Re: [MMM] Keyboard Suggestion

>I have an interest in inventing a new keyboard design. Your feed
>back and suggestions would be helpful.

Ok, but you asked fer it. :)

>My concept so far is that tunings for scales, maqamat(Arab), ragas,
>etc. could be stored and retrived as easily as voices are today.

With an electronic instrument, all you have to worry about is
making a MIDI controller. Then you can leave tuning management
to the synth. Many synths already support this functionality.
See:

http://www.microtonal-synthesis.com/

>Sharps and flats would be assigned directly to the white keys.
//
>The black keys would have the gaps filled with white keys
>shaped just like black key. The seven raised keys could be a
>different scale or what ever you like. One mode would be to just
>be a regular keyboard.

Sorry, I'm not following you on these. However, are you familiar
with the concept of the generalized keyboard? See:

http://improvise.free.fr/janko.htm

http://www.bikexprt.com/music/bosanqet.htm

>The keyboard would be "smart" and could play different notes based
>on direction (assending or desendig).

I think I'd find such smarts not so smart after all, and rather
restrictive. But your mileage may vary.

Another kind of smarts involves guessing what key one is playing
in, so that just intonation can be achieved in all keys on a
standard keyboard. See:

http://www.wmich.edu/~mus-theo/groven/

-Carl

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Carl Lumma <ekin@l...> wrote:
> >I have an interest in inventing a new keyboard design. Your feed
> >back and suggestions would be helpful.
>
> Ok, but you asked fer it. :)
>
> >My concept so far is that tunings for scales, maqamat(Arab), ragas,
> >etc. could be stored and retrived as easily as voices are today.
>
> With an electronic instrument, all you have to worry about is
> making a MIDI controller. Then you can leave tuning management
> to the synth. Many synths already support this functionality.
> See:
>
> http://www.microtonal-synthesis.com/
>
> >Sharps and flats would be assigned directly to the white keys.
> //
> >The black keys would have the gaps filled with white keys
> >shaped just like black key. The seven raised keys could be a
> >different scale or what ever you like. One mode would be to just
> >be a regular keyboard.
>
> Sorry, I'm not following you on these. However, are you familiar
> with the concept of the generalized keyboard? See:
>
> http://improvise.free.fr/janko.htm
>
> http://www.bikexprt.com/music/bosanqet.htm
>
> >The keyboard would be "smart" and could play different notes based
> >on direction (assending or desendig).
>
> I think I'd find such smarts not so smart after all, and rather
> restrictive. But your mileage may vary.
>
> Another kind of smarts involves guessing what key one is playing
> in, so that just intonation can be achieved in all keys on a
> standard keyboard. See:
>
> http://www.wmich.edu/~mus-theo/groven/
>
> -Carl

Dear Carl,

What a great responce. What is left of my question I suppose,
is: "if we want 17 or 24 tones per octave how does that alter the
purposed design?" I don't know what tenths have to do with Arabic
music (my current area of study)for example. If we dropped some
requirements and added others might we find that a three or four
tiered board would do? Six tiers just looks intimidating.

Thanks for your help,
Jim Nagy

>What a great responce. What is left of my question I suppose,
>is: "if we want 17 or 24 tones per octave how does that alter the
>purposed design?"

A generalized keyboard that can support 24 can support 17 with
very few changes in the layout and no change in the physical design.

>Six tiers just looks intimidating.

Yeah. :) But it might not be as bad as it looks. Anyway, one
doesn't need six tiers to do 24 tones.

-C.