Random access: having a twenty-first-century attitude: what do you do when your technology lets you down?

Most of us are teachers and performers, and although we all use technology to one degree or another, few of us would call ourselves technologists. Not surprisingly, many of us get pretty upset if our technology does not work easily and quickly the first time. In fact, the prospect of a new piece of technology not working easily and quickly every time is enough of a disincentive for many of us to avoid using new technology whenever possible.

For better or worse, however, we now are living in a new century in which we are confronted with new technologies every time we turn around. Some come with unique user interfaces. This is especially true of any device that has a clock function. How many different ways have you found to set a digital clock? It seems like my oven, microwave, coffee pot, VCR, camera, TV, piano (!), car and wristwatch all have different ways to do this. Thank goodness I now have both a computer and a nightstand dock that set themselves automatically!

Years ago, I used to spend lots of time reading manuals, and in the process I lost a lot of my fear of new technology. Today, however, I no longer have any time or patience for manuals. Nonetheless, I feel very comfortable confronting new gizmos and using them. If they don't work correctly the first time, I usually can learn how to tame them within just a few minutes.

There is no magic about how I do this. In fact, my approach to using a recalcitrant piece of technology is very similar to the way teachers confront a lamp in their teaching studio that refuses to illuminate. So, let's use the lamp problem as an example.

Troubleshooting a Lamp

What happens when a lamp fails to go on in your studio? Do you call an electrician, or do you check to see if the light bulb is burned out? I'll bet the electrician is expensive enough that most of you check the bulb first.

Now, what happens if you replace the bulb and the light still fails to come on? Time to call the electrician? I'll make another bet that you fiddle with the switch a few times and then check to see if the electrical cord is plugged in.

Suppose the switch has a nice firm click and the cord is snuggly plugged into the outlet. Are you ready to give up? The next option might be to try the bulb in a different lamp to verify the bulb is not the problem and then try connecting the lamp to a different electrical outlet. One also might test the original outlet using a lamp that works just fine in another part of the house.

If you can independently verify the bulb works under other conditions, the lamp works in a different room and a working lamp fails to work in this particular outlet, then you know electricity is not getting to the outlet. At this point, you still have one more thing to check before calling the electrician: the circuit breaker box, or fuse box if you have an older home. Resetting the circuit breaker or replacing the blown fuse probably will solve the problem. If not, it really is time to call the technologist (i.e. the electrician).

Why are You So Good at Troubleshooting a Lamp?

Assuming you followed the discussion this far, you might want to ask yourself how you knew to troubleshoot the lamp problem in these ways. Did you take a special course in electrical engineering? Did your lamp come with an impressive user manual?

Some people might say you relied on so-called common knowledge. I think, however, your troubleshooting processes were governed less by acquired factual knowledge and more by a certain sense of logic you possess. Most people, with only the vaguest understanding of electricity, would be able to troubleshoot this problem because they have the confidence to conceptualize the problem based on just a few facts and then apply their logical processes to deal with the matter.

Most people deal with light fixtures on a daily basis; therefore, they have no apprehension about them. Furthermore, we all have the certainty that a light fixture is well made and should normally work without any special intervention or knowledge. In this situation, we have the confidence to apply our intellectual resources to the problem. In fact, we are so confident in our mental abilities that we don't even consider we are doing anything special by solving the problem.

When I compare this troubleshooting scenario to what I observe when many people have trouble with a new piece of technology, I am struck by what I perceive to be a frequent lack of confidence in the latter case. Due to the lack of confidence, many people rail to conceptualize the problem and therefore lack the opportunity to apply their logical reasoning to the issue at hand.

The Confidence Factor

I first became aware of how important the confidence factor is in my own lift when, many years ago, I noticed how poorly I often played for my piano teacher and how much better I played for my own students. The only difference was the issue of how superior or inferior I thought of myself relative to the circumstances.

In directly parallel situations, I have noticed highly intelligent and competent people become extremely nervous and uncertain when placed in front of their familiar computer and asked to follow someone else's directions. In these situations, suddenly nervous people often lose their confidence to do tasks they have done many times before and have trouble processing slightly technical conversations.

Technology Victim No More!

Recently, I had a similar problem with some very high-tech gear. I was involved in making MIDI recordings of very fine young pianists during the International Piano-e-Competition (www.piano-e-competition.org). The objective was to record both MIDI data (from a nine-foot Disklavier concert grand) and video (using a consumer-quality video camera) and record both in a synchronized fashion. The end result was intended to be MIDI files that would be posted on the Internet and video/MIDI file combinations that could be presented to other audiences. In the latter case, audiences would be able to see the video projected on a large screen while the Disklavier piano replayed the original performance. The video/MIDI combination works so well that it actually was used as a screening tool in the early stages of the competition.

Some members of the distinguished jury had not yet experienced this technology, so I put together a time playback demonstration for them. To do so, I had to connect the video output of my video camera to a video projector so we could watch the performances on a large screen. Next, I needed to take the audio output from the camera and connect it to a mysterious black box that processes time code.

Time code (SMPTE, in this case) is an audio track that keeps record and playback devices in sync with each other. This black box possesses the ability to translate the SMPTE version of time code into another form (called MIDI Time Code, or MTC) that was to be sent to the record/playback control box of the Disklavier. As long as the Disklavier receives MTC, it can coordinate the musical playback with the video. To make this last connection, I connected the "MIDI Out" port of the black box to the "MIDI In" port of the Disklavier.

The connections were very simple and used audio and MIDI cables with which I am familiar. Anyone could have followed a simple flow chart and connected these cables. I had a personal sense of confidence in making these connections because I understood why each device had to be connected.

In this case, my sense of understanding was not much more complicated than my understanding of how electricity enters my house, follows a wire into a lamp and then into a light bulb and ultimately completes a circuit. In the case of the lamp, if there is any place along the way in which the electrical circuit is interrupted, the bulb will not light.

Unfortunately, my setup with the video and Disklavier did not work the first time. The video would play, but the Disklavier would not. Its display told me it was waiting for the MIDI Time Code that apparently was not getting to it. The little black box should have been flashing its green lights that indicate it is processing time code, but there were no flashing lights.

Fortunately, I had many ways to determine where the connection was interrupted. I first wondered if the time code was missing from the videotape. So I turned up the volume on the camera so I could hear the time code. Sure enough, I could hear it.

Next, I questioned whether the cable connecting the camera to the time code box was solidly in place. It seemed okay. That led me to wonder whether the cable was bad. I tried another cable, but that did not fix the problem. I then tested both cables in a different context, and they proved to be just fine.

This led me to the unlikely conclusion there was a problem with the black box. Why would if not work? If it was broken, it was unlikely I could fix it. I noticed the box had several buttons that could change the function of the box. I cycled through these functions and came back to the original setting. Lo and behold, everything worked!

I really don't know why the box failed me the first time. But I do know that many everyday devices now have computer programming built into them. The programming is not always perfect. Just as you or I might, on a very rare occasion, twist an ankle and fall, these devices can get mixed up and fail to function properly. Often, the remedy is to force the device to reset itself (usually by changing functions or turning it off and back on).

Having a Twenty-First-Century Attitude

Few of us can solve all technology-related problems we face, but most of us do possess the ability to troubleshoot most situations. Doing so starts with having a twenty-first-century attitude: I am superior to this @#$%^&*() equipment! If you combine this attitude with a few deep breaths and a modest attempt to understand the logic of the situation, most of you can tame the most obnoxious and recalcitrant gizmos. Best of all, you'll get a great buzz by having done so!

George F. Litterst is a nationally known music educator, clinician, author, performer and music software developer He is co-developer of the intelligent accompaniment software program Home Concert 2000, from TimeWarp Technologies.