January 24th, 2025

Clapping Music for two flip-disc displays

The project interprets Steve Reich's "Clapping Music" with flip-disc displays, producing rhythmic sounds. Future plans include adding instruments, and the full code is available on GitHub.

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Clapping Music for two flip-disc displays

The project showcases a unique interpretation of Steve Reich's "Clapping Music" using two flip-disc displays. The creator, who has a passion for flip-disc technology, received two displays as a gift and has programmed them to show various information, including the date and weather. The displays produce distinct sounds when updating, which inspired the creator to experiment with rhythm patterns. The composition involves two performers clapping a 12-beat pattern, with one performer gradually shifting their position, creating a phasing effect. The code for the performance is straightforward, allowing for adjustments in playback speed and clap patterns. The creator notes that the different sounds produced by the two displays mimic the effect of two human performers. Future ideas for the project include incorporating additional instruments, such as desk bells, and the full code and setup instructions are available on GitHub.

- The project features a performance of Steve Reich's "Clapping Music" using flip-disc displays.

- The creator has programmed the displays to show real-time information and produce rhythmic sounds.

- The performance mimics the phasing effect of two performers clapping by using different sound timbres from the displays.

- Future enhancements may include additional instruments to complement the performance.

- The full code and setup instructions for the project are accessible on GitHub.

Link Icon 5 comments
By @smlacy - 3 months
If you're curious what a "real" performance of this piece sounds like, here's a great version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QKnUzyh84U

For me this transitioned the piece from "a fun academic exercise" to "an amazing piece of real music"

Also includes a great explanation of the piece musically.

By @dmd - 3 months
Does anyone have a display from this vendor? I’m curious whether my display code https://github.com/dmd/clack which was written for the Krush Flip Clock works. It’s also rs-485.
By @garaetjjte - 3 months
It doesn't work as well, but I tried this on split-flap display: https://milek7.pl/.stuff/splitflap_clap.mp4
By @nejsjsjsbsb - 3 months
Flip disc display version of that hard disk drive noise music you may have seen.

Very cool.

Play all the videos on that page at once!

By @Nzen - 3 months
tl;dr the author created new art [0] from flip-dot boards [1] that emphasized their sound, rather than pixel art. Some fan encouraged the author to gear the work to imitate Clapping Music [2], a 1972 clapping composition inspired by flamenco.

[0] https://ksawerykomputery.com/works/ctrl-dat

[1] https://hackaday.io/project/26233-flipclock

[2] https://soundcloud.com/uhurupeak/clapping-music