Bud Snead, Senior Designer, is a man of many talents. Not only is he a designer-extraordinaire, he also dabbles with calligraphy, owns a mini screen printer, and always guards “snack canyon” dutifully. Seriously though, Bud has so many interests that it was difficult to pin down what he wanted to do with Glass. Since he had recently acquired a fancy Kala KA-C Mahogany Concert Ukulele, he decided to take lessons at a local music shop. He learned all about how Ukuleles are made and even participated in a Ukulele jam session (yes, that happened). Read more:
So Bud, how was it using Google Glass during such a home-grown activity?
Overall my experience was good with this strange device stuck to my head. There were some initial questions about the device from Dean (my instructor), but after a pretty quick explanation we were off. Having him on camera didn’t seem to bother him much since he is pretty used to performing to audiences in his line of work. One thing I was disappointed by was that Glass couldn’t record what your fingers were doing when I was looking at my hands. The video recorder was recording just above my line of vision.
What ideas did you have about how Glass could be useful while learning to play an instrument?
Well right when Dean and I got started, he informed me that for the most part he plays by ear, which was great because that was the way I was hoping to learn. I think Glass could really help people learn to play by ear. The mic could detect the key things are played in, then Glass would display the notes and the tablature. After a while, the hope is that you can train your ear to go without Glass entirely to figure it all out.
What other ideas did you have?
A lot of my experience had to do with my instructor. I think it would be intriguing to do instruction using Google hangout or a video call. That way you could take lessons from anyone, anywhere, or you could continue with the same instructor if you moved somewhere else. Also, you could pump in audio accompanied with a karaoke style lyric and chord heads up display, so you could play or sing along. Obviously this last idea may make you look slightly crazy if you were in a crowd.
Just when it comes to Glass, I think the voice command function could be tweaked. I understand the nature of the voice commands, since it prevents accidental recording or interaction, but wouldn’t it be nice to set up your own shortcuts? It felt weird to say “OK Glass.” And I definitely heard a few giggles when I said it.
Yeah, that can definitely be awkward. Can you tell us about the video compilation you put together?
Capturing video from the first person vantage point is one of the simplest yet most intriguing features of Glass. So I wanted to make a compilation of my experience while I was learning to play, watching how Ukuleles are made, and during the jam session. I made sure to ask everyone in the room if it was ok if I recorded, but we are in MN, so even if they did mind they were probably too nice to say so.
Check out Bud's video below:
* Song performed by Dean R. Johnson (deanjohnsoncome
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