Ale Rivadeneyra - Principles and practices

First assignment

Date

16 January 2019

For this assignment we had to define our final project. Possibilities are infinite, it took me a few days to find something that makes me excited.

Rhythm

As a dancer, music is a very important part of my life and rhythm is kind of the most important element of any music piece.

I wanted to make a device that helps musicians and dancers to keep track of their beat. Some may be good at hearing and identifying pulse, rhythm, or compass of the song. But to execute it with a precise hit, tap or clap is a whole other thing.

So I based my project on a metronome

What's a metronome?

It is a device used by musicians that marks time at a selected rate by giving a regular tick. It makes a sound at a precise moment so the artist can be guided by it and maintain a regular pulse.

How can I improve or upgrade it?

Although it is a device that has been used for many years. It is known that the sound is not always very user friendly.

What it should do?

It should be programmable at different beats per minute
It should emit the beat tick in a more friendly and efficient way
It should help and interrelate with the artist in a fluid way

Project Proposal

In order to achieve what a listed above I decided it to be a wearable device.

I propose this device to interact with the user not only in a visual way but also through touch. Be it a musician or a dancer, both perform repetitive movements that eventually train the muscles to do those specific movements without consciously remember them. This is called muscle memory. By using a tactile interface, in this case a vibration motion, we'd be training the muscle, maybe a little bit faster, to keep a constant tempo.