Claire, from the YouTube channel Fake It and Make It, came up with a way to make playing the guitar slightly easier for the instrumentally challenged. She used an Arduino, 3D printing and chopsticks to create the Strumbot.
Anyone who’s ever had guitar lessons knows the tedium in learning how to get both the chords perfect and the strumming down. You’ll come out from a lesson as a newbie with hand cramp and mental fatigue.
However, with a little trick invented by Claire from the YouTube channel Fake It and Make It, if you’re more computer literate than you are musically inclined, you can now program a robot to do the strumming for you.
Your hand can take a rest and you can really practice your chords. Claire explains: “I like to play music occasionally but I’m not particularly musically talented, so that’s why I decided to build something that would help me out.”
Claire invented the Strumbot which she simply sticks onto her guitar to give her hand a rest. The Strumbot consists of an Arduino, a USB powerpack, a servo, three tactile buttons along with three LEDs and a 3D printed case.
Rather than permanantly damaging the guitar, Claire opted for using “lots and lots of tape” to attach the Strumbot. Although there are only three strum patterns, Claire’s cover of Call Me Maybe is pretty cool. Check it out in the video below:
Play That Funky Music, Strumbot
The 3D printed housing holds the buttons and LEDs which are wired to some protoboard. This controls inputs which go to the Arduino. To play, it’s as simple as pressing the buttons to start and stop.
Claire also adds thanks, saying: “Adafruit.com sent me the servo for this basically because I asked really nicely so super thanks to them. Also they are a great company and I love them.”
You can change your strum pattern by choosing a different button on the 3D printed case. Claire also adds that for each song you’ll need to program different sets of rhythms. But, you’ll save time while playing in the long run.
The chopsticks then strum a pick across the strings making a surprisingly good sound. However, if you’re truly trying to get your groove on, the servo is pretty loud which may distract from your tunes.
All of the comments on Claire’s video are very positive, proving that even those who aren’t musically challenge could sometimes give their hands a break. If you want to create your own Strumbot, start by checking out the “sweet sweet code”, here.
Source: Hackaday
Website: LINK
