Build It Yourself Midi Concertina Controller

[ragtimer]

$500 was their estimate, not mine.

Well, that's good to know. Given the build-it-yourself thread, and that "Gadget" web site, one of us could probably whip up something useful, but without any expressiveness.

I was in correspondence with the inventor. His idea of notation is interesting. I have the similar idea. Only his gets rid of sharps and flats, and the key signatures at the expence of bulkiness of the stave, and mine uses the existing system, but simplifies it, so there is no difference between the octaves, and therefore, the cleffs.

Singing tenors, and classical guitarists, read treble clef but know that the notes are an octave lower.

There's some argument among Duet players whether to notate the LH in such a treble clef, or to use bass clef. Depends on whether you already read piano music

Mine is easier to learn, slimmer, but still slightly more bulky than the common one. He was on the forum, and perhabs even reading this now, and I asked him why doesn't he start with the easy profit. But he had (or still has) bigger ambition. Oh well.

He'd rather be famous than rich? Worked for Guido 500 years ago, when he invented the basis of our current staff notation. Tho given how far his new notation is likely to go, he really should take the money!

BTW, while it would be nice to have silent practice instrument, it is hard to underestimate the importance of bellows to the expressiveness. Perhabs it takes a month to learn a tune by heart, but it takes forever to make it sound reasonable. So some hundreds of dollars for simple MIDI device may be wasted. Just a thought in contradiction to my own earlier expectations.

I agree, in that some days I just rest my LH and practice playing the RH melody with feeling and phrasing, getting to know it intimately. I would not want to play only an expression-less MIDI instrument. But for learning a piece and its fingerings, or playing under silent conditions, it would still be worth the money.

I mean, $500 is chump change in today's concertina world

In the meanwhile, between treating my little one's percieved ear infection and older one adolescent complexes and percieved face assymmetry, I'm working on concertina silencer, called "The Husher".

Simplicity rules!

You know, years ago a TV program showed heavily padded bags that musicians could put their instruments inside and still play them, but the sound was way muffled. There were two holes for your arms, and a hole by your mouth (which we would not need). This may be the real solution! Stay with it -- Mike K.

[ragtimer]

I'd take it as a BIG help if someone would make a MIDI Hayden Duet setup. It's the same notes push or pull.

 

--[snip]--

 

I'd be happy just to have a small practice instrument with no "bellows" motion at all -- and yes, it would be handy to play it with each half lying flat in the case (plus you could cheat and look at your fingers

Bring out a compact MIDI-only Hayden and I'll put money where my mouth is -- Mike K.

Sorry for not responding sooner. I've been off concertina.net for a couple weeks.

 

I take it you've not seen this picture:

 

 

It's me playing the MIDI Hayden mockup referred to in the post that started this thread. See also the 2nd post. Paul Everett, who built it, is on the right. If the furniture looks familiar it's because it's in the parlor of Bucksteep Manor at the 2001 NE Squeeze-In (before you started going, Mike).

 

Is this not exactly what you had in mind?

Hi David. It's awfully close -- I'd like a few more buttons on each side (wouldn't we all). And maybe have the two faces parallel, and put in a pressure sensor, and ...

 

I did visit that "Gadget" web site some months ago, and was intrigued with the idea of building my own "silent tina." There's the Bulgarian named Jordan who sells the button-to-MIDI converter cards.

 

As for Bucksteep Manor, I was prevented by family responsibilities from attending NESI again in 2005 and in 2006. Can't make Rich's workshop this April either, rats!

--Mike K,