MusicScienceGuy

1) Thanks for the update. I'm keen to converse with the inventor - it's not often one gets a chance to do so. 2) I'll build into the design the option to swap the left hand button order. I can see advantages to both, but for a novice like me the mirror image arrangement speeds learning - if one learns do-rae-mi (fingers 3-4-5) on the right, the left hand can also mirror 3-4-5 automatically. Or am I wrong? Ken.

Thanks Rich! I really appreciate this feed back, I’ll check the links in depth. Here's my first comments. At mylight review it seems that the fingering I devises matches the consensus. The flat buttons I made up (like a small hexagonal piano key) seem to be ok. I may try putting little finger sized dimples on them. Slant is not an issue, as all is level. I made the keyboard 1 ½ octave wide for each hand as the popular music I hope to learn to play has lots of key modulations in it, which means the hand needs to move over 3 ½ keys left or right. It looks like a wide key-field was a good idea. Having the semi-tones so 'far" apart seems to be just fine – reaching for them seems to be learned quickly, & is way easier, for example, than reaching up or down an octave on the piano. You’re right – chromatic runs are easier. The Chromatone’s Janko layout is a toy, IMO, compared to the power of the Wicki-Hayden layout. Also, doing glissandos in 5ths and fourths is a neat trick. Again, thanks. Ken.

Thanks, I wonder if he'll be pleased at the direction that I've taken his idea, or agast!. His idea is more than "well devised", as I tried to show in a music theory posting; it matches the way we hear and compose music. So I hope he'll be kind. What is his non-de-plume in this forum? Ken.

Hi Dirge. Were you talking to me? if so, sorry, I've no special store of parts or access to same - I just modded a M-Audio controller into a piano-concertina hybrid using a saw, plastic and some glue. Ken, MSG.

Hi there, I heard my work was mentioned here, I'm Ken Rushton, aka MusicScienceGuy; I've built a couple of jammers like the Thummer that Jim P. is trying to get financing for. I've put on my blog reasonably detailed instructions on how to make a gig-grade jammer from a M-Audio 88es conventional keyboard. Cost is circa $400 plus 3 fairly solid weekends of work (possibly less). But! I need advice: (1) I've been learning how to play them, where would I best go to for info on how to learn to play a wicki-Hayden layout? (2) are there any downsides / gotchas to the design I should know about? (3) anything I can improve? (4) Where in concertina.Net should I post questions like this? (5) I'm thinking of starting up a Google discussion group for Jammer nuts. Is this the best place to do so? If you can help me, I'd appreciate it, and would love to give you credit. Thank you for your time, and I hope I'm not intruding. Ken, MSG