Sight-Reading for Visual Impaired Musicians Using Vibrotactiles

  • Stijn Driessens

Student thesis: Master's Thesis

Abstract

When individuals with visual impairments endeavor to study a new piece of music,
they confront several challenges. Traditional methods involve relying on residual vision,
reading braille music (which restricts simultaneous playing), or auditory feedback (limited by the musician’s absolute pitch). A promising alternative lies in combining tactile
information with audio cues. In this thesis, we outline the development of a physical
vibrotactile wearable prototype, focusing on informing musicians about the notes they
should play through tactile feedback for woodwind instruments, specifically focusing
on Ocarinas. In a user study, we investigate how accurate musicians with and without
visual impairment of varying musical backgrounds can distinguish the given vibrotactile
feedback and whether it could be a substitute for reading or hearing music.
Date of Award2024
Original languageEnglish (American)
SupervisorKathrin Probst (Supervisor)

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