iPhone orchestras popping up at universities
The Ocarina application by Smule turns any iPhone into an ancient instrument not unlike a flute. Now students around the world are forming mobile phone orchestras to showcase their talent with the miniature musical instruments.
The ensembles have begun popping up at universities like Stanford, the University of Michigan and worldwide in Berlin and Helsinki. Collectively known as MoPho (mobile phone) orchestras, the groups are turning heads with their unlikely choice of instruments.
To play the Ocarina, iPhone users download the application, place their fingers over certain areas of the screen and blow across the phone’s microphone. This application allows iPhone owners to create a broad range of notes that can be used to play almost anything.
Stanford’s MoPho orchestra has used this method to play a digital rendition of songs like Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven. Other songs by the Stanford group also include digital music samples of anything from raindrops to highway traffic.
The group started at Stanford two years ago and a cofounder went on to start a similar ensemble at the University of Michigan. The University of Michigan’s MoPho orchestra just performed its first concert at the school.
In concert, the students wear fingerless gloves that include speakers to amplify their devices. This way the students can play loud enough for the audience to hear without plugging every device into one loudspeaker.
Some believe that this digitally created will never live up to the potential of a traditional orchestra. Stephen Tramontozzi of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music doesn’t see the iPhone creating such visceral reactions as a full orchestra.
Even so, some students believe the iPhone is a great way to practice their music when they otherwise couldn’t. While it’s not practical to lug a bass or piano on the subway, an iPhone is almost always within reach of its owner.
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