Rhythm Ring

The Rhythm Ring is an interesting project by Brian Yung & Hanson Jiang (of Cornell University) that was partly inspired by my BeatBearing project. In their own words:

“The Rhythm Ring interactive rhythm sequencer is an engaging musical device that enables the user to create a plethora of rhythms and beat patterns with the touch of their own fingers.
Besides being fun to play with, the Rhythm Ring provides a tangible method of arranging a musical rhythm. In our design, the user can arrange beats and modify them in real time by moving steel ball bearings between holes—a physical representation of notes on a musical staff. The Rhythm Ring continuously loops up to three tracks, each with its own voice. A central ring of LEDs provide the user with live feedback for current “playhead” position, and bright LEDs pulse when a note is played due to a detected bearing. The three tracks allow the playback of three different percussion sounds: snare, hi-hat, and bass drum.”

I’m really pleased that one of my projects has inspired another musical instrument to be designed and built. If anyone else is doing anything similar, then please get in touch!