Read Part I first!

​The Workshop

Phase I: Play with the MaKey MaKey to figure out how it works

The kits vary somewhat, but all should have something resembling the photo below: (1) the MaKey MaKey itself, (2) a usb cable to connect it to your computer, (3) alligator clips, and (4) connector wires. 

1. Do: Let's get these things plugged in and working!

So what does this thing do? Not much, and yet, so much at the same time. It tells your computer, "Hey, I'm a keyboard! You can use me instead of the arrows keys, some of the letter keys (W, A, S, D, F, G), the space bar, and the mouse click."

​​The classic example is to use a banana as a spacebar, but anything that conducts electricity can be used as a substitute. Let's see if you and your group members can quickly make a space bar with one of the materials you brought to the workshop. Start by going to the official MaKey MaKey 'how-to' guide CLICK HERE and follow the first 5 steps.

Fun, right? You've now learned how the MaKey MaKey works and there's not that much more to it. What makes it truly cool is you and we'll be harnessing our collective coolness to create musical instruments in the second phase, but first let's figure out how to get these things to make sound.

2. Do: CLICK HERE and choose any one of the software instruments. If you still have your spacebar connected you should be able to generate sound immediately. Now it's time to get out those alligator clips and add more buttons for more sounds.​ I recommend that you demonstrate you understand how to trigger multiple sounds with multiple buttons by making the following:

• bongos (2 buttons)
• 5-key piano (5 buttons)
• Synthesizer (Use at least 8 buttons)

Note: I have yet to specify how to go about designing the physical music interface itself for any of the above examples. I'll cover my strategies for this in the next post. For now, I'm mostly concerned with making sure that participants grasp how the MaKey MaKey can be used to produce sounds.

Adding Complexity: Programming Customized Sounds with Scratch, Soundplant, and Max

Scratch

Scratch is a free programming language we can use to customize the sounds our instruments produce. Start by going to the Scratch site scratch.mit.edu and create a free account so that you can save your work. Below I've provided step-by-step screenshots to show how to use the sounds in Scratch (or how to record your own in scratch) so that you can trigger them with a MaKey MaKey.

1. Do: Turn your MaKey MaKey into a meow machine:

2. Do: record your own sounds:

3. Do: make a simple drum machine:

Soundplant

Soundplant, "the computer keyboard sound triggering software," seems like it ought to be the perfect match for the MaKey MaKey, and in many ways it is. For starters, it's free (!) and you can get it here. ​

There are two things I do with Soundplant. The first is to simply assign sounds to keys. I've provided two screenshots below to outline how to do this.

To add a level of complexity, you can take one sound sample and assign it to a key using Soundplant, and then assign it to more keys but with a different pitch. For example, in theory you could recreate the sound of an entire piano by only sampling one key/pitch. 

In the example below, I assign a sample to one key and then shift it up by semitones across two more keys so that I can trigger F, F#, and G major chords.

Preamble: I've done a lot of MaKey MaKey music instrument invention workshops over the past few years and my hope is that this series of posts will provide the same information to learners that I do in person. Please feel free to get in touch if anything I've written doesn't make sense or I can help you in any way: adam.bell@ucalgary.ca

Pre-Workshop: The first step is to come prepared...

1. Household Stuff

The adage, "many hands make light work," is apt for a music instrument invention workshop using MaKey MaKeys. In short, if everyone brings a few things we'll have lots of resources with which to tinker. Many materials will work with a MaKey MaKey, but only if they can conduct an electric current. Below are a few ideas/suggestions:

Here is what the people at MaKey MaKey say on their website:

Conductive Materials
Here are a few things to try:

• Most fruits and vegetables work great.
• Lots of other foods work too. We've tried marshmallows, gummy candies, macaroni and cheese, cupcakes, shrimp, and lots of other things.
• Plants can work too. Try some leaves or flowers, but nothing too dry.
• Play-Doh, Model Magic and other clays work very well as long as they stay moist.
• People are conductive! Connect one person to ground, and another to an input, and you can trigger sounds when they high-five.
• Graphite from a pencil can work. Make thick, dark lines, and be sure to draw on a smooth surface.
• Foil and other metal objects will work. Try out coins, magnets, nuts and bolts, forks and knives, or pots and pans.

Beyond conductive materials, it's helpful to have connecting materials like tape, glue, and string.

Again, a few more tips from the MaKey MaKey people:
​​
Craft Materials
When you're inventing, anything goes! Here are a few things we have enjoyed using:

Inflatable beach balls, paper plates, cardboard boxes, various types of soft and rigid foam, lego bricks, plastic storage boxes, stuffed animals and other toys, funny hats and other pieces of clothing, sheets of fabric, string, yarn, elastic, and paper.

It's also important to have around some tools for cutting, like scissors and exacto knives, and ways to stick things together, like hot glue, superglue, various kinds of tape, and clips or clamps.

2. Computers and an internet connection

If you have a laptop please bring it. We'll be using browser-based software, which is free and requires no downloading, but an internet connection is required.

3. Excitement! 

Here are a few videos to check out that will hopefully get you excited about the possibilities of what we can make together: