Success is sweet. (updated thrice: my Jammer is now colored)
It''s been a looooonng road to trudge, but finally, at last, I have assembled a full-fledged jammer, the musical instrument of my dreams, and the closest approximation of the fabled Thummer that we are ever likely to see.
2 axis keyboards in folded-scale mode, one for each hand, 98 keys under each hand.
A black Korg nanoPad: my pitch bend and special controls / triggers
A white Korg nanoKey: this is my foot-pedal to-be.
Unseen: A modest little program running on a netbook whcih glues it all together.
Now the real work begins: managing expectations and learning to play the thing.
So what is the thing, really?
The keys are configured to play in a jammer layout: with the major scale folded upward; technically known as Wicki/Hayden, so that all important keys are right under the hand, and the octaves ascend vertically. They will be 7 octaves "high".
Total cost? Under a thousand dollars for a keyboard that is more expressive than any other keyboard in the world, and may rival or exceed a guitar.
Jim Plamondon, definately a world expert on the subject, commented to me:
With the nanoPad in the middle, this is going to be one humdinger of an expressive device.Major coolness! :-)
If enough people make their own jammers and post YouTube demos of cool music that could only be made with a jammer, then perhaps some smart & hungry Chinese company will start making tiny integrated jammers, complete with internal motion sensors and fore-arm braces, mass-produced at a cheap price.
I can't emphasize enough that isomorphism ("same fingering in every key") alone has never been sufficient to bring market success. It's been offered, off and on, since the 1880's, and the market has never responded. To break through, the jammer needs at least one additional benefit, such as extra expressive power (through internal motion sensors, for example) or novel musical effects (such as dynamic tonality).
Your DIY jammer is a great step in that direction.
Kudos! :-)
The new powerful Axis-49 Tweak routine that glues it together is available here: http://www.box.net/shared/vdm1qscvmc
And for your reference:
My Box.Net folder: http://www.box.net/shared/9988kfzpic and the old Tweak routine: http://www.box.net/shared/0t3hm9hhi5
The new routine features:
- - 2 keyboard input, with separate right and left translation tables. You can customize your translation tables to suit your needs.
- Optional adjustable velocity curve table. It's not fancy - you can't tweak it in real-time.
- A pair of mouse-able buttons to turn on/off the above translations.
- last-note struck display, one for each side.
- prettier display than the mark 1 version.
- can take input from a pitch bend instrument and bend the sound - this is really crude; just demos it can be done.
- also included are semi-tone shift, octave shift controls
I've lots of things I' d love to do, but this is it: this is enough keys features to help practicing go well.
Back to practicing on my new, improved, fully featured jammer.
Ken.
