Playing Ableton Live with a Bicycle and the GMS

Inspired by Frank Zappa's TV appearance where he plays a bicycle as an instrument, I attached some lights to my wheel and pointed my video camera at it, using John Keston's GMS software to turn the light information into MIDI information. The whole thing then runs through Ableton Live, and can control any synthesizer or percussion instrument that uses MIDI. The notes are constrained to a range and scale you define, but the light keeps the input at least somewhat random. The music you hear is made up almost entirely of patterns recorded from the bike, except for the kick drum (by Apparat) and the Laurie Anderson sample. It's surprisingly usable as an instrument.

Head over to audiocookbook.org to get the free Gestural Music Sequencer software and get cycling.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• GMS
• Minneapolis

[ostrakamusic]

Just revisited this. Nice one, Chris!