saguaro_squeezer Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 I did manage to secure the 66 button Crabb mentioned above and it's currently with Nigel Sture for a good going over. According to Nigel, it does have the thumb F2 but both LH and RH start on G. - LH G2 and RH G3. It will be a couple of months until I get it but I'm already anxious! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted February 11, 2019 Author Share Posted February 11, 2019 congrats - sounds fantastic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saguaro_squeezer Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 (edited) I ran into an interesting issue this morning. I'd sent a proposed layout to Alex for the upcoming MacCrane and used the Crabb 80-key layout that Geoff had provided as a starting point. I left the F and Bb outliers on the LH because I've gotten used to them on my current Crabb 57. Alex said that he thought it a bit odd and so I tried to come up with the sequence to eliminate them and stay within the 5 column format. It seems that it can be done if you start the LH on C2 and move upwards in the usual Crane fashion. But for the 80b, it appears that Crabb added rows to the standard 6 row layout of the 55b, trying to keep them intact. And therin is the rub, there's no nice way to add those rows without pulling one or more notes out of the Chevron. Any thoughts? ProposedLayoutChange.xlsx Edited February 17, 2019 by saguaro_squeezer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little John Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 Why not just cary the natural sequence downward, ending with C2 alone in the middle column (beneath F2)? LJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted February 17, 2019 Author Share Posted February 17, 2019 not sure as yet - however the second pattern would at least easily allow for the missing highest Bb added on top of the leftmost row, wouldn’t it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saguaro_squeezer Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 (edited) 15 hours ago, Little John said: Why not just cary the natural sequence downward, ending with C2 alone in the middle column (beneath F2)? LJ Little John, The only issue that I had until a few minutes ago was that you don't have a place to put either the F#2 or Bb2. I found this thread from back in 2011 where someone asked a similar question and we also got the benefit of Geoff Crabb's input on how the 'plus-size' keyboards were more individual (I think that the 69 key layout that Josh refers to in his post is my previous one) .... So, the 80 key layout in Josh's thread might be good, if you pull the C#2 out to below the F#2 in the rightmost column, just to keep the accidentals in their proper columns! Edited February 18, 2019 by saguaro_squeezer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little John Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 3 hours ago, saguaro_squeezer said: The only issue that I had until a few minutes ago was that you don't have a place to put either the F#2 or Bb2. Looking at it again, what I was suggesting is the lowest of the proposals in your spreadsheet. Unless I'm mistaken, Bb2 is there (in the guise of A#2) and you could replace the G#2 for the more useful F#2 (or, logically, Gb2 as its position would suggest). 3 hours ago, saguaro_squeezer said: ... just to keep the accidentals in their proper rows! There isn't really any such concept as a "proper" place for accidentals. Even on the smallest Crane you have D#4 but Eb5 on the right hand side; yet each is likely serve the other purpose at times (i.e. Eb4 and D#5 respectively). Most of all, though, I note Geoff Crabb's comment on the thread to which you give the link: "The 80 button Crabb 'Crane' instrument can be considered as impractical due to the physical length of the keyboards. There existence, as usual, was due to customer requests and few were made. The more practical McCann/Wheatstone 81 was the choice of most." It makes me wonder at the value of the whole exercise of converting a practical Maccann to an impractical Crane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saguaro_squeezer Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 45 minutes ago, Little John said: ... It makes me wonder at the value of the whole exercise of converting a practical Maccann to an impractical Crane. True, perhaps, but I already have a practical Maccann and I've always wanted that impractical Crane. How does that song go" "Call me, irresponsible ..." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saguaro_squeezer Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 52 minutes ago, Little John said: There isn't really any such concept as a "proper" place for accidentals. Even on the smallest Crane you have D#4 but Eb5 on the right hand side; yet each is likely serve the other purpose at times (i.e. Eb4 and D#5 respectively). I forgot to add this to the previous post and I'm sorry. Josh's diagram for the 80 key had the C# in the 4th column, which, to me, is inside that 3-finger ascending pattern. Since there are no accidentals in that pattern, it makes more sense to me to put the c# in one of the "accidental" (outside) columns (1 or 5). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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