A group of US students will soon be performing their debut ‘iPhone orchestra’. They have all made special iPhone apps some of which sound similar to normal instruments, and some don’t. The iPhone musical instruments can be controlled using various features that the iPhone has like the microphone, touchscreen or accelerometer. According to the BBC, the students will be performing their unique concert on 9th December. This comes after a three month couse led by Georg Essl, an Austrian computer scientist and musician. There has been music made by computers and gadgets for a relatively long time, but this concert will feature only iPhone apps created by the performers.
I don’t know how it will sound, but it’s definitely a new approach to music. I like the concept that a few smartphones and speakers will perhaps be able to replace a traditional orchestra. It not only shows how technology is really advancing, but it also shows how people are using tech in creative and original ways. Something else I admire is that these musicians haven’t just composed their music, but many of them have entirely invented new instruments. They had to decide what a tilt means and what a tap does all from scratch. The article on BBC’s technology page also states that technology is becoming increasingly important and useful in music. For example, smartphone music or tuner apps are amazingly popular. The picture isn’t one of the orchestra’s apps, just a standard iPhone instrument.