HOTBED

(Handing on tradition by electronic dissemination)

Observations of HOTBED Testing Session 2

26^th June 11am -1 pm

Practice Room, RSAMD

Dr. Margaret I. Brown, Dept of Computing Science, University of Glasgow

Introduction

The Developer of HOTBED had arranged for students who had taken part in the testing session on 24/6/03 to attend further testing sessions in a practice room with their instruments. Times had been arranged for the students to attend alone, in pairs or in threes. The evaluator attended a session on 26/6/03.

The aim of the sessions was to observe and video the students using HOTBED to learn a tune or song. Students were encouraged to talk about what they were doing and why.

Present

 

§         2 students  (no. 5 and no. 9) who were fiddle players: Paid volunteers from Year 2. One student had a fiddle which they both used.

§         Stevie Barrett: Developer

§         Margaret Brown: Independent Evaluator

§

A video recording was made of the session.

NB The computer in the first Practice Room had been stolen. The security of the computers must be tightened to ensure that students will have access to HOTBED if they book a Practice Room which they have been told has HOTBED.

The Session

The students were asked to find a tune in HOTBED and learn to play it explaining what they were doing as they went along.

The developer reported that there was much more stopping and starting when two students were present than when only one was in the room at previous testing sessions the day before.

Tune 1

HOTBED enabled the students to try to find a slow air.

They first of all searched and chose by title. Their choice turned out to be a pipe tune which they listened to but discarded as it was in b flat.

They then searched and chose by performer in order to get a fiddle tune. Their choice turned out to be a very old recording with a lot of "crackles", and again in b flat.

They searched and chose again by performer and this time got a solo fiddle tune.

The first time they listened to it the student with the fiddle very quickly started to pluck bits of the tune along to the recording. As the tune progressed, she started to play along to some of the phrases.

They decided to learn it. One student had heard it before. One had actually played it in the past.

Help required:

 

§         To replay the whole tune

§         To set the markers in order to "loop"

§         When setting new phrase to "loop", didn't realise that they could leave markers 1 and 2 set and insert marker 3

§         Problem associated with markers; "refresh" to solve this.

The students were spending a lot of time trying to figure out how the performer was playing grace notes etc. i.e. they were concentrating on style and trying different ways of getting the effect produced by the performer.. When asked if they could now play a lot of the tune, they said yes.

Tune 2

The students discussed if this is the way they would learn a tune if they were to do it again. They thought maybe they should find a tune that neither of them knew at all. 

They decided to search via fiddle tunes .

Stevie suggested they used Free Text search.  (type of tune and instrument)

They typed "jug" and "fiddle" Got all results of jig + fiddle; jig; fiddle.

Asked if they could search by time signature. Not possible.

Chose "Fallen Angel set and listened to it. Listened to 2 from set. Too fast. Would like slow down feature on HOTBED. Would be very difficult to work out grace notes etc. Tune made her want to learn it.

Chose again via fiddle tunes. Choice was a group of fiddlers and the sound quality was not very good. Again in b flat.

Search again via fiddle tunes. A very large choice.

Suggestion of a tune (Peacock) from Developer.

They listened to the tune. Student plucking some of the tune while listening. Tried playing along.

The students felt that this tune would be a big project which would take at least 2 hours to learn. Slowing down would be a great advantage.

Would improve transcription skills. Thought if you used it often enough, eventually would be able to transcribe without looping. Great for transcription Projects.

Discussion

 

§         No problem using fiddle and computer. Students reported it was much easier than using a CD player.

§         Use of message system: If everyone was using it they might use it.

§         Discussion of possible uses: discussing problems with tunes; leaving message for

§themselves re project.

§         Pro's and cons of using HOTBED along with another student

§         Training

§         Teaching using HOTBED

Conclusions

Use of HOTBED

It was apparent from this session that HOTBED can be used relatively easily to learn tunes and styles. It can be used by students on their own or with others.

 Two different ways HOTBED was used

§         To learn a new style of playing a known tune.

§         To learn a completely new tune

The students used it by:

 

§         Using one of the search facilities to access and choose tunes

§         Listening to part or the whole of a tune

§         First picking out the tune by plucking and then by playing bits while the recording was playing.

§         Discussing any difficulties

§         Setting the markers and looping, phrase by phrase. Playing along

Benefits of HOTBED

 

§         Access to many tunes, allowing student a large choice from which to choose a tune to learn.

§         Students said that they could not have learned the tune so easily from a CD as could not "loop" (e.g. listen to the same phrase over and over again without having to stop and start a recording).

§         Looping allows students to learn a new style: how grace notes are played etc.

§         To improve transcription skills.

Suggested additions to HOTBED

 

§         More videos: to see bowing and fingering techniques.

§         The ability to slow down the recording.

§         Some improvements to the navigation are necessary. (See Testing Session (IT suite) Reports.

Training

§         Some training is necessary and it has to be "hands on" training.

§         In the Technology Block (using it in a similar way to the Testing Session)

§         In the Practice Room or a group in the Tutorial Room but with all students "having a go" to learn part of a tune or style.

Teaching using HOTBED

 

§         Students did not want tutors to rely on this as a method of teaching. HOTBED is an additional resource - not a replacement

§         Suggestion that tutors might take a lesson while using HOTBED

§         Some students could be at a disadvantage if they did not have easy access to a computer.

Future use of HOTBED

HOTBED would be a very useful additional resource for students. It will however only be used by students if they perceive that it will be of benefit to them and it is easily available. "Hands-on" training will be necessary to ensure they understand its potential.