The musical scale we use today is not as natural as we might think it is. Our scale, known as 12 Tone Equal Temperament, is slightly out of tune when compared to the natural harmonic scale (known as Just Tuning or Just Intonation). This website has a nice example showing the difference between the two tuning scales.
The device I hope to create is informed by Pauline Oliveros' concept of "deep listening." The device, based on my accordion, will listen to the sounds in the room and attempt to "sing along" with them. Sensors in the room will determine what tones are produced by the accordion in response to what it hears. This device would produce a music of observation - a music formed by watching and listening to what is happening in the area. Some behaviours might be built into the device playing on the concept of the "evil" accordion. It may become nervous and angry when it senses many people near it, producing music filled with dissonance and minor chords. When the deep listening device thinks it is alone, it might produce beautiful harmonies with what it hears. A light sensor placed in the window could be used to detect the weather and time of day, which would further inform the accordion about what notes it should play.
There will be quite a bit of work involved in automating the accordion. I will need to find at least 24 solenoids to operate the white keys of the accordion (plus 17 more if I am able to operate the black keys as well). I will also need to build a new set of bellows that could be operated by a motor.
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