Most of the recent developments in the field of music indexing and music information retrieval are focused on western music. In this paper, we present an automatic music transcription system dedicated to Tabla - a North Indian percussion instrument. Our approach is based on three main steps: firstly, the audio signal is segmented in adjacent segments where each segment represents a single stroke. Secondly, rhythmic information such as relative durations are calculated using beat detection techniques. Finally, the transcription (recognition of the strokes) is performed by means of a statistical model based on Hidden Markov Model (HMM). The structure of this model is designed in order to represent the time dependencies between successives strokes and to take into account the specificities of the tabla score notation (transcription symbols may be context dependent). Realtime transcription of Tabla soli (or performances) with an error rate of 6.5% is made possible with this transcriber. The transcription system, along with some additional features such as sound synthesis or phrase correction, are integrated in a user-friendly environment called Tablascope.

This paper discusses an evolution in North Indian instruments in the designing of technology to capture gestures from a performing artist. Modified traditional instruments use sensor technology and microcontrollers to digitize gestures, enabling a computer to analyze performance to synthesize sound and visual meaning. Specifically, systems were built to capture data from three traditional North Indian instruments: the tabla (a pair of tonal hand drums), the dholak (a barrel shaped folk drum played by two people), and the sitar (a 19-stringed, gourd-shelled instrument). This paper will discuss how these instruments are modified to capture gestural movement, how these signals are mapped to sounds and graphical feedback, and show examples of the new instruments being used in live performance. The hardware is built to try and preserve the techniques passed down from generations of tradition; however, modified performance techniques with the aid of a laptop are also introduced. 1

This thesis proposes banded waveguide synthesis as an approach to real-time sound synthesis based on the underlying physics. So far three main approaches have been widely used: digital waveguide synthesis, modal synthesis and finite element methods. Digital waveguide synthesis is efficient and realistic and captures the complete dynamics of the underlying physics but is restricted to instruments that are well-described by the one-dimensional string equation. Modal synthesis is efficient and realistic yet abandons complete dynamical description and hence cannot used for certain types of performance interactions like bowing. Finite element methods are realistic and capture the behavior of the constituent physical equations but on current commodity hardware does not perform in real-time. Banded waveguides offer efficient simulations for cases for which modal synthesis is appropriate but traditional digital waveguide synthesis is not applicable. The key realization is that the dynamic behavior of traveling waves, which is being used in waveg-uide synthesis, can be applied to individual modes and that the efficient computational

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This paper describes the design of an Electronic Sitar controller, a digitally modified version of Saraswati’s (the Hindu Goddess of Music) 19-stringed, pumpkin shelled, traditional North Indian instrument. The ESitar uses sensor technology to extract gestural information from a performer, deducing music information such as pitch, pluck timing, thumb pressure, and 3-axis of head tilt to trigger real-time sounds and graphics. It allows for a variety of traditional sitar technique as well as new performance methods. Graphical feedback allows for artistical display and pedagogical feedback. The ESitar uses a programmable Atmel microprocessor which outputs control messages via a standard MIDI jack.

We present a prototype of a new musical interface for Japanese drumming techniques and styles. Our design used in the Aobachi drumming sticks provides 5 gesture parameters (3 axes of acceleration, and 2 axes of angular velocity) for each of the two sticks and transmits this data wirelessly using Bluetooth technology. This system utilizes minimal hardware embedded in the two drumming sticks, allowing for gesture tracking of drum strokes by an interface of traditional form, appearance, and feel. Aobachi is portable, versatile, and robust, and may be used for a variety of musical applications, as well as analytical studies.

Introduction Joseph A. Paradiso Responsive Environments Group MIT Media Laboratory 77 Massachusetts Avenue, NE18-5F Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142 USA joep@media.mit.edu Sile O'Modhrain Palpable Machines Group Media Lab Europe Sugar House Lane, Bellevue Dublin 8, Ireland sile@media.mit.edu 1) History and Evolution of Musical Controllers Throughout history, each set of technologies, from woodcraft to water pumps and from electricity to computers, has ushered its own set of changes into the way people generate and interact with music. Acoustic musical instruments have settled into canonical forms, taking centuries, if not millennia, to evolve their balance between sound production, ergonomics, playability, potential for expression, and aesthetic design. In contrast, electronic instruments have been around for little more than a century, during which rapid, often exponential (Kurzweil, 2000) advances in technology have continually opened new possibilities for sound synthesis

This paper questions and examines the validity and future of interactive network performance. The history of research in the area is described as well as experiments with our own system. Our custom-built networked framework, known as GIGAPOPR, transfers high-quality audio, video and MIDI data over a network connection to enable live musical performances to occur in two or more distinct locations. One of our first sensor-augmented Indian instruments, The Electronic Dholak (EDholak) is a multi-player networked percussion controller that is modelled after the traditional Indian Dholak. The EDholaks trigger sound, including samples and physical models, and visualisation, using our custom-built networked visualisation software, known as veldt. 1.

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◮ sounding virtual 3D environment ⇔ virtual performance