Color Singer: Composing Music via the Construction of LEGO Blocks with Various Colors
Abstract: Explore the fusion of creativity, play, and music with our project, where LEGO blocks transform abstract music composition into a tangible, intuitive experience. Each color in the LEGO palette corresponds to a distinct musical note, offering the freedom to purposefully replicate sheet music or casually build, unveiling serendipitous musical surprises. We present Color Singer—a system crafted and programmed with LEGO Mindstorms, open-sourced for accessibility. Our video showcase not only explains the implementation of Color Singer but also features a charming LEGO stop-motion animation narrating the heartwarming story of the Color Singer saving love. Join us in this innovative journey, where the tangible world of LEGO meets the abstract realm of music composition.
a) Overview of the Color Singer. It is constructed and programmed using LEGO Mindstorms. b) Core components:Two LEGO NXT controllers, four stop (touch) sensors, one light (brightness) sensor, two motors. c) We utilize the light sensorto test LEGO blocks of various colors. After testing, we select 8 colors approximately evenly distributed across the readingranges. These colors represent musical notes, spanning from rest, do to ti. Alternatively, one can use drawn color blocks withcorresponding brightness to represent notes. d) Music can be built using LEGO blocks, termed "Block Music," or painted withdiferent colors, ensuring the brightness matches the desired sensor readings. e) Once the block music is ready, place it in theColor Singer, activate the NXT controllers, and the sensor will move in an S path. The Singer will play a quarter note for eachblock the sensor reads. Here we provide an example of sensor reading results and the program for converting brightness tonotes. And it can be a lot of fun to casually build or draw something even if you have limited knowledge of music. Just give it atry, and you might be pleasantly surprised by the music.