[sdiy] Control Interfaces (was Wakeman)

[ASSI]

On Tuesday 08 July 2003 19:54, Rainer Buchty wrote:
[...]
> whereas the piano player is more or less done with modulation after
> the key is stroked; maybe some fiddling with the damper/sustain
> pedal.

Not all keyboard instruments work like that. Harpsichords and Cembalos 
are examples of historical instruments that let you control the tone 
after the key has been struck. The grand piano features some very 
intricate possibilities concerning the letting go of the key 
(repetition) and control over the tone with the shift pedal (it is a 
soft pedal only on uprights). How effective the sustain pedal is can 
easily be demonstarted when playing a piece requiring it's use (musical 
requirement, not for playing more notes than you have fingers) without 
it. Synthesizers usually have at least monophonic aftertouch. Wind 
organs can be played (sort of) with polyphonic aftertouch, and they 
also have volume pedals.

> So maybe the overall question is: what would a "keyboard" (for the
> lack of any better word...) would look like which allows you playing
> any kind of chords (-> polyphonic play) but gives you a similar
> amount of expression/modulation controls as e.g. string or wind
> instruments while still being playable at similar ease of the piano
> keyboard?

I seem to remember that some folks (at some university in Canada?) were 
trying to implement keys that sense where the fingers are at any given 
time plus you supposedly were able to "waggle" on the key from side to 
side as well. I'm almost certain I had a weblink, but even if I find 
it, it would be 10 years old...


Achim.
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