Interactive Multimedia Karaoke for Traditional Popular Instruments - the Drum House

摘要

In Portugal some municipalities have very peculiar cultural traditions and cultural heritage manifestations that must be preserved for future generations and explored in the context of a new kind of tourist offers, typically in the interior part of the countries. These traditions are more and more asked for by a new kind of tourists looking for culture. One example of such cultural traditions are the drummer groups which are responsible for the animation of popular festivities and celebrations. One group of instruments consists of three bass drums, two snare drums, and one flute (figure 1). All drums are handcrafted in a traditional way and used in a peculiar manner that can be considered as a kind of ritual. All these traditions, having their roots in certain regions, should be preserved and passed on whether to tourists, local citizens, or future generations. The new multimedia and communication technologies are particularly suited for this aim. Having this in mind, the Fundao municipality has decided to perpetuate the tradition by creating the "Drum House" (Casa do Bombo), including the drum museum and a multimedia application called the "Drum Karaoke". This application is expected to serve for edutainment, enabling the visitors to feel the experience of playing the drum, but also serving as a place for teaching music and musical instruments.