Stefan Mileschin

When it comes to developing music apps, Leap Motion's naturalistic interface seems like a no-brainer. Sure it doesn't offer the sort of tactile feedback you get from an actual instrument, but it certainly beats the heck out of, say, a keyboard and mouse. Adam Somers is among the early developers looking to bring a little bit of music magic to the tiny peripheral, and he gave us a sneak peak of what he's working on at a Smule event in San Francisco earlier this week.

The simpler of the two apps is AirHarp. Still in early developer preview mode, the program is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a virtual harp. Hold your hand out and strings light up -- tap down and you can pluck them. Reach in a bit and you can strum with one or several fingers. More impressive is AirBeats, a virtual machine with two pads and a slew of sounds that lets you record tracks. Somers is hoping to have at least one of the apps out in time for Leap Motion's upcoming launch. You can check out demos after the break.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/13/airbeats-airharp/