You don't need an instrument to play music. Wave your hands

It was sometime last year, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Indian music genius AR Rahman did something with his hands that left the audience in awe. As he flapped his hands up and down, in slow mo, and moved around on stage like a ballerina, the Jai Ho hitmaker magically created melody out of thin air. Astounding! I was taken aback (watching the video on bit.ly/2o0qNAf)
as much as the audience at the CES auditorium that night.
It wasn't magic. Nor was it an illusion. The maestro simply strapped a couple of wearable devices (a contraption that looks like a smart watch) to his wrists and started playing virtual instruments in the air - like an air guitar player performing on an imaginary instrument.
A while later, Rahman was joined on stage by his long-time music partner Sivamani, a group of other 'non-instrument' players, and a choral group. Together they made some soul-stirring music as they took the maestro's Oscar-winning song from Slumdog Millionaire to another level. There was no band to back up Rahman (apart from a skeleton band). Musical instruments were magically being plucked out of thin air and layers over layers of melodies
were being created through this tiny gadget.
As fascinating and futuristic as it may look and sound, this (wearable device) would, in reality, push a lot of talented working musicians out of work and on the streets unless they are prepared to adapt to the times. This would also mean that symphony orchestras would no longer need hundreds of musicians to play Bach or Beethoven, because these miniature electronic performers are single-handedly capable of playing scores of instruments.
In all likelihood, Rahman and his ilk will soon embrace this emerging technology. After all, he is known to be a tech geek who uses technology extensively to produce his music. "Who knows, you may soon see me on stage playing music without an instrument," remarked the maestro when asked about this new gadget during his CES performance. That says it all. More will follow suit soon.
This tiny musical gadget was created by Intel Labs some time back and is called the Intel Curie. The Curie is connected wirelessly to a computer. It triggers instruments based on the performers' gestures, emotions and choice. In the case of a drummer or percussionist, he/she would have a Curie strapped to the ankles to give them more dexterity (an analogue drum consists of a minimum of eight playable surfaces).
And the best part is, a Curie will set the musician back only $10 as compared to the couple of hundred dollars you would spend on buying a real musical instrument.
If technology has its way, it's sure to make a dent in live concerts. Imagine this: You bought yourself a ticket to a much-awaited Guns N' Roses gig, and as excited as you would be to go to watch your rock heroes on stage, you'd come back swearing never to step out again for a live show. Why? Simply because all you got to see on stage was Slash flailing his arms in the air (like someone drowning in a pool, perhaps) playing solo after solo without even touching a guitar. How unexciting! But eventually, that's what you would perhaps get if you went to a rock concert in the future.
The Curie will possibly, also herald the end of skilled artisans. That dedicated tribe of craftsmen who have been labouring to produce gorgeous musical instruments over centuries - think Stradivarius violin or grand Steinway pianos. How can you do away with these legendary instruments?
It takes hours and years of dedicated practice to be able to play music at the level of, say, an AR Rahman. However, this wearable thingy is going to make all the hard work a breeze for a non-player, no more sweating it out at learning sessions. At the flip of a switch you could maybe play like Rahman, Eric Clapton or Slash. And all you would have to carry on stage with you for your performance would be a bunch of emotions (happy, angry or whatever you feel like). After all, the Curie senses emotions to create dynamics in sound.
Before all this comes to fruition, there are a few inadequacies in the Curie that Mr Smarty Pants from Silicon Valley has to perfect before we throw all musical instruments into the incinerator. For instance, during the CES performance, if you go through it with a microscope, you
will discover that the Curie has a major problem with synchronisation. The technology has yet to achieve metronome perfection. At times, the Curie delays a note or skips a beat leaving the musician
red-faced, and frankly, to a well-tuned ear, it is cacophony.
Music is art. Music is creativity. You can't just allow a couple of silicon chips to replace cognitive skills that are essential to producing music. It requires a human feel. It requires inherent talent. No matter how many programmes you feed into a chip, it cannot replace the human touch and feel. Technology must evolve and advance, but not at the cost of art and creativity.
michael@khaleejtimes.com
Michael Gomes is a wannabe music lover and an out-of-network gadget geek