Helen Pridmore is a vocalist that uses new methods and different technological innovations to enhance her voice and create new sounds, and also to enhance her personal performance. Trained in classical music, she now performs a lot of contemporary and avant-garde songs. She uses electronics, gadgets and software to explore what the sound of her voice can create. For example, using looping software or effects during live performance. Helen Pridmore has also participated in projects such as Andrea Molino's "there is no why here" performance. For this show, hundreds of individuals recorded themselves singing in a video and sent it in. The final performance consisted of live performers as well as projected faces of the participants in the project, who were not actually there, but whose faces and voices were still part of the final product. This is an example of creative technologies used in performance.
David Gerhard is a computer science professor, and he uses creative tech with music quite differently. While Helen Pridmore uses technology as recording or performance tool, Gerhard actually explores new interfaces and ways to create musical instruments.
In his Ted Talk (viewing it is advised-- Gerhard is a great lecturer!) he explores the idea of musical virtuosity and a possible "shortcut": an isomorphic keyboard, which his company built and dubbed the Rainboard. It can be seen in the video, but the Rainboard is so fantastic that it deserves its own spotlight.
Pridmore uses technology to add to her vocal performance. Gerhard creates technology that tweaks existing instruments and improves upon them. Interestingly, both lecturers used an example of creative technologies as shown by Stevie Wonder: the Talkbox.
Pridmore described the Talkbox in terms of performance. How it works is that the Talkbox connects to Stevie Wonder's keyboard, and sound travels up through the plastic tube in his mouth. The singer can change the shape of their mouth to form the lyrics, but the sound comes from the keyboard, not the vocal chords. Therefore, the singer can create a wide variety of sounds and at a much larger range. Gerhard talked more in depth about the engineering of the Talkbox, and showed a diagram explaining how the sound travels through the instrument and body. It was interesting to hear about the same technique from two different musical perspectives: art/performance vs. science/technology.
Creative use of technology has already made a huge impact on the music scene. There are many artists who depend on electronics for their sound. Artists like Skrillex and Daft Punk use a lot of creative tech in their music. (Check them out!).
I think that this is another area, similar to video projection, that grew and continues to grow with new technology. People have been making music for hundreds of years. Today, there are a million different techniques and genres that allow musicians to form their own sound. And if none of those work for you, the art world dictates that you can create something new.
