Preservation and extension of traditional techniques:Digitizing North Indian performance

Abstract

This article describes systems for capturing gestures from a performing artist playing North Indian instruments. Modified traditional instruments use sensor technology and microcontrollers to digitize performance, enabling a computer to synthesize sound and generate 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). The article discusses how these instruments are modified to capture gestural movement, how these signals are mapped to sounds and graphical feedback, and gives examples of the new instruments being used in live performance. Modified performance techniques with the aid of a laptop computer are introduced; however, the hardware is built to try and preserve the techniques passed down from generations of tradition.