UPC Sun Campus Ambassador: braindumping my SCA experience :)

Extend the sound expressiveness of an electric guitar attaching SunSPOTs to it

As one image is worth 1000 words and I don't want to bore you with a lengthy explanation, here is the idea, one SunSPOT on the headstock of the guitar:

And the other one on the body, on a zone that does not disturb the player while he is performing.

This idea has been closed on the back of my head on the past months when quite recently, I had the pleasure to see something closely related by a MIT research group under the name of "HyperInstruments", thanks to Duke Listens! blog.

Apart from the astounding brain music demo, Tod Machover team did amazing hacks to improve traditional instruments, and I bet that they use some kind of accelerometers in their hyperinstruments

So here it is, using SunSPOTs with an instrument, you can add some interesting extras to your musical instrument:

1. GuitarSPOT gestures: Interact with computer using gestures. Some examples are:
1. Using quick movements to instruct the computer that you wish to replay some part of the song you're working on (practice mode)
2. Increase volume or any setting you can think of without leaving your guitar aside
3. Interact with lights on a scene as you move: the guitar player becomes a lightJ too
4. Link your movements to a 3D virtual representation: live guitarist avatar ?
2. GuitarSPOT effects: Changing the way your guitar sounds as you move it
1. Elaborated movements that modify the sound as you're playing with several effects (like a pedal does but with your body)
2. Vibrato emulation
3. Tremolo emulation
3. GuitarSPOT collaborative: Interact with third party guitar players via 802.15.4 radio on SPOTs: Guitarists mesh network, redefining the "play along" concept with many guitars

It is a well known fact that every guitarist has its own so-called signature licks. But what about GuitarSPOT signatures ? Let's see if we can see this happen in the future...

So you feel attracted by the idea ? Do you want to join to GuitarSPOT project ? No guitar experience needed ! By now it's in brainstorming phase, you're welcome to post your comments ;)