General introduction

The Duo is an electronic music instrument developed by Dato Musical Instruments with a strong focus on accessibility, collaboration and play.

Similar to the Drum (Dato’s drum machine), the Duo is designed for children and beginners aged 3-99 and beyond, but also offers plenty for more experienced music makers.

Dato Duo combines 8-step melodic sequencing on one side of the synth with sound manipulation on the other (timbre, note length, effects), as well as two basic drum pads for adding beats. The concept behind the synth is that it takes two players to make the most of it.

Basic operation

Musical interaction is immediate: pressing a key produces sound without the need for complex menus or setup. Moving the sliders and turning the knobs affects the sound instantly.

Playing a melody with the Duo is as simple as pressing the colourful keyboard buttons, which also “fill” the steps of the sequencer. This works even while the sequence is playing back. Pressing a step button in the circular sequencer mutes that step.

The notes of the Duo are tuned to a pentatonic scale and can be transposed up or down in semitone steps by pressing the red triangular buttons. Operating the remaining features of the Duo is largely a matter of trial and discovery —there are no errors.

Pedagogical use

Use Dato Duo, for example, for the following learning objectives:

• Exploring melodic sequences
• Understanding synthesis, timbre and sound design
• Making music collaboratively through listening, turn-taking and shared decision-making
• Creating musical structures using repetition, contrast and simple variation
• Experiencing electronic music making in an accessible DAW-less or hybrid approach

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Some ideas for how Dato’s Duo can be used in meaningful musical contexts that connect play, creativity and musical understanding:

Early years and lower primary education

• Learn about contrasts in music and sound, such as tempo, note length, pitch and timbre, and express these contrasts through movement or gestures
• Use (evolving) sounds to represent characters, movements or emotions in a classroom narrative and as an accompaniment to a picture book
• Create your own music to dance to, and perform both the music and the dance at an end-of-week assembly

Upper primary education

• Design a short musical piece to support a dance, movement sequence or school performance
• Perform a simple duet in which rhythm and melody interact and respond to each other
• Create contrasting musical sections to represent different scenes or ideas
• Reflect on how collaboration influences musical outcomes
• Create a “living sequencer” by standing in a circle and taking turns to make a sound. Let one pupil “operate” the living sequencer by muting steps in the sequence or replacing a step with a different sound. Experiment with changes in tempo, timbre or note length, or by adding an effect.

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