Singing Fingers

iPhone, iPad

Teaches: art, music, pitch, creativity

CTR Rating: 94%

CTR Review

Our testers wouldn't stop playing with Singing Fingers, a free, innovative musical drawing experience created by two MIT students. Here's how it works. Starting with a blank white screen, you drag your finger slowly across the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad's screen. A microphone is required. As you move your fingertip, you notice that your "ink" is powered by sound. The louder you sing, the fatter your line. And the color is associated with the pitch. So if you sing a scale, you make a rainbow pattern. After you've made a doodle, trace your finger back over your drawing, to hear your captured audio. If you drag quickly, you make a drawing, to play your sound back. If you trace your finger quickly, the sound plays back quickly, like fast-forwarding through a file. After you get a taste, it is hard to stop. You can draw a scene that has hidden sound effects, or make a musical keyboard where each "key" is a pitch you create. Note that this is not a quiet app, and it works best in a quiet space. In addition, while it is extremely innovative, it is a one trick pony. The app was created by doctoral students Eric Rosenbaum (who spoke at Dust or Magic 2009) and Jay Silver of the MIT Lifelong Kindergarten Group. This app is one of the best examples of synesthesia (the linking of two senses) on a touch screen we've seen.