Gently Stroke This Drum

The silent drum is played with your hands. It acts as a midi device by analyzing the movement of the rubbery black drum head. As you can see in the photo, one side of the body is clear and the other is white. A light shines up into it to boost the contrast and a camera picks up the black head as it moves past the white side of the shell. [Jaime Oliver] has provided an interesting look at the analysis method used with this instrument and there’s also a system of notating a composition for future performance. See and hear it played in the demo after the break.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kLVqgUMGSU]

[Thanks Elijah]

16 thoughts on “Gently Stroke This Drum

  1. It’s an interesting idea. Personally I love seeing new musical instruments of any kind. I’d like to see a more traditional, non-electronic new instrument but even still this is pretty cool, ESPECIALLY considering the wild analysis techniques described. You could choose to vary those or add a second camera and get some really, really interesting sounds.

  2. I don’t know why this is called a drum. It’s more like a silhouette driven sound distorter. There is nothing purcussion about this. Call things what they are. It almost sounds like that kick-ass digeridoo, but isn’t nearly as cool.

  3. Ironic as technology moves forward, music takes a giant step back.

    Mozart in the late 1700’s, Louis Armstrong in the 1920’s, the Beatles in the 1960’s and now we have Lady Gaga, cRAP, and utterly useless drivel like this guys “drum”.

  4. @vonskippy
    Not really, it looks like this because only best leave traces in history, no one will remember any rap artist in 25 years or this guy and in 100 years no one will remember what rap is

  5. @ therian
    of course they won’t REMEMBER!
    I mean, do you know someone past 100 years old that still remembers a crappy music style?
    they probably won’t remember how to walk!

    (no offense all you old people)

    remember remember remember

  6. You know what would really add to the sci-fi theremin aspect? Recess the drum head a little inches and fill it with a few inches of some viscous gel.

    Then it’d look like some alien vehicle interface (a la District 9) and would have the creepy music to match!

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