efforts, leading to a very relaxed, fluid style of improvisation.

Unfortunately, in the end the current incarnation of my gloves fell short of my musical ambitions. I was plauged with latency and jitter issues, a product of both irregularities in my own movements and delays in Max/MSP. While still playable, this proved a major stumbling block for fully satisfying live performance and in the end I largely abandoned this as a melodic improvisational tool.

"Plucky" guitar string model: