PROJECT 02 ^^^

Reflection.

Looking back over the project I think I would like to have improved some things and maybe add some things I didn't have time to add. If I had had more time I think I would have tried to find a way of incorporating the different material so that the project was taken away from the sort of Instrument that it now is. also the idea of colour coding the interactive points, I began to do this but I ran out of time. I managed to cover the arrows but the tuning peg and pick are a slightly different colour. the string I would have liked to have matched.

Final Device - the 'String Control' - Basic Instructions

• Hold the device as you feel comfortable, generally you have one hand where you can pluck the string and the other where you can bend the string or move the slider.
•  Use your finger (or guitar pick) to pluck the string either side of the slider. 
• Between or during plucking, move the slider back and forth along the neck to change the length and output of the string. Move the slider side to side to bend the string and the sound it outputs. 
• If you wish, use your non-plucking hand to bend the string on one side as you pluck the other.
•  Also adjust tuning peg as you wish to get more variation

Final Device - the 'String Control' - User Experience

The aim of the ‘String Control’ is to be able to manipulate the string to create different sounds and to activate ones sense of hearing. When Using this device the user should be able to find ways of changing elements to control the output when played. Moving the slider up and down, and side to side, the user is able discover different sounds as the use a pick to pluck the string. The string on either side of the Instrument is able to be played, giving different sounds depending how far the slider is along the neck. Also by applying different amounts of pressure to the string opposite to the side being plucked the user is able further able to manipulate the tone and consistency of the sound. With the addition of a tuning peg the user is able to tune the string as they desire. With the ability manipulate the hearing output in so many ways; the ‘String Control’ gives the user a fun filled experience that could keep anyone entertained for hours and allows creativity through the sense of hearing.

Final Device - the 'String Control' - Images

 An over view of the device.

Focus's on the detail of the tuning peg as an important part of the device.

Shows a possible way to hold and suggests the sliders movement up and down the neck.

Focusing in on the ability to bend the string at will.

Showing the sliders ability to move side to side.

Resolution - Discovering the Excitement

With the below problems being major hurdles, I decided to discard them completely. This decision was aided by my discovery that although the foam muffled the scraping of the materials, plucking the strings with either fingers or a guitar pick created quite tuneful notes. I spent quite allot of time mucking around on it, I found that moving the slider up and down change they key either side of the string, moving it side to side would give a vibrato effect. Also something I found by mucking around was that when plucking one side, if you put pressure on the other side you can change the pitch and if you do it fast you can create the vibrato effect once more.

Problems

Different Materials

Materials; Metal, Plastic and Sandpaper

With lots of new ideas, I went back down to the workshop a made the head, I managed to to successfully attach the peg and get it working. I trialled this with the trial metal piece on top, and it worked but not the way I had hoped, it made a rather annoying fingernail on chalkboard type sound. I then trialled this with plastic and wood covered in sandpaper. They did the same thing, the sounds were noticeably different but just as annoying. Also it wasn't as smooth a transition between materials as I had imagined, it would continually get caught and just bend the string to the side.

Adding Foam

I took Paul's advice which I discussed with Byron who agreed, and I added Foam. I cut pieces of foam for either side of the neck as it slid through the slider. I used glue so that it would hold, At first I thought it had worked rather well and in many ways it may have worked out for the better. The Foam helped center the slider which could still move side to side as the foam would just compact. But to make adjustments I had taken off the string and when I put it back on a tightened it, the foam I discovered muffled the sounds that the slider made when it actually scraped along the string.

Talking to Paul

In the tutor mix up studio, I discussed my concepts and my plans with Paul, we looked at what I had and he made some suggestions. looking at my development sketches, one of my diagrams had arrows showing what it did, he suggested actual using something like that on my actual model, he said it give users more of an Idea what to do, he said to make it colour coded and said to use it on the points of interaction, he suggested making the tuning peg corresponding as it too can manipulate the sound output. The slider which I already had was very loose and as Paul pointed out made allot of racket, he made a suggesting of pointing some type of very soft foam so that it wouldn't move around so much and so that the wood wouldn't make noise when it slid around.

 I made some quick sketches to see how these might work.

Planning Continues

After leaving the workshop, I went around the music shops looking for tuning pegs. The first place I went didn't have any in stock, but then I went to music works and they had a whole range, they had old school pegs and new modern pegs, I ended up going for the modern ones as it looked more reliable, but now looking back I think that the old school one might have looked allot better aesthetically with the wood that I used. I also bought an acoustic low E string as I thought this would have the loudest sound compared to other strings.

Low E String                                       Tuning Peg

After finding the String and the Peg I made a very quick sketch of what it might look like.

My plan was to have the Tuning peg out the end of this guitar head like looking thing. Using the same wood I would slope the wood to make sharp cool looking head.

Construction Begins

On a Thursday I pretty much have the whole day off, so I was able to spend almost the entire day in the workshop, this gave me time to make mistakes and think about them and work out how I would do it. After coming up with the basic shape I began work on the parts on which I knew what I was doing. I began construction on the base/Neck and the Slider (as I decided to call it).
 This took allot longer than originally planned as I messed up numerous times, and ended up changing woods for the slider. The wood I had used at the end of the neck I thought left a well finished look that I really liked. i decided to use this same wood for the Slider. I had some Ideas for the rest but I knew that before I began planning I would need to go out the rest of the needed bits and pieces such as a tuning peg and a guitar string.

Slider  & Trial Metal                                Base/Neck       .

In the picture above, the slider has a trial metal price on it just to trial what it might sound like once I had the string connected.

Construction Plan

I went down to the first year workshop to start the actual construction, I spent the first half hour just looking at the wood I had and coming up with a plan, getting the measurements and drawing up what I was going to do. (below)

This was the sketch I made in the workshop, however along the way, measurements keep changing so these aren't the final measurements.

New Developments

After discussing my concept with my tutor, we decided to slightly change the output of my interaction. Instead of having a string that you pluck, we would make the output do no with the string scraping along a certain material. we came up with the idea of having different materials that we would be able to change between to slide along the string. I did a few sketches and this is what I came up with.

My sketches show the idea of as well as moving the up and down the instrument you would move it side to side to change between materials. The idea was to have 3 different materials, i though mainly of using metal, glass and then either plastic of wood. I also began thing about how I would actually make this thing, so above is a more practical way for me to make a manageable item.

PROJECT ONE: PART B ^^^