LinnStrument: Playing without looking at hands (Sightreading)

[MilesParker]

Would love to try a 128 key version but I'm guessing that it won't be worth the one-time effort until things get past the proto stage. Personally I was intrigued by the trough in middle idea. Particularly for y-axis since while I use pitch quantize I do not use timbre relative (because while I can't think of a scenario where I'd want to land on off-key I _do_ want to be able to get initial strikes at different timbres. Something to clue me in when I'm landing in middle or top or bottom might be quite useful.

Incidentally, since I've been experimenting with new fingering approach which relies on fingers and hand orientation being in consistent place -- I'm discovering that I can actually play without looking at the board. To be clear, I can't do it _well_ but fair enough that I imagine with a good deal more practice I will be able to land on notes without looking. Still, there is no doubt that a subtly curved surface would help.

Awesome to see people pushing the envelope -- with attack and sustain but no release or decay.

[rtwfroody]

FWIW, I have a 128 as well. I imagine I could just cut the larger sheet smaller and it would work.

[MilesParker]

FWIW, I have a 128 as well. I imagine I could just cut the larger sheet smaller and it would work.

Ah yes, that would work for the newer version that is designed to just fit within the casing .. the older version wouldn't because of contacts.

[TigerBalm]

Hi everyone, I love to see your continued interest. I finally got the “groove in the middle” working. Unfortunately I’m leaving for a two week trip tomorrow. Once I get back I’ll start making and selling these so I can get your input on your favorite groove size.

[FranklyFlawless]

I have a solution for not looking at my hands while playing, but it requires explaining the concept of "chord tone reference" and "chord mapping". These concepts will be very advanced, so I highly suggest taking your time to read this post.

In my Finger Diagrams document, I assert five movement techniques across the playing surface, regardless of layouts/offsets used:

Techniques

There are multiple techniques that one can use to play the next note, listed in order of availability:

1. Jump to it using the current finger. Always an option, but also imprecise at fast speeds.
2. Use one of the other main fingers. Not applicable if the interval is outside range of motion.
3. Slide to it using the current finger. Requires horizontal range (up to a span of 25 semitones). Also potentially applicable up to one adjacent grid in any cardinal and ordinal direction.
4. Use one of the spare fingers. Best for intervals at least one row below, but can be used on the same row with dexterity.

There is also an advanced technique:

1. Prepare the preceding note with one of the spare fingers, then use a main finger for the subsequent note. Best for intervals of an octave or greater on at least one row above, but can be used on the same row with dexterity.

While these techniques were addressed with monophonic playing in mind, they can also be applied to chordal movements. However, depending on how many fingers are used for the chord shape, some techniques may not be available for usage, and others may require you to look at your hands frequently. In order to harness these techniques without looking at your hands, two concepts must be explained first: "chord tone reference" and "chord mapping".

When playing a chord shape, one can transition to other chord shapes using two methods, centralized around the "chord tone reference" concept:

1. Using a chord tone of the currently played chord shape as a static reference point for the next chord shape transition. In practice, one chord tone stays in the same position while the other chord tones may change positions.
2. Using a chord tone of the currently played chord shape as a dynamic reference point for the next chord shape transition. In practice, one chord tone is selected to change positions to an adjacent "grid", while the other chord tones may change positions.

Using these two methods separately or in conjunction will allow you to transition to accessible chord shapes across the playing surface; the process of memorizing the sequence of these chord shapes is called "chord mapping". In order to perform on the LinnStrument without looking at your hands, you must have the upcoming chord shapes "cached" in (muscle) memory beforehand.

With monophonic performance, you are required to memorize the spacing between your fingers, which requires practice. If you perform polyphonically instead, you can use the "chord tone reference" and "chord mapping" to your advantage and potentially avoid looking at the LinnStrument altogether for either or both hands.

[John the Savage]

The two techniques you're referring to above are commonly known as "anchor notes" and "voice leading" respectively, and are employed on most instruments, by anyone with proper music training.

To that end, the LinnStrument should be no different. It's not exactly a huge departure from traditional instruments, and shares an otherwise familiar layout. So, it only stands to reason that it would take well to longstanding techniques.

I personally think that aspiring LinnStrumentalists need to be mindful of reinventing the proverbial wheel.

Cheers!

[FranklyFlawless]

I did not have the privilege of formal/proper music training, so I solely rely on my own self-driven research and experimentations to make progress towards fulfilling my ambitions.

The tritone layout has nothing in common with the piano layout, and severely lacks educational resources, which is why I have written multiple documents for it. There is no sense of familiar feeling or association, so I must develop a framework/system from scratch.

I appreciate your input and perspective on these LinnStrumental matters, but in the end, all I care about is developing my LinnStrument fluency and proficiency, not discussion. Feel free to utilize these concepts, along with the aforementioned documents, as a basis for your own development.

[John the Savage]

But a discussion is exactly what you are instigating by posting these thoughts in a public forum.

I'm just offering some ballast to that, because you do tend to complicate matters; and that runs the risk of misleading others, who might otherwise be in the same position as yourself, looking for answers.

There's nothing wrong with exploring these concepts for yourself and sharing your thoughts, but that does come with the responsibility of not spreading misinformation.

Cheers!

P.S. Proper music training has been widely available to everyone, since the advent of the Internet, and is therefore no longer a privilege. So, don't thumb your nose at me.

[FranklyFlawless]

Sure, if you wish to discuss these matters on the forum, I will voluntarily exclude myself from participating in such discussions out of respect for such wishes. You are welcome to engage in active correspondence here as you see fit.

[John the Savage]

I am not suggesting that you exclude yourself from participating in forum discussions, but rather that you exercise a little humility when presuming to tell others how things work.

You have wrongly answered a great many questions here, and have yet to digress or apologize whenever corrected, no matter by whom. That is what I'm responding to.

Cheers!

[TigerBalm]

Hey FranklyFlawless, thanks for those descriptions. It was helpful to give words to various concepts which had been floating around in my head. I like how you listed out the way to move from one note to the next, and the ways to anchor motions between chords. I totally experienced that feeling of learning to cache chords on guitar. In fact, sometimes what I enjoyed about guitar was solving the fingering and movement puzzle of a guitar tab, which takes many play throughs and caching.

Regarding the reference to anchor notes and voice leading: I see it like every instrument builds its own tradition. There's ample room to learn from other traditions and also define a new tradition for LinnStrument.

So it's a positive sign to learn that other traditions arrived at similar concepts to the ones Frankly observed. Anchor Note is a good word to describe using a static common note between two chords as a reference. However, when I hear the term "Voice Leading", that usually refers to the note selection of an arrangement, and not the physical constraints of playing it. I never took serious guitar lessons though so maybe it has this other use that I haven't encountered yet.

LinnStrument plays like nothing else, so it's worthwhile to revisit assumptions as we learn how to play it.

Frankly have you considered making videos of your playing concepts? The text is helpful but it really comes down to the sight and sound of it.

[John the Savage]

Regarding the reference to anchor notes and voice leading: I see it like every instrument builds its own tradition. There's ample room to learn from other traditions and also define a new tradition for LinnStrument.

But anchor notes and voice leading are not traditions or concepts, they are principles.

New musical instruments only change the way we interact with these constants. Whether you use an abacus, a slide rule, or a calculator, two plus two still equals four.

To that end, the LinnStrument's contribution to music lies in the expressivity that it brings to electronic sounds. It does not change the fundamental rules of harmony or composition, nor do we need a verbose new language to relate those rules to the LinnStrument.

It seems to me that a lot of people see the LinnStrument as a solution looking for a problem, or perhaps as a way to sidestep general studies, but it is not. As far as music theory is concerned, it is a chromatic instrument like any other.

In that regard, there is a wealth of information already at our disposal.

We're talking music here, folks, not black holes.

Cheers!

[TigerBalm]

I think you could have messaged something more like “you’re on the right track, actually we have the same concept in guitar called anchor notes, so I’d suggest using that name”. The message I read was “your lack of proper training is confusing people, stop doing it”

And after a quick google, I didn’t find any reference to voice leading as a playing technique, only a music writing technique.

LinnStrument is unique thiugh, this thread is all about how LinnStrument has a unique challenge to play by feel, more than other instruments. On piano you can feel the black keys and on guitar you can feel the neck, frets, and strings. So I appreciate Frankly’s contribution, I haven’t seen similar descriptions elsewhere.

[John the Savage]

Tiger, please, don't split hairs with me on someone else's behalf.

I'm a fair and measured person. Moreover, I speak only to that which I know and understand, that I might be of help to others. I simply lent some sober thought to a convoluted stream of consciousness, coming from someone whom I admittedly take exception to around here, for the way they preach tenuous theories as gospel.

Conversely, I have cheerfully and respectfully engaged with you, on several occasions, and appreciated your work, having considered it carefully. To that end, I deal with people based on my interactions with them, not their interactions with others.

We can't all get along. That's just people for you.

I don't need an etiquette lesson. No one got bullied here. My words may have been direct, but the language that I used was civilized, my tone was merited, and what I said was factual.

I'm a musician. I got involved with a community of people who presumed to adopt a new instrument, designed to be played, hoping to find other players along the way.

Don't get me wrong, I also enjoy talking about the underlying tech. Your work in fleshing out a different, possibly better, playing surface, for instance, is something that I can get behind. But I am not otherwise obligated to sit here idly, while the misinformed pontificate about the mechanics of music itself, under the pretense of challenging convention.

I have been pounced on, too many times, by those who harbor this rebellious and juvenile attitude toward studying music. It never seems to matter how delicately the topic is broached either.

In this case, I don't owe the recipient any favors, so...

I stand by my words upthread.

Cheers!

[FranklyFlawless]

Frankly have you considered making videos of your playing concepts? The text is helpful but it really comes down to the sight and sound of it.

Yes, but I do not have the funds, time, or interest to allocate towards it. Instead, those funds are being pointed to music equipment/modifications required to support the LinnStrument and my preferences, while my focus is on developing my LinnStrument proficiency solely for live performance. The only reason to invest in video equipment later is to demonstrate my ability to other select LinnStrumentalists using self-hosted Jitsi Meet or other gratis and libre open-source video conferencing software.