Keyboard Modifications

Hi Folks!

I'd like to share my keyboard modification experiences.

My Roland (Edirol) PC-180A Midi Keyboard Controller had originally 49
unweighted velocity sensitive keys (no aftertouch). I managed to
change the order of the keys so that I now have 22-tone keyboard with
44 keys in Steve Reszutek's layout. The only thing I needed was a
screwdriver! After removing the keys (which was easy) I reassembled
them in this order:

C/F, black, C/F, black, G, black, A, Black, B/E, Black, B/E

This was repeated four times until I ran out of suitable keys. No
filing of the keys was required. I covered the remaining five empty
keyslots with anti-static plastic which came from a plastic bag for
computer components. I'm very satisfied with the result. It looks
pretty decent.

Bart Willemse, the author of the Balanced Keyboard website, has
promised to build a list of keyboards that can be converted. The
Balanced keyboard is a different concept but the site contains some
useful information for microtonalists.

http://www.balanced-keyboard.com/

Kalle

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "Kalle Aho <kalleaho@m...>"
<kalleaho@m...> wrote:
> Hi Folks!
>
> I'd like to share my keyboard modification experiences.
>
> My Roland (Edirol) PC-180A Midi Keyboard Controller had originally
49
> unweighted velocity sensitive keys (no aftertouch). I managed to
> change the order of the keys so that I now have 22-tone keyboard
with
> 44 keys in Steve Reszutek's layout. The only thing I needed was a
> screwdriver! After removing the keys (which was easy) I reassembled
> them in this order:
>
> C/F, black, C/F, black, G, black, A, Black, B/E, Black, B/E
>
> This was repeated four times until I ran out of suitable keys. No
> filing of the keys was required. I covered the remaining five empty
> keyslots with anti-static plastic which came from a plastic bag for
> computer components. I'm very satisfied with the result. It looks
> pretty decent.

all i can say is, wow. some people thought steve was insane for doing
this, kudos to you for doing it to. what i think would be very
helpful to others would be a *photograph* of your finished product --
as a sort of "proof of concept". could i beg you to take such a
photograph and upload it here? i might be the next to go "insane"!

I also looked at the web page provided for these keyboard modifications at:

http://www.balanced-keyboard.com

It seemed somewhat interesting to me. I showed it to a friend who wondered
about the practicality of playing it:

> Take a look at the fingering for a C major scale and tell me how you
> would propose to play 4 of the "short" keys (a.k.a. the "black" keys in
> the standard layout) in a row. Specifically, would you use your thumb on
> the first, or your second finger . . . Either way is really hard because
> of the thumb passing to either get onto or off of the short keys from
> the longer ones, and potentially puts one in a position of being unable
> to use the same fingering for a second octave of the same scale pattern.

So: has anyone actually done any extensive playing on such a balanced
keyboard, and what are your thoughts?

As for the problem of whether it makes things better for micro-tonal work
or not... At least it makes them balanced!

I was thinking you could almost devise a slight update to the standard
lines/spaces staff notation and put short keys on lines and long keys on
spaces... For odd number of tones/octave, you end up with each octave
alternating line/space/line/space; but for even tones/octave all octaves
would start on (either) space or line.

Just some thoughts,
Rick

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Rick McGowan <rick@u...> wrote:
> I also looked at the web page provided for these keyboard
modifications at:
>
> http://www.balanced-keyboard.com
>
> It seemed somewhat interesting to me. I showed it to a friend who
wondered
> about the practicality of playing it:
>
> > Take a look at the fingering for a C major scale and tell me how
you
> > would propose to play 4 of the "short" keys (a.k.a. the "black"
keys in
> > the standard layout) in a row. Specifically, would you use your
thumb on
> > the first, or your second finger . . . Either way is really hard
because
> > of the thumb passing to either get onto or off of the short keys
from
> > the longer ones, and potentially puts one in a position of being
unable
> > to use the same fingering for a second octave of the same scale
pattern.
>
> So: has anyone actually done any extensive playing on such a
balanced
> keyboard, and what are your thoughts?

sounds like this would only be a problem for someone used to standard
keyboard technique. you could start each group of 4 blacks with say,
your third finger, and pass your thumb under between the 2nd and 3rd
short in each sequence.

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "wallyesterpaulrus
<wallyesterpaulrus@y...>" <wallyesterpaulrus@y...> wrote:

> all i can say is, wow. some people thought steve was insane for
doing
> this, kudos to you for doing it to.

Thank you, Paul. I'm not only insane, it's *evil* to mess with the
Holy Halberstadt!

> what i think would be very
> helpful to others would be a *photograph* of your finished product -
-
> as a sort of "proof of concept". could i beg you to take such a
> photograph and upload it here? i might be the next to go "insane"!

I don't own a digital camera or a scanner but I could ask my friend
to take a picture with his digital camera. Could take a while but
I'll eventually upload a photograph.

Kalle

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "Kalle Aho <kalleaho@m...>"
<kalleaho@m...> wrote:
> --- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "wallyesterpaulrus
> <wallyesterpaulrus@y...>" <wallyesterpaulrus@y...> wrote:
>
> > all i can say is, wow. some people thought steve was insane for
> doing
> > this, kudos to you for doing it to.
>
> Thank you, Paul. I'm not only insane, it's *evil* to mess with the
> Holy Halberstadt!
>
> > what i think would be very
> > helpful to others would be a *photograph* of your finished
product -
> -
> > as a sort of "proof of concept". could i beg you to take such a
> > photograph and upload it here? i might be the next to go "insane"!
>
> I don't own a digital camera or a scanner but I could ask my friend
> to take a picture with his digital camera. Could take a while but
> I'll eventually upload a photograph.
>
> Kalle

thanks kalle. once i get my fatar 88-key controller back, i'm going
to follow in the heretical footsteps of yourself and steve r.!

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "wallyesterpaulrus

/makemicromusic/topicId_4286.html#4296

<wallyesterpaulrus@y...>" <wallyesterpaulrus@y...> wrote:
> --- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Rick McGowan <rick@u...>
wrote:
> > I also looked at the web page provided for these keyboard
> modifications at:
> >
> > http://www.balanced-keyboard.com
> >
> > It seemed somewhat interesting to me. I showed it to a friend who
> wondered
> > about the practicality of playing it:
> >
> > > Take a look at the fingering for a C major scale and tell me
how
> you
> > > would propose to play 4 of the "short" keys (a.k.a. the "black"
> keys in
> > > the standard layout) in a row. Specifically, would you use your
> thumb on
> > > the first, or your second finger . . . Either way is really
hard
> because
> > > of the thumb passing to either get onto or off of the short
keys
> from
> > > the longer ones, and potentially puts one in a position of
being
> unable
> > > to use the same fingering for a second octave of the same scale
> pattern.
> >
> > So: has anyone actually done any extensive playing on such a
> balanced
> > keyboard, and what are your thoughts?
>
> sounds like this would only be a problem for someone used to
standard
> keyboard technique. you could start each group of 4 blacks with
say,
> your third finger, and pass your thumb under between the 2nd and
3rd
> short in each sequence.

***I hate to be a "spoilsport," but it seems this keyboard would
really be problematic for people used to the "standard" Halberstadt.
It's kind of like QWERTY... basically bad, but we're *used* to it.

I would think it would be better to go "all the way" and use a
keyboard, such as Johnny Reinhard is developing that is a Bosenquet
and, thereby, something *entirely* different to learn. Curiously
enough, I think the *totally new* would be easier to learn than
something that resembles the traditional.

At least that's *my* take of the moment...

J. Pehrson