Instruments
ReHarp
The ReHarp is a digital musical instrument designed in consultation with patients and staff at the Nell Gwynne stroke ward at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. On the ward, regular music sessions are a popular and engaging activity. Playing an instrument can encourage useful muscle exercises, or stimulate parts of the brain related to hearing, vision and speech, aiding in recovery and rehabilitation. The Occupational Therapists on the ward challenged us to design an instrument which would seamlessly integrate into ongoing musical activities on the ward, while supporting upper-limb exercises such as whole arm extension and individual finger tapping.
We designed an instrument comprising 78 brass rods embedded into a hexagonal wooden enclosure. Each brass piece is connected to a Bela Trill, which senses touch. The Trill is then connected to a Bela Mini, which translates touch input into sounds. In this way, players can ‘strum’ across the bars, or tap individual pieces. The instrument was designed to meet several requirements: its size supports whole arm extension, while the touch sensitivity allows for even very light touch to trigger a sound. A major component of our design approach was to create an instrument which was engaging and ‘instrument-like’, without appearing too ‘clinical’.
The ReHarp was created in collaboration with Andrew Hall, CW+, and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
Read more about the instrument on the Nordoff & Robbins blog.
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