A constructivist iOS rhythm tutorial system for beginners by Ethan Hein Designing the Drum Loop Advisor: Dr. Alex Ruthmann December 17, 2013
Jun 20, 2015
A constructivist iOS rhythm tutorial system for beginnersby Ethan Hein
Designing theDrum Loop
Advisor:Dr. Alex Ruthmann December 17, 2013
The two measures of music above occupy the same time duration, but it would appear to a novice that the first is much longer than the second. While there are valid typographical reasons not to represent rhythms by their lengths on the page, it makes the symbology that much more difficult to understand.
Beginners struggle with the way that standard notation represents rhythm
Here are eight visual representations of son clave transcribed by Toussaint (2013).
The fifth method, the time unit box system, is the basis for most drum machine and sequencer interfaces.
What is the most intuitive way to visualize rhythm?
Standard notation as a time-unit box system
"Check the Rhime" by A Tribe Called Quest, as transcribed by Charlie Hely
Putting notation on a grid matches note durations to spatial length, making it easier to understand.
The MIDI piano roll as a time-unit box system
A drum pattern in Ableton Live's MIDI sequencer
TUBS are reasonably intuitive. However, it is still difficult to see the relationship between metrically related positions in a linear representation.
Large-Scale Design• Motivic elaboration/development• Sections and sectional functions• Similarities and differences across
events distanced in time
Mid-Level• Figures, phrases and functions• Stability/instability• Arrivals and departures
Details• Pitch and metric values• Intervals and chords• Notation
Traditional western music education begins here
Beginners arrive here
Adapted fromBamberger (1996)
Beginners work best at the mid-level of abstraction, with figures, phrases and riffs. Real-world drum patterns are more intuitive than musical "simples" like eighth notes, rests and time signatures.
Constructivist music teaching
Prototyping withMax/MSP/Jitter
The Drum Loop.maxpatmodel
controllerdrum circle
drum wedge
note on
sequencesplitter
sequencer
poltocarpresent
presentationpositioning
drum machine
drumsamples
poly drumbuffer
view
Christopher Jacoby and I were able to create a working Drum Loop prototype in six weeks using Max. However, our standalone app suffered from severe performance and responsiveness problems.
A breakbeat exercise: The Funky Drummer
Visualizing swing by resizing grid cells
A usability challenge - maximizing target area
Beyond the music classroom: math mode
A genre exercise: Four on the floor
A compositional challenge: subtractive rhythm
A kid-friendly version: the Groove Pizza
Other beginner-oriented radial rhythm apps
Propellerhead Figure
Casual Underground Loopseque
O-music O-generator
• Presents an interface of toylike simplicity• Uses culturally authentic and significant rhythms as
a springboard to the user’s own musical expression• Makes clear which events are metrically related• Reveals symmetries in the music that may not be
immediately apparent to the ear• Creates an intuitive visualization of concepts like
syncopation and hemiola
The Drum Loop's design contribution