Tremolo-Harp: A Vibration-Motor Actuated Robotic String Instrument

Steven Kemper

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract:

The Tremolo-Harp is a twelve-stringed robotic instrument, where each string is actuated with a DC vibration motor to produce a mechatronic “tremolo” effect. It was inspired by instruments and musical styles that employ tremolo as a primary performance technique, including the hammered dulcimer, pipa, banjo, flamenco guitar, and surf rock guitar. Additionally, the Tremolo-Harp is designed to produce long, sustained textures and continuous dynamic variation. These capabilities represent a different approach from the majority of existing robotic string instruments, which tend to focus on actuation speed and rhythmic precision. The composition Tremolo-Harp Study 1 (2019) presents an initial exploration of the Tremolo-Harp’s unique timbre and capability for continuous dynamic variation.

Citation:

Steven Kemper. 2020. Tremolo-Harp: A Vibration-Motor Actuated Robotic String Instrument. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4813369

BibTeX Entry:

  @inproceedings{NIME20_57,
 abstract = {The Tremolo-Harp is a twelve-stringed robotic instrument, where each string is actuated with a DC vibration motor to produce a mechatronic “tremolo” effect. It was inspired by instruments and musical styles that employ tremolo as a primary performance technique, including the hammered dulcimer, pipa, banjo, flamenco guitar, and surf rock guitar. Additionally, the Tremolo-Harp is designed to produce long, sustained textures and continuous dynamic variation. These capabilities represent a different approach from the majority of existing robotic string instruments, which tend to focus on actuation speed and rhythmic precision. The composition Tremolo-Harp Study 1 (2019) presents an initial exploration of the Tremolo-Harp’s unique timbre and capability for continuous dynamic variation.  },
 address = {Birmingham, UK},
 author = {Kemper, Steven},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.4813369},
 editor = {Romain Michon and Franziska Schroeder},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {July},
 pages = {301--304},
 publisher = {Birmingham City University},
 title = {Tremolo-Harp: A Vibration-Motor Actuated Robotic String Instrument},
 url = {https://www.nime.org/proceedings/2020/nime2020_paper57.pdf},
 year = {2020}
}