The Eigenharp and the Misa Digital Guitar are amazing devices. Are instrument designers finally making devices that aren’t just silly keyboard/guitar mashups?
I’ve always been intrigued by new ways to make musical sounds. In fact, the very first post here on Dissociated Press was about the Moog Guitar. Although I call myself a guitarist on occasion, my main “axe” for a long time was a Rickenbacker 481* with custom pickups, usually run through odd combinations of a Big Muff, an A/DA flanger, rack delay, and a heavily EQ’d PA amp instead of a guitar amp. I also was pretty adept with analog synths, way back when they were new. As a result of my creative but less-than-virtuosic skill with both guitar and keyboards, for years I’ve longed for a more expressive instrument that utilized all the amazing digital tools available while still remaining musical. Early devices like the Casio Keytar or the SynthAxe were amusing, but really just gimmicky mashups of existing instruments. At one point I almost bought a Chapman Stick (made famous by Peter Gabriel’s “bassist” Tony Levin, see him play one here) but in spite of its amazing versatility, it wasn’t really suited to controlling digital devices. And as fascinating as I find the devices we previously rounded up in this piece, none of them really seem like “instruments”. Which is why I’m a little intrigued with both the Eigenharp and the Misa Digital Guitar. More so by the Eigenharp, because while the Misa’s touchscreen and software appear remarkable, they’ve gone and put it all in a “guitar”, which just doesn’t make sense to me. The Eigenharp, on the other hand, brings just about every available control method (save a theremin) into a new and seemingly ergonomic body design which sort of resembles a bassoon. Or that instrument in the Star Wars band. It has velocity sensitive multi-expressive keys, a wind controller, ribbon controller strips, percussion keys, and a built-in step sequencer with indicator LEDs for each key. Pretty amazing if it all works! Below are demo videos, decide for yourself.
* My Rickenbacker was stolen around 1991. I’m still offering all the royalties from the book I’ll write in prison after I murder the cuplrit to the person who can tell me who it was.
Mumbling British musicians give a basic overview in this video…
Two guys using an Eigenharp to jam on Moby’s version of the Bond theme in their closet…
I’ve always been intrigued by new ways to make musical sounds. In fact, the very first post here on Dissociated Press was about the Moog Guitar. Although I call myself a guitarist on occasion, my main “axe” for a long time was a Rickenbacker 481* with custom pickups, usually run through odd combinations of a Big Muff
Posted by Edweird on 05.29.10 1:46 pm
If someone has 6 grand they want to give me…
Posted by admin on 05.30.10 8:07 am
If I come across three grand I’ll go halfsies!