The secret life of computers

This video retraces our serendipitous discovery of a particular function of laptops and mobile devices: doing "computer music" by reusing and augmenting existing instrumental gestures. We illustrate the potential of portable devices for expressive musical control as wind and percussive instruments, first individually, then in a collective performance. Most uses of computers in music follow the traditional view that built-in input devices are vectors for graphical interaction, and while several attempts have reminded us that portable devices could be hijacked for direct musical performance, none have led to the degree of expressivity that is demonstrated here. This is the result of a design approach emphasizing musician-instrument interaction as an embodied activity. Besides confirming the adequacy of standard personal computing equipment for musical performance, this video shows a successful example of repurposing existing technologies.