|
01. What is a Drum Circle?
02. What do I need to have to participate in the drum circle?
03. I have never played any musical instruments before. Does it require musical background to participate?
04. Why a "telematic" drum circle?
05. Why robots? Why robot-played instruments?
06. Why do you ask for my email address? Will I get spam?
07. How many people can participate in the Telematic Drum Circle at the same time?
08. What happen if more than 15 people trying to participate at the same time?
09. If nobody plays the instruments, what happens?
10. Can I choose any of the percussion instruments prepared at the installation site?
11. How do I know if the robot I chose is playing the drum well?
12. How do a group of participants get started playing together, when we are all in different locations?
13. Can I keep the video and audio files of the drum circle I participated?
14. I want to introduce the Telematic Drum Circle to my friends. What should I do?
15. How do you solve the latency problem of online participation?
16. Will I be able to hear and be fully immersed in the end result?
17. Why did you have on-site participation? Why do you value both on-site and online participation?
18. When will this project be completed and how long will it last?
19. How will you promote this project to gather more participants?
01. What is a Drum Circle?
According to Mickey Hart: "The Drum Circle is a huge jam session. The ultimate goal is not precise rhythmic articulation or perfection of patterned structure, but the ability to entrain and reach the state of a group mind." In the words of Arthur Hull: "The Drum Circle is a fun entry-level learning experience that is accessible to anyone
who wants to participate.
Drum Circle participants express themselves collectively by using a chorus of tuned drums, percussion, and vocals to create a musical song together while having a great time."
top
02. What do I need to have to participate in the drum circle?
A computer with Internet access and a speaker are required.
top
03. I have never played any musical instruments before. Does it require musical background to participate?
No musical experience necessary. We all have a heart beat and therefore, we all have rhythm. That's all you need.
top
04. Why a "telematic" drum circle?
A general drum circle which is a very good tool for unity requires only on-site participation. Other people from different regions can not participate in this great event. Therefore, I thought what if I can create a virtual environment anyone from any locations can enjoy the drum circle with anybody at any time.
top
05. Why robots? Why robot-played instruments?
Human players obviously can not play drums for one full month without a break time.
Technically, robots do not play the instruments. The online participants play them telematically. The robots receive the data from the online participants, and enact the data.
top
06. Why do you ask for my email address? Will I get spam?
The email addresses are needed in order to notify you when a webpage for downloadable video/audio files is ready for you. Even though all webpages in archive sections of the website are public, the email address is NEVER revealed to anyone. You can ensure that we will not reveal your address to any spammers.
top
07. How many people can participate in the Telematic Drum Circle at the same time?
Currently, fifteen people can participate in this event at any given time. (The number of robot-played instruments may be increased in near future.)
top
08. What happen if more than 15 people trying to participate at the same time?
The sixteenth person’s name and location will be appeared on the waiting list which will be shown at the top right side of the participation section of the web interface. If anybody leaves the participation section, the sixteenth person can participate in the drum circle. It is a first-come, first-serve basis.
top
09. If nobody plays the instruments, what happens?
If nobody plays the instruments for 5 minutes, then the computer will start playing basic rhythms softly. If a participant starts to play one of them again, the computer will gradually stop playing the basic rhythms.
top
10. Can I choose any of the percussion instruments prepared at the installation site?
Yes, you can choose any percussion instruments, as long as other participants are not currently using it.
top
11. How do I know if the robot I chose is playing the drum well?
You can see the robot via the live streaming video broadcasted in the participation section of the website. There are two video camcorders at the installation space - one for the entire scene, the second one revolving slowly from the ceiling for the detail shot. The video images captured from these two camcorders are edited automatically through
a custom-made software
(a video editing algorithm). Then the video will be transported to the web server and will be broadcasted in real time for participants in the website.
top
12. How do a group of participants get started playing together, when we are all in different locations?
Instead of using verbal languages, the aim of this project is to explore the nonverbal global language of 'rhythm'. However, I am on developing iconographic messages superimposed on the live video screen to guide the participants.
top
13. Can I keep the video and audio files of the drum circle I participated?
When you leave from the participation section, you will receive an email including a URL to visit an archive webpage automatically created. Please visit the webpage and download all your files created to your computer and/or mobile phone. You can also enjoy other peoples' music through the search engine.
top
14. I want to introduce the Telematic Drum Circle to my friends. What should I do?
There are two ways: 1. Go to the archive section and use the ‘invitation’ menu. Or 2. You can simply forward the email you received to your friends.
top
15. How do you solve the latency problem of online participation?
The rhythm created by multiple online participations will be synchronized through a custom-made software I am designing. Each computer has different Internet connection speeds as well as different distances from the main web server and multiple participations will create unintentional different time delays and chaos of sound. In order to avoid
this latency problem, I
am in the process of developing the software by using this formula (separation = 344 m/s × latency). I have also researched other solutions that address similar issues. The ‘Playback Synchronization technique’ was used to play music from remote locations in the opening ceremony of the 1998 Olympic games in Nagano, Japan. This technique is used to synchronize the various audio streams by delaying them different amounts when they are played back. ‘Ode to joy’ from Beethoven’s
9th Symphony was performed by 88 orchestra members, 3,100 chorus singers, and eight soloists in seven locations spanning five continents, during the opening ceremony. A Second solution to avoid latency problem is ‘Asynchronous System. It sends an entire piece of music to the another person, allowing them to overdub their parts, and send it back. It was used in ‘Rez Rocket’ application, by Rocket Networks. I am also reading a thesis paper from MIT entitled ‘New Expressive Percussion
Instruments’ by Roberto Mario Aimi (2002), and another one called ‘Recording Studios Without Walls: Geographically Unrestricted Music Collaboration’ by M. Nyssim Lefford (2000) to further resolve the issues..
top
16. Will I be able to hear and be fully immersed in the end result?
Regarding this question, I would like to talk about the potential limit of online participation and some possibilities. I have been focusing on the potential limit of online experience, which means online participants cannot feel the exactly same experience with real playing instruments. However, we have a history of satisfaction with technologies
that provide virtual
contact, such as in computer games where online players can fly freely and kill devils in an imaginative 3D world, and also in listening to music through MP3 players instead of attending a concert. Cutting-edge technologies and future sciences also have potential limits, yet we are still satisfied with webcam chats and cell phone conversations despite some of their technological issues, as a result of what the successes of technology. Therefore, I believe this is sort of a recreational game - Telematic
Drum Circle, it has the same potential limits. But the Telematic Drum circle also has an intuitive musical interface and a video streaming system with a well organized video algorithm and high quality sound that can give participants an immersive experience and a satisfactory level of participation.
top
17. Why did you have on-site participation? Why do you value both on-site and online participation?
In the drum circle, there is no audience. Everyone, including on-site visitors, is part of the performance. I do not want to exclude on-site visitors in this improvisational sound performance. Some of the visitors may play the prepared instruments or play a plastic water bottle turned upside down with the neck cut off or hit two sticks together.
Other people
may participate through standing outside the circle and listening while tapping their feet and clapping along with the music. The important point in this project is having a non-verbal dialogue among participants toward harmony without any exclusion.
top
18. When will this project be completed and how long will it last?
I expect to complete this project Telematic Drum Circle by 2007. When it is fully realized, it will run continuously for one month.
top
19. How will you promote this project to gather more participants?
I anticipate networking with different cultural centers around the world to generate interest and create opportunities for participation through web kiosks: Art Center Nabi, Eyebeam, ICC, the Upgrade!, Futurelab, etc.
top
|
Previous Project