Measuring lips control on flute-like instruments using active vision

Abstract

Flute-like instruments operate under a feedback system between an air jet and a resonator. The characteristics of the air jet and its interaction with the resonator are defined by construction in some flute-like instruments such as the organ pipes, or completely determined by the musician's control like in the Shakuhachi, panpipe or transverse flute. In this article a lips reconstruction system based on active vision using laser grid triangulation has been designed and implemented. The technology developed makes possible to measure, with a precision of a fraction of a millimeter, the subtle gestures manipulated by the flautist while playing his instrument, revealing a promising tool to further understand the complexity of the human control in this popular family of instruments. © 2013 Acoustical Society of America.