REVIEW 2 major objections 5 minor 41 references
Building music with Lego bricks and Raspberry Pi
T0 review · 2 major / 5 minor · reviewed 2026-08-12 · deepseek-v4-flash
Pith's one-line read Stacking Lego bricks composes playable music, no notation required
desk verdict A genuinely new Lego-based music construction hardware prototype, clearly documented, but the note-detection reliability under stated resistor tolerances is unproven and the usability claims rest on anecdote. read the letter →
The pith
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
The reading
What carries the argument
The load-bearing mechanism is the parallel-resistance pitch encoder: modified Lego bricks containing $50\,\mathrm{k}\Omega$ resistors produce an equivalent resistance $Z_2 = 50/n\,\mathrm{k}\Omega$ when $n$ bricks are stacked, and with $Z_1 = 10\,\mathrm{k}\Omega$ the output voltage $V_{\mathrm{out}} = V_{\mathrm{in}} Z_2/(Z_1+Z_2)$ is read by an MCP3008 10-bit ADC. Decision intervals defined around each ideal digital output code, with half-distances to neighboring codes, assign each stack height to one of eleven notes despite resistor tolerance. Standard MIDI messages generated by three Raspberry Pi units and synchronized by a MIDI clock carry the result to a sound card, while SN74LS151N and SN74LS157 multiplexers expand the limited GPIO inputs to handle the 64-button beatbox and the 32 melody positions.
What would settle it
Take stacks of 1 to 11 bricks whose resistors sit at their tolerance extremes (roughly 55 kΩ and 45 kΩ for a nominal 50 kΩ), measure the ADC output code for each stack, and check whether every code falls inside the Eq. (4) interval for its intended note; any code landing in a neighbor's interval falsifies the pitch encoding. A simpler behavioral test is to build the same tower twice with the same bricks and confirm the same note sounds both times despite stacking variability.
Extended reading notes
Core claim
The central discovery is a way to encode musical pitch in the physical height of a stack of Lego pieces. Each customized brick contains a $50\,\mathrm{k}\Omega$ resistor wired so that stacking $n$ bricks puts $n$ resistors in parallel, giving equivalent resistance $Z_2 = 50/n\,\mathrm{k}\Omega$; with a fixed $Z_1 = 10\,\mathrm{k}\Omega$, a voltage divider produces $V_{\mathrm{out}} = V_{\mathrm{in}} \, Z_2/(Z_1+Z_2)$, which a 10-bit MCP3008 ADC converts to a digital code. Decision intervals computed from the ideal codes for the eleven notes from $C_4$ to $B_4$, with boundaries halfway to the neighboring codes, absorb the 5\% resistor tolerance of the bricks and the 10\% tolerance of the reference resistor, so each stack height selects one note. Two additional rows of bricks choose minor or major chord accompaniment, a beatbox with $16 \times 4$ illuminated buttons builds a percussion pattern, and the entire sequence is emitted as standard MIDI and played through a VST instrument. The paper therefore claims that the height of a tower of bricks is a complete, audible musical notation.
Load-bearing premise
The load-bearing premise is that stacked modified Lego bricks make reliable electrical contact and that the 5% and 10% resistor tolerances keep every measured voltage inside the correct note's decision interval defined by Eq. (4); if contact resistance or tolerance overlap misclassifies a stack, the melody box plays the wrong pitch and the usability claim collapses.
Editorial extensions
If this is right
- A person who cannot read music can construct a melody by stacking bricks and hear the result immediately, with no notation and no computer screen.
- A photograph of the finished Lego construction is a score: the melody, chords, and rhythm pattern can be saved, shared, and rebuilt later.
- The modular architecture means the same system works as a full band, a standalone beatbox, or a standalone melody box, broadening its use in classrooms and therapy.
- Because the output is standard MIDI, the same brick composition can be played with any instrument sound by changing the MIDI channel, without rebuilding the towers.
- The authors identify direct applications in children's motor and cognitive stimulation, postoperative pain reduction, autism inclusion, and elderly occupational therapy.
Reading between the lines
- Editorial extension: the pitch-by-height encoding is not limited to eleven notes; choosing different resistor values or adding ADC channels would extend the same interaction to larger intervals or microtonal scales.
- Editorial extension: the fact that the construction is itself a score suggests a testable educational hypothesis — that tangible Lego composition teaches pitch and rhythm concepts faster than a screen-based piano roll, something the paper reports anecdotally but does not measure.
- Editorial extension: because the boxes communicate over standard MIDI, the melody and beatbox units could presumably drive any MIDI-capable sound source or sequencer, not only the VST chain used here, making the bricks a general-purpose tangible controller.
- Editorial extension: cascading several melody boxes for longer compositions would require hardware redesign of the controllers and multiplexing, as the paper notes, so multi-user and long-form composition remain open engineering problems.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper describes a tangible music-construction system in which modified Duplo bricks are stacked on a custom board to create melodies, chords, and percussion. Pitch is encoded by stacking bricks that contain parallel resistors; a voltage divider and an MCP3008 ADC convert the resulting resistance into a MIDI note. Three Raspberry Pi–based modules (synchronism box, beatbox, melody box) communicate over MIDI to produce a complete musical arrangement. The paper claims the system is modular, intuitive, easy to use, and useful for music learning, citing demonstrations at Transfiere 2020.
Significance. The hardware documentation is a genuine strength: the paper provides part numbers, schematics, voltage-divider equations, and demonstrations on external melodies such as 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' and 'Frère Jacques'. If the reliability and usability claims are substantiated, this would be a low-cost, screen-free tangible music-education interface with a strong constructionist appeal. In its current form, however, the central claims rest on anecdotal user feedback and on an unvalidated tolerance margin in the pitch-detection circuit.
major comments (2)
- [§2.4.2, Eq. (4)] The decision rule in Eq. (4) uses intervals centered on ideal DOC values, but the stated resistor tolerances (5% for Lego pieces, 10% for the reference resistor) make adjacent intervals overlap for stacks of n=3 and n=4. With Z1 at its low extreme (9 kΩ) and a 4-brick stack at its high extreme (52.5/4 kΩ), Eqs. (2)–(3) give DOC ≈ 607, above the mid-point 604.4 between the ideal D4 and D#4 codes; conversely, a 3-brick stack with Z1 high (11 kΩ) and Z2 low (47.5/3 kΩ) gives DOC ≈ 604, below the same boundary. The paper provides no calibration, no margin analysis, and no measured distribution of DOC values, so the central interaction claim—that stacking bricks reliably produces the intended note—is not established by the design. Please add either a worst-case tolerance/margin analysis or empirical ADC measurements across the full 1-to-11 stack range.
- [§3] The usability and learning claims are supported only by informal comments from attendees at Transfiere 2020. No sample size, recruitment method, age distribution, task protocol, or quantitative results are reported; statements such as 'All the participants testing this system found it appealing and easy to use' cannot be verified. Since the abstract asserts that 'Tests have demonstrated its versatility and ease of use, as well as its usefulness in music learning for both children and adults,' either a structured evaluation must be added or the claims must be substantially tempered. As written, the evaluation section does not meet the evidentiary standard for the paper's stated conclusions.
minor comments (5)
- [§2.3] The text says the beatbox is 'divided into tree blocks'; this should be 'three blocks', and the cross-references 'described in Sect. , and Figs. and ' have missing numbers.
- [§2.4.1, Eq. (1)] Equation (1) as typeset ('Z2( KQ) = N50KQ') is ambiguous; it should read Z2 = 50/n kΩ. Please correct the notation.
- [§2.4.2, Eq. (4)] Equation (4) has lost formatting and is hard to parse; please rewrite it with explicit lower and upper bounds for the decision interval.
- [§3, Figs. 19–20] Figure 19's caption refers to 'Little start' and Figure 20's caption to 'FrA're Jacques'; these should be 'Little Star' and 'Frère Jacques'.
- [§2.4.3] The sentence 'The system as it is built does not allow for immediate expansion' is a useful limitation statement, but it would be more visible in the Conclusions or in a dedicated limitations paragraph.
Circularity Check
No significant circularity: the pitch encoding is a physical voltage divider read by an ADC, and the system is demonstrated on external melodies.
full rationale
The paper makes no fitted-parameter prediction loop. Pitch is encoded physically: stacking n Lego resistors in parallel gives Z2 = 50 kΩ/n (Eq. 1), a voltage divider with Z1 = 10 kΩ sets Vout (Eq. 2), and the MCP3008 ADC converts it to a digital code (Eq. 3). The decision intervals in Eq. (4) are computed from ideal resistor values, not from observed outputs, so note classification is a forward calculation rather than a fit. The claimed results, such as 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' and 'Frère Jacques', are external musical pieces, not outputs defined by the system's own parameters. The only self-citations (e.g., refs. 16 and 32-34) concern prior related work on rhythm games and melody generation and are not load-bearing for the Lego system's design. The skeptic's concern about resistor tolerance overlap in Sections 2.4.1-2.4.2, Eqs. (1)-(4), is a potential correctness or robustness issue, not circularity: the design would still be an independent physical implementation even if tolerances made it unreliable. Accordingly, no circular step can be quoted and the circularity score is 0.
Assumptions & free parameters
assumptions (3)
- standard math The voltage-divider equation Vout = Vin * Z2/(Z1+Z2) with Z2 = 50k/n describes the stacked-brick pitch encoder.
- domain assumption Stacked Lego pieces maintain low and consistent electrical contact so the parallel-resistance model holds.
- ad hoc to paper Resistor tolerances (5% for brick resistors, 10% for reference resistors) do not cause ADC codes to leave the correct note's decision interval defined in Eq. (4).
Cite this review
Pith. "Pith review of Building music with Lego bricks and Raspberry Pi." pith.science (2026). https://pith.science/paper/VL6C4VZU
@misc{pith2026241113224,
author = {Pith},
title = {Pith review of: Building music with Lego bricks and Raspberry Pi},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://pith.science/paper/VL6C4VZU}},
note = {Machine review of arXiv:2411.13224}
}
read the original abstract
In this paper, a system to build music in an intuitive and accessible way, with Lego bricks, is presented. The system makes use of the new powerful and cheap possibilities that technology offers for making old things in a new way. The Raspberry Pi is used to control the system and run the necessary algorithms, customized Lego bricks are used for building melodies, custom electronic designs, software pieces and 3D printed parts complete the items employed. The system designed is modular, it allows creating melodies with chords and percussion or just melodies or perform as a beatbox or a melody box. The main interaction with the system is made using Lego-type building blocks. Tests have demonstrated its versatility and ease of use, as well as its usefulness in music learning for both children and adults.
Reference graph
Works this paper leans on
-
[1]
Baek Y, Taylor K (2020) Not just composing, but programming music in group robotics. Music Educ Res 22(3):315-330. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2020.1767558
-
[2]
Barate A, Ludovico LA, Malchiodi D (2017) Fostering computational thinking in primary school through a LEGO®-based music notation. Procedia Computer Science. Knowledge-Based and Intel ligent Information and Engineering Systems: Proceedings of the 21st International Conference, KES- 20176-8 September 2017, Marseille, France, 112:1334-1344. https://doi.org...
work page 2017
-
[3]
Bugos JA, DeMarie D (2017) The effects of a short-term music program on preschool children’s executive functions. Psychol Music 45:855-867
work page 2017
-
[4]
Bugos JA, DeMarie D, Torres MR, Lamrani D, Gbadamosi AA (2023) The effects of a multimodal music program on young children’s facial expressions during controlled singing tasks. Music Sci 27(1):54-69. https://doi.org/10.1177/10298649211021463
-
[5]
Cabrera-Tigre P, Villa-Matute V, Lema-Condo E, Parra-Luzuriaga K, Robles-Bykbaev Y, Robles- Bykbaev V, Leon-Gomez P, Tapia-Rivera C. An interactive system based on personal area net works, serious games and data mining to provide rehabilitation activities for older adults with cog nitive decline. In 2020 IEEE World Conference on Engineering Education (E...
arXiv 2020
-
[6]
LDA Ferreira. Musiquence-Design, Implementation and Validation of a Customizable Music and Reminiscence Cognitive Stimulation Platform for People with Dementia. PhD thesis, Fac- ultade de Ciencias e Tecnologia. Universidade Nove de Lisboa. . Accessed 2023-06-19 http://hdl.handle.net/10362/ 116417
work page 2023
-
[7]
Using the Serial Peripheral Interface to Communicate between multiple microcomputers, 2002
Freescale Semiconductor: AN991D. Using the Serial Peripheral Interface to Communicate between multiple microcomputers, 2002. Freescale Semiconductor
work page 2002
-
[8]
FYCMA: Transfiere 2020. , 2020. Accessed: 2021-09-13 (2020) https://transfiere.fycma.com/transfiere-edicion-2020
work page 2020
Show all 41 references
-
[9]
Prince George’s Community College
General MIDI Standard. Prince George’s Community College. . Accessed 2021-09-13 http://academic.pgcc.edu/njudy/mt/ MIDI/gm.html 1 3 Multimedia Tools and Applications
2021
-
[10]
Mult J Educ Soc Technol Sci 9(1):14-38
Gold NE, Purves R, Himonides E (2022) Playing, constructionism, and music in early-stage soft ware engineering education. Mult J Educ Soc Technol Sci 9(1):14-38. https://doi.org/10.4995/ muse.2022.16453
2022
-
[11]
Am Psychol
Greenberg DM, Decety J, Gordon I (2021) The social neuroscience of music: Understanding the social brain through human song. Am Psychol. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10. 1037/amp0000819
2021
-
[12]
Multimedia Tools Appl 74:10195-10213
Herrero G, Barbancho I, Tardon J, Rosa-Pujazon LA, Barbancho AM (2015) Drumkit simulator from everyday desktop objects. Multimedia Tools Appl 74:10195-10213. https://doi.org/10.1007/ s11042-014-2159-z8
2015
-
[13]
In Music and Human-Computer Interaction
Holland S, Wilkie K, Mulholland P, Seago A (2013) Music interaction: Understanding music and human-computer interaction. In Music and Human-Computer Interaction. Springer, London, pp. 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2990-5
2013 doi
-
[14]
In 2020 IEEE Eurasia Conference on IOT, Communication and Engineering (ECICE), pp 220-222
Huang C-F, Huang C-Y (2020) Emotion-based AI music generation system with CVAE-GAN. In 2020 IEEE Eurasia Conference on IOT, Communication and Engineering (ECICE), pp 220-222. https://doi.org/10.1109/ECICE50847.2020.9301934
2020
-
[15]
Inclusive improvisation through sound and movement mapping: From DMI to ADMI
A Ilsar, G Kenning. Inclusive improvisation through sound and movement mapping: From DMI to ADMI. In The 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, Association for Computing Machinery.pages 1-8, New York, NY, USA, 2020. https://doi.org/10. 1145...
2020
-
[16]
Multimedia Tools Appl 75(8):4349-4362
Jaime J, Barbancho I, Urdiales C, Tardon LJ, Barbancho AM (2016) A new multiformat rhythm game for music tutoring. Multimedia Tools Appl 75(8):4349-4362. https://doi.org/10.1007/ s11042-015-2478-8
2016
-
[17]
In Pro ceedings of the The 15th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children, IDC ’16, Association for Computing Machinery
Jakobsen KB, Stougaard J, Petersen MG, Winge J, Gr0nb®k JE, Rasmussen MK (2016) Expres sivity in open-ended constructive play: Building and playing musical LEGO® instruments. In Pro ceedings of the The 15th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children, IDC ’16...
2016
-
[18]
In Visions of Research in Music Education
Johnson-Green E (2018) Musical architects: Immersive learning through design thinking in a kin dergarten music composition curriculum. In Visions of Research in Music Education. Vol. 31, Arti cle 2. https://opencommons.uconn.edu/vrme/vol31/iss1/2
2018
-
[19]
Disabil Health 10(2):173-182
Lindsay S, Hounsell KG, Cassiani C (2017) A scoping review of the role of LEGO® therapy for improving inclusion and social skills among children and youth with autism. Disabil Health 10(2):173-182
2017
-
[20]
IEEE Access 8:188951-188958
Li H (2020) Piano automatic computer composition by deep learning and blockchain technology. IEEE Access 8:188951-188958. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3031155
2020
-
[21]
In Proceedings of the 1st ACM SIGCHI Interna tional Workshop on Multimodal Interaction for Education, MIE 2017, Association for Computing Machinery
Ludovico LA, Malchiodi D, Zecca L (2017) A multimodal LEGO®-based learning activity mixing musical notation and computer programming. In Proceedings of the 1st ACM SIGCHI Interna tional Workshop on Multimodal Interaction for Education, MIE 2017, Association for Computing Mach...
2017
-
[22]
Accessed 2021-09-13 https://www.microchip.com/en-us/product/ MCP3008
Microchip Technology Inc.: MCP3008 datasheet. . Accessed 2021-09-13 https://www.microchip.com/en-us/product/ MCP3008
2021
-
[23]
The Complete MIDI 1.0
MIDI Manufacturers Association. The Complete MIDI 1.0. Detailed Specification, 1996. Los Angeles, CA, MIDI Manufacturers Association
1996
-
[24]
In Interna tional Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression
Mitchell TJ (2011) Soundgrasp: A gestural interface for the performance of live music. In Interna tional Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. Oslo, Norway, pp. 465-468
2011
-
[25]
IEEE Trans Evol Comput 20(1):1-15
Muñoz E, Cadenas JM, Ong YS, Acampora G (2016) Memetic music composition. IEEE Trans Evol Comput 20(1):1-15. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEVC.2014.2366871
2016
-
[26]
In Proceedings of the 19th ACM International Conference on Multimodal Interaction, Association for Computing Machinery
Muller J, Oestermeier U, Gerjets P (2017) Multimodal interaction in classrooms: Implementation of tangibles in integrated music and math lessons. In Proceedings of the 19th ACM International Conference on Multimodal Interaction, Association for Computing Machinery. pp 487-488,...
2017
-
[27]
NXP Semiconductors. UM10204. I2C-bus specification and user manual. Rev. 7.0, 2021. NXP Semiconductors. https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/user-guide/UM10204.pdf
2021
-
[28]
In: Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children, pp 283-286
Oestermeier U, Mock P, Edelmann J, Gerjets P (2015) Lego music: Learning composition with bricks. In: Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children, pp 283-286. https://doi.org/10.1145/2771839.2771897
2015
-
[29]
In Perks R and McGrath J, editors, 21st Century Guitar
Perks R (2023) Transforming the microtonal fingerboard: ‘Small’ frets, Lego and robots-interview with Tolgahan £ogulu. In Perks R and McGrath J, editors, 21st Century Guitar. Bloomsbury Pub lishing, London, UK 1 3 Multimedia Tools and Applications
2023
-
[30]
Philips Semiconductors. SCC2691. Universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART), 2006. Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/data-sheet/SCC2691.pdf
2006
-
[31]
Raspberrypi
Raspberry Pi Foundation. Raspberrypi. . Accessed: 2021-07-30https://www.raspberrypi.org/
2021
-
[32]
Knowl-Based Syst 71:419-434
Roig C, Tardón LJ, Barbancho I, Barbancho AM (2014) Automatic melody composition based on a probabilistic model of music style and harmonic rules. Knowl-Based Syst 71:419-434. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.knosys.2014.08.018
2014 doi
-
[33]
Knowl-Based Syst, 142
Roig C, Tardón LJ, Barbancho I, Barbancho AM (2017) A non-homogeneous beat-based harmony Markov model. Knowl-Based Syst, 142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.knosys.2017.11.027
2017 doi
-
[34]
Multimedia Tools Appl 75:8137-8164
Rosa-Pujazon A, Barbancho I, Tardon LJ, Barbancho AM (2016) Fast-gesture recognition and classification usign Kinect; an applications for a virtual reality drumkit. Multimedia Tools Appl 75:8137-8164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-015-2729-8
2016 doi
-
[35]
J Pediatr Nurs
Shahrbabaki RM, Nourian M, Farahani AS, Nasiri M, Heidari A (2022) Effectiveness of listening to music and playing with Lego on children’s postoperative pain. J Pediatr Nurs. https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.pedn.2022.11.023
2022
-
[36]
J Autism Dev Disord 41:1507-1514
Simpson K, Keen D (2011) Music interventions for children with autism: narrative review of the literature. J Autism Dev Disord 41:1507-1514
2011
-
[37]
Musicbricks
Stromatolite, Sigma-Orionis, Ircam-Centre Pompidou, Music Technology Group, Vienna Uni versity of Technology, and Fraunhofer IDMT. Musicbricks. . Accessed: 2023-03-16 https://mtflabs.net/MusicBricks/
2023
-
[38]
Accessed: 2021-09-13 https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/sn74ls151.pdf
Texas Instruments: SN74LS151N datasheet. . Accessed: 2021-09-13 https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/sn74ls151.pdf
2021
-
[39]
SN74LS157 datasheet
Texas Instruments. SN74LS157 datasheet. . Accessed: 2021-09-13 https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/sn74ls157.pdf?ts=16430 12533007
2021
-
[40]
Comput Music J 40(2):22-34
Torre G, Andersen K, Baldé F (2016) The hands: The making of a digital musical instrument. Comput Music J 40(2):22-34
2016
-
[41]
In: 2018 15th International Joint Conference on Computer Science and Software Engineering (JCSSE), pages 1-6
Wiriyachaiporn P, Chanasit K, Suchato A, Punyabukkana P, Chuangsuwanich E (2018) Algorithmic music composition comparison. In: 2018 15th International Joint Conference on Computer Science and Software Engineering (JCSSE), pages 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1109/JCSSE.2018.8457397 P...
2018
Reviewed August 12, 2026 · model on record in the stance chip above.
Discussion (0). Continue with ORCID to comment.