Re: Microtonal Keyboards

I would say that (despite never having come within quite a few miles of a generalised keyboard) any keyboard instrument using a generalised layout (even those which have only 1 tuning scheme) must be a different instrument. If the Wilson style keyboard with its hexagonal layout had a more 'lever key' type feel, then pianists of the halberstadt variety may take a look. I have asked the question of some of my piano playing friends and among the pictures of generalised keyboards that I can show them, they like the microzone midi keyboard the least, but very much are attracted to the 19-tone clavichord (as featured on a Xenharmonicon? issue some time back), as being a tactile 'surface' to play on that has a topology to learn, rather than a faceless surface where the hands have no 'landmarks' to measure by.

But still, halberstadt is their 'homeland' so to speak....

Mark

On Wednesday, December 17, 2003, at 11:11 pm, tuning@yahoogroups.com wrote:

>> To say that negotiating 31-ET on the GK Scalatron is "workable" would
>> be an understatement -- in my opinion it's easier than playing 12-ET
>> on a conventional keyboard.
>
> I've never played your scalatron, but I'm afraid I cannot agree with
> your statement. More notes and more harmonic relationships are in
> some sense harder, even if there were a cultural construct to support
> them. But there isn't, and we are completely in the dark. If it is
> so easy, please share with us your 31-tone music.
>
> As for playing standard repertoire on a generalized keyboard, I do
> not doubt it is easier. But for me it is still harder, at least at
> first, since I have already gotten over so much of the halberstadt
> learning curve.
>
> -Carl
>

hi Mark,

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Mark Gould <mark.gould@a...> wrote:

> I would say that (despite never having come within
> quite a few miles of a generalised keyboard) any keyboard
> instrument using a generalised layout (even those which
> have only 1 tuning scheme) must be a different instrument.
> If the Wilson style keyboard with its hexagonal layout had
> a more 'lever key' type feel, then pianists of the halberstadt
> variety may take a look. I have asked the question of some
> of my piano playing friends and among the pictures of
> generalised keyboards that I can show them, they like the
> microzone midi keyboard the least, but very much are
> attracted to the 19-tone clavichord (as featured on a
> Xenharmonicon? issue some time back), as being a tactile
> 'surface' to play on that has a topology to learn, rather
> than a faceless surface where the hands have no 'landmarks'
> to measure by. But still, halberstadt is their 'homeland'
> so to speak....

this is a *very* good point!

i'm making my living these days as a music teacher, and
the majority of my students are studying piano. for total
beginners, at our first lesson the first thing i work on
with them is recognizing the patterns that the black keys
(of the standard Halberstadt keyboard) make.

i.e., i ask them "what is the difference between the
black keys and the white keys?" the first answer is always
that the black keys are shorter and higher-up. the more
astute students get my drift and answer that there are
gaps between the black keys but not between the white.

and that's exactly my point, because at the first lesson
i'm teaching them the repeating 12-note pattern ... and
of course, the main reason for this is so that i can tell
them about the 1:2 ratio which creates the "8ve"! ;-)

you're very correct in noting that this "topology"
is entirely absent from the Microzone ... whcih is
still a great keyboard, tho. hopefully someday you
can come visit me in San Diego, and i can arrange a
meeting with Harvey Starr so that you can see a
Microzone up-close and personal.

-monz

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Mark Gould <mark.gould@a...> wrote:
> I would say that (despite never having come within quite a few
miles of
> a generalised keyboard) any keyboard instrument using a generalised
> layout (even those which have only 1 tuning scheme) must be a
different
> instrument. If the Wilson style keyboard with its hexagonal layout
had
> a more 'lever key' type feel, then pianists of the halberstadt
variety
> may take a look. I have asked the question of some of my piano
playing
> friends and among the pictures of generalised keyboards that I can
show
> them, they like the microzone midi keyboard the least, but very
much
> are attracted to the 19-tone clavichord (as featured on a
> Xenharmonicon? issue some time back),

Yes, in fact a color photo of Jay Scott Hackelman's clavichord
appeared on the cover of that issue (XH5, Spring 1976).

> as being a tactile 'surface' to
> play on that has a topology to learn, rather than a faceless
surface
> where the hands have no 'landmarks' to measure by.

Yes, I agree that attention to tactile details is important. They
were given a lot of consideration in designing the GK Scalatron
keyboard. See my message:
/tuning/topicId_39323.html#39407
in which I point out that there is both touch coding and slightly
convex key surfaces. The latter feature also helps one to feel which
portion of a key surface a finger is resting on, whereas a perfectly
flat key surface would give no indication of whether the finger is
centered on the key or nearer one edge. I also mentioned this in
another message:
/tuning/topicId_46176.html#46244

And I found that these tactile aids were effective even with a
bedsheet covering the keys.

--George