On Dec 8, 2007, at 10:53 PM, Mike Dickson wrote:
Perhaps, but that's only something that affects the player and not the
product. (And you sure do feel that same sort of 'tactile' thing from a
piano and harpsichord as well - what sort have you played?!)
I guess I didn't express myself as clearly as I would have liked. Any keyboard that actually articulates something other than a microswitch will give a more tangible feedback to the player, but you're much more away of, I don't know, physical movement with a mellotron keyboard. In thinking about it, this certainly has something to do with having to be aware of how long the key has been depressed, since the end of the tape totally changes the feel of the key (and you certainly want to know about that!).
So in answer to your quuestion, I do get a tactile response from a harpsichord, piano, clavinet, Fender Rhodes, etc, but it is very different from a mellotron. How about this: with the above keyboards, you only get that tactile feedback on the attack of the note. With a mellotron (or Chamberlain), it's continuous while the note is depressed.