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Are your stairs on a standard scale or a pentatonic scale?
I always thought this would be easier for the user to interact
with and get something that sounds like music...
Dave Taylor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> From: John Bowditch <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: Informal Science Education Network
> Date: Wed, 26 May 2004 14:53:06 -0400
> Subject: Re: musical staircase exhibit
>
> Hi all,
>
> This is neat project. I told him that we had such staircase and that it runs
> very well. The college is St. Olof's which has a noted music school. I
> therefore suggested they consider tying the staircase to a small pipe organ.
> Then the whole thing could be very grand (a grand staircase?) and fun too. The
> mechanics behind doing this aren't complicated and the Physics behind pipes is
> sort of fun. Anyone ever try this? It seems so much classier than oscillators
> or electronic keyboards.
>
> John Bowditch
>
>> ----------
>> From: Kathleen Krafft
>> Reply To: Informal Science Education Network
>> Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 1:13 PM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: musical staircase exhibit
>> I was contacted by a chemistry professor who would like to include a musical
>> staircase in a new college science building. Our Sciencenter musical
>> staircase is based on your motion through space and uses an overhead camera &
>> computer, but he wants to be able to "play" notes and explore musical scales,
>> etc.
>>
>> I told him I'd forward his request to the listserve. See following message
>> below, which includes his email address if you'd like to reply directly.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Kathy Krafft
>> Director of Exhibits
>> Sciencenter, Ithaca NY
>>
>> -----
>> St. Olaf College is in the planning stage for a new science building. Being a
>> college with strong music, science, and math programs (among others...), and
>> being a violinist myself, it occurred to me that it would be a neat idea to
>> install in this new building an interactive science/music/math display. My
>> idea
>> is a musical staircase. I've seen a wonderful example of this at the Science
>> Museum of Minnesota, and I've talked with several people - Larry Ralph at the
>> Boston Museum of Science, John Bowditch at the Anne Arbor Hands-On Science
>> Museum, Kathy Krafft at the Sciencenter (Ithaca, NY), among others.
>>
>> Kathy suggested I contact this list and ask what people know about such
>> installations, what suggestions they might have, what they think it should
>> cost,
>> etc. Really, any comments you have regarding this idea would be greatly
>> appreciated.
>>
>> Parameters include:
>>
>> Timeframe: We're about 2-3 years to construction.
>>
>> Context: Building plan is roughed out only, but includes a nice central
>> two-floor atrium with staircase. I don't know how many steps, but if I had
>> 88,
>> I'd use them all.
>>
>> Capabilities: We have superb cabnetry carpenters here on campus, I'm pretty
>> computer-savvy, we have a great electronic services division with lots of
>> know-how.
>>
>> Funds: I'll probably have to fund this myself, unless you have a better idea.
>>
>> Ideas: So far my idea is to modify an electronic keyboard (Yamaha clavinova?)
>> and use infrared beams on individual channels tying into the action of a
>> keyboard.
>>
>> Comments? Suggestions? Wild ideas?
>>
>> Thank you,
>>
>> Bob Hanson
>> -
>> Robert M. Hanson, [log in to unmask], 507-646-3107
>> Professor of Chemistry, St. Olaf College
>> 1520 St. Olaf Ave., Northfield, MN 55057
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