Points node
Hands to Notes
The air harp: plays the Vision Hands structure directly. Each string is an octave; a fingertip crossing one plucks it (crossing speed = velocity, a sweep is an arpeggio), a thumb-index pinch catches a string and rides the scale along X with chromatic bends on the vertical pull, and all fingertips gathered play as one bass pick two octaves down. The left hand's X transposes the harp. Everything lands on one Scale + Root -- always harmonic. Cable Notes into a Synth or MIDI Sender, Image onto a Canvas.
Inputs
| Port | Type | Default |
|---|---|---|
| HandsThe tracked hands to play. Connect the Hands structure from Vision tracking — wrists and fingertips are what the harp reads. | json | — |
| EnableOff silences the harp and drops every voice that is still sounding. | bool | true |
| ScaleThe scale every string is quantised to, so whatever the hands do stays harmonic. Values outside the list fall back to Minor Pentatonic. | int | 0 |
| RootThe key the scale is built on, C through B. Values outside 0…11 wrap around the octave. | int | 0 |
| Low NoteLowest MIDI note the harp may reach. Clamped to 0…127; if it lands above High Note the two swap. | int | 36 |
| High NoteHighest MIDI note the harp may reach. Clamped to 0…127; if it lands below Low Note the two swap. | int | 96 |
| SensitivityHow little fingertip motion is needed to pluck a string. Clamped to 0…1; high catches a gentle pass, low waits for a deliberate flick. | float | 0.5 |
| SmoothSmoothing time for the Bend and Energy outputs. Clamped to 0…1, where 1 is about a third of a second of lag and 0 is instant but twitchy. | float | 0.25 |
| StringsHow many strings hang across the view. Clamped to 1…12; more strings compress the spacing inside the central band. | int | 6 |
| VoicingThe chord the strings spell out, so any sweep lands as harmony — or None for plain scale steps. Values outside the list fall back to Octaves. | int | 0 |
| Flip HandsSwaps the roles so the right hand becomes the chord hand that transposes the harp. For left-handed players. | bool | false |
| RingHow long a plucked string keeps sounding, in seconds. Clamped to 0.05…4; the gathered-hand bass pick rings half again as long. | float | 0.5 |
| ReleaseHow long a caught string keeps ringing after the pinch lets go, in seconds. Clamped to 0.05…8. | float | 1.5 |
| Show GuidesDraws the strings, fingertips and pluck waves into the Image output. Turn it off for a clean picture. | bool | true |
Outputs
| Port | Type |
|---|---|
| Notes | float |
| Bend | float |
| Energy | float |
| Count | int |
| Trigger | bool |
| Image | image |
| Width | float |
| Height | float |
How It Works
Hands to Notes is an air harp: it plays a Vision Hands structure directly, without a cloud in between. The frame is divided into strings, each string an octave step of the chosen scale, and a fingertip crossing one plucks it — crossing SPEED becomes velocity, so a caress is quiet and a sweep is loud.
A pinch grabs the nearest string: while pinched you can ride it and bend the pitch (the Bend output follows), and the grip survives occlusion, so a hand rotating away does not drop the note. A gathered hand plays a bass pick. The left hand can re-crown the chord voicing while the right plays.
Use Cases
- Instrument installations — a camera, a projection and no hardware.
- Performance layer — play a Modular System live over a Composer-driven arrangement.
- Visual feedback — the Image output draws the strings, ripples and halo on the GPU, ready for a Canvas.
Tips
- Flip Hands when the camera is mirrored, so left and right roles match the performer.
- Ring and Release shape how long a plucked string sounds after the finger leaves it.
- Pair with a soft instrument (Aura Synth bowls, Drone Synth) for an expressive, forgiving result.
Open Hands to Notes in the interactive catalog →
Hands to Notes is one of 381 nodes in Grafit Pro.
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