Feeling the Beat Where it Counts: Fostering Multi-Limb
Rhythm Skills with the Haptic Drum Kit
Simon Holland, Anders J. Bouwer, Mathew Dalgleish, Topi M. Hurtig
Music Computing Lab Department of Computer Science The Open University Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK {s.holland, m.dalgleish, a.bouwer, t.hurtig} @open.ac.uk
Comments:
Summary:
The article presents The Haptic Drum Kit, a method to encourage the identification and learning of rhythms and improve multi limb coordination. This method demonstrates that beginning drummers are able to learn intricate percussion patterns from haptic stimuli alone. The applications are extended beyond the drums to other instruments where hand independent motor skills are needed.
At the basis of the methodology is the notion that humans and other animals are predisposed to imitate or mimic stimuli of interest in their surrounding environment. However, hearing has to be supplemented with practice for memory and of course proficiency. Parallel periodic rhythms are more complex, analogous to two separate instruments playing simultaneously. It is the learning of these that The Haptic Drum Kit is aimed at facilitating.
The system utilizes a midi drum kit attached to four vibrotactile stimulators. The software permits either audio only, audio and haptics, or haptics only. A guide track is used as a musical score which is tied to the vibrotactile stimulators. It was found that a minimum duration of 50ms was required to perceive a stimulation. To avoid two separate stimuli from merging together a minimum gap of 50ms was also required.
Five test subjects were used to learn a selection of rhythms of varying difficulty with either audio, haptic or a combination as a guide. Twenty rhythms from four categories were to be learned. A short adjustment period was provided so the position of the drums could be adjusted for comfort. Following this, patterns were presented with half the group getting the reversal of the audio and haptics paradigm.
The results varied but the majority preferred haptic and audio stimulation together. A comment was made that the stimulators could not keep up with the faster passages. But interestingly, it was noted that with haptic stimulation alone multi-limb tasks could be learned in one. This is in contrast to the traditional auditory training method where each limb movement had to be learned individually and then put together. Also the haptic stimulation effectively communicated which limb to use. However, it is less clear how it communicated which drum to strike. A feeling of being in sync was described when playing correctly.
Discussion:
This is a very interesting idea and as a proof of concept is well executed. It would have been helpful to have had some quantitative data presented if any was recorded. I wonder though, whether a system of targets illuminating on the drums themselves would not be more effective, as it would communicate both when and where to strike.
The response of the vibrotactile stimulators could be a problem as they have a noticeable spin up and down delay. The power when presented with a percussion backdrop could definitely be a problem.
Also short period of familiarization to the drum kit is given to adjust the position of the drums etc. However, no pre exposure is given for the stimulators or the score which is to be followed.
I agree that this is a very interesting concept.
ReplyDeleteI think since the purpose of this paper was to test their implementation, more qualitative data was desired, so that is what was evaluated.
I like the idea of lighting up the targets. I hadn't thought of that while reading the paper. The combination of sound and touch was deemed good, so maybe adding some visual data might be helpful as well.