MusicScienceGuy

My Goal: to become an excellent, accurate singer.

I started out about 10 years ago at solid 0 on a scale of 1 to 10 (could not sing much of anything on pitch, due to growing up in a profoundly amusical family).

Such musical ignorance has it's risks: I flirted with death many times: I could spot a single violinist in the university orchestra flub a note by half a semi-tone. (I'm not unique - most people can do this). If I was impolite enough to mention this, or even to twitch a disdainful finger, my girlfriend (later my wife) would hiss "you can't sing a single note on pitch - don't you talk" and threaten to strangle me. 

As they said of the talking dog; "'tis not that he speaks poorly, 'tis a wonder that he speaks at all". I read a book or three on how music is perceived and generated and figured out what goes on "behind the curtains" in music, and used it to help myself learn.

Aside: It's actually relatively simple, but just hard-ish to explain, but with the web I have facilities (pictures, sounds, animation) that can a writer could never have dreamed of, 20 years ago.

Now I've reached the point where to improve further I must learn an instrument (for timing, chord structure and harmony). My interest in the jammer keyboard is because I'm too lazy to learn a hard, confusing instrument like the standard keyboard ... even though I have one in my living room.

Said keyboard is my wife's, who is an superb pianist and singer. She's at the opposite end of the talent range, a solid ten.

I now have an Axis-49, and have converted it to play in the simple and easy to learn (really!) folded-scale layout (technically know as Wicki-Hayden) - think of it as a miniaturized, simplified piano. You are invited to follow my half-cracked adventures in learning to play it.

Ken Rushton

Background:
- Computer systems analyst (a nerd) for more than a few years
- Plus about 3+ years of university-level chemistry and math
- I've pushed a few electrons around too, which helps me understand resonance and impedance
- dedicated student (whatever that means) of all the sciences 
  (I read New Scientist for breakfast ... really)
- have a mind that cross-integrates science facts
- spent about an equivalent of a years study on psychoacoutiscs.

Riddle: why do I have grey hair?
The answer is here: my son's blog.