The book “Music and Human Computer Interaction”, edited by members of the Music Computing Lab, and the first book in Springer’s new Cultural Computing Series, has now been published. Ask your library to get a copy.
Oliver Hoedl joins the Music Computing Lab from the Human Computer Interaction Group in the Institute for Design and Assessment of Technology at Vienna University of Technology, and promptly carries out outstanding work on the Haptic Bracelets firmware.
Oliver presents his Sonic Trombone at Georgia Tech’s Guthman Musical Instrument Competition.
On Thursday 21st March, Simon Holland and Oliver Hoedl gave an invited presentation and four hour participative demonstration of the Haptic Bracelets to Professor Alan Wing and researchers and practitioners at the Sensory Motor Neuro-Science Research Lab at Birmingham University.
Vassilis Angelis was an invited participant at the International Workshop on Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Musical Rhythm held in Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi 17th – 21st March 2013. Other participants included Ed Large, Robert Rowe, David Huron, Justin London, Godfreid Toussaint, Steve McAdams, Kofi Agawu, Xavier Serra, Carlos Guedes, Juan Pablo Bello and William Sethares.
Simon Rolph is editing a new video of the Stern Brocot Band.
On Tuesday 26th March in Birmingham, Simon Holland gave an invited presentation and participative demo of the Haptic Bracelets to some fifty members of ACPIN, the professional Association of Chartered Physiotherapists with Interests in Neurology, who have special interests in the neuro-rehabilitation of conditions such as Stroke, Parkinson’s Disease, Ataxia, Head injury, etc. While the Haptic Bracelets were primarily designed for musical purposes, in written feedback from ACPIN participants, the general view was that the approach they embody has the potential to influence practice.
The Stern Brocot Band submitted their new heavy punk prog single “Rocket Socks”, to the International Un-Twelve Composition Competition for Microtonal Music. Rocket Socks is written in the srutal temperament, which is subtly different to 12-TET. It is generated by slightly wide semitones (105 cents) and a period of 600 cents. The new single features Simon Rolph’s reflective punk vocals and artist and photographer Anna Berry’s serenely soaring soprano. Critic and artist Peter Holland, listening to a rudimentary early rehearsal of the piece published on YouTube, commented “Boys… You just recorded your first number one hit single”
On Wednesday 27th March in Hereford, Simon Holland gave an invited presentation and co-ran a participatory workshop with Professor Alan Wing for some seventeen physiotherapists from the Wye Valley NHS Trust. The workshop was part of a research day organised by Fiona Price, a Stroke Research Facilitator from the Stroke Research Network, for the NHS Trust. The participatory workshop examined the pros and cons of cueing the gait or arm movements of stroke, parkinson’s, head injury, ataxic, and other patients using the Haptic Bracelets as compared with other approaches. All participants were able to try out the Haptic Bracelets. Written feedback from this group of NHS physiotherapists indicated the general view was that this approach has the potential to influence practice in neuro-rehabiliation.
NAD, (in real life Mustafa Ali) a member of the Music Computing Lab with a background and commercial track record in dance music, has gone back to the recording studio, and his first new track, “A Sense of Finitude”, has been recorded for a forthcoming Studio Rockers compilation album. In the meantime, “Pure Imagination (NAD Wonky Refix) can be found on YouTube with an accompanying video produced by Modal. NAD is beginning work begins on a 5-track EP and album planned for release in 2013.
