Gil Weinberg
Encyclopedia
Gil Weinberg is an Israel
i-born musician
and inventor of experimental musical instruments and musical robots. Weinberg is a professor of musical technology at Georgia Tech
and director of the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology.
Weinberg did his undergraduate studies in an interdisciplinary program at Tel Aviv University
with a focus on musicology
. He received a master's degree and PhD from MIT.
that "listens" to what musicians are playing and plays along with them by means of music algorithm
s programmed into it. Weinberg is also the creator of the electronic Beatbug percussion device, and Shimon, a music-playing robot that analyzes what it hears and then improvises. Shimon has been taught to improvise like some jazz
masters.
software programs.
In 1994, Weinberg began working for Music Notes, where he established the multimedia division and developed products based on optic technology for reading music.
In 2007, Weinberg founded ZOOZ Mobile, a musical software company, maker of the iPhone
music app ZOOZbeat. He currently serves as the CTO and chairman of the company, which produces a set of musical applications for cell phones that allow music to be created in an expressive and intuitive manner.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i-born musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and inventor of experimental musical instruments and musical robots. Weinberg is a professor of musical technology at Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
and director of the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology.
Biography
Gil Weinberg was born in Jerusalem and began to study piano at the age of seven. His teachers were disciplinarians who insisted on proper posture and hand position, emphasizing technique and theory at the expense of creativity. When he began composing his own music, they claimed he had no right to do so before mastering the fundamentals. His rebellion against this approach led to much of what he does today. "I'm trying to get children to be creative and expressive long before they have technique and theory," Weinberg says. "They can express themselves by pushing, pulling and other motions. Music is something you can invent and improvise with. I'm sure that this is a much better way into this world than focusing on technique and theory in the beginning."Weinberg did his undergraduate studies in an interdisciplinary program at Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
with a focus on musicology
Musicology
Musicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
. He received a master's degree and PhD from MIT.
Robotics
Together with graduate student Scott Driscoll, Weinberg created Haile, a robotRobot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
that "listens" to what musicians are playing and plays along with them by means of music algorithm
Algorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...
s programmed into it. Weinberg is also the creator of the electronic Beatbug percussion device, and Shimon, a music-playing robot that analyzes what it hears and then improvises. Shimon has been taught to improvise like some jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
masters.
Start-ups
In 1991, Weinberg and his partner Yigal Barkat founded a company called Sense Multimedia, which produced a CD-Rom edition of the Carta atlas, established The Third Ear website and developed one of the first karaokeKaraoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
software programs.
In 1994, Weinberg began working for Music Notes, where he established the multimedia division and developed products based on optic technology for reading music.
In 2007, Weinberg founded ZOOZ Mobile, a musical software company, maker of the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
music app ZOOZbeat. He currently serves as the CTO and chairman of the company, which produces a set of musical applications for cell phones that allow music to be created in an expressive and intuitive manner.