an electronic , voice - controlled musical instrument called the vocolo , in which the player hums into the mouthpiece , and the device imitates the sound of a musical instrument whose pitch and volume change in response to the player &# 39 ; s voice is disclosed . the player is given the impression of playing the actual instrument and controlling it intimately with the fine nuances of his voice . the invention comprises techniques for pitch quantization that provide esthetically pleasing note transitions , mechanisms for song recording that are suited for rhythmic repeated playback and performance evaluation of the player &# 39 ; s pitch control , techniques related to expressive control and pitch detection , and techniques for mitigating the effect of pitch detection errors . embodiments are disclosed for providing finger / hand interaction for expressive control , a microphone enclosure that mitigates audio feedback , and for providing rhythmic feedback to the player through mechanical vibrations induced in the device .