Hi guys,
I just found this interesting midi controller called linnstrument. It seems to be very playable and inspiring. However, the problem for me is that I am a newbie in term of playing keyboard. I have only played drum and mouthpiece instrument before, so I have like no experience in keyboard or guitar. I do however, know something about music theory. And I actually can play short melodies on my 2 octave small midi keyboard for my general production purposes (However, strong quantization and post editing is required).
So, I am wondering if linnstrument is useful for me? I think I can use it to inspire and play for fun (after Iearning of course) I am willing to devote time and effort to learning it.
Linnstrument for keyboard newbie?
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 782 posts since 1 Mar, 2018 from USA
Trance, Trance Is Life
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- KVRAF
- 7540 posts since 7 Aug, 2003 from San Francisco Bay Area
Incomplete list of my gear: 1/8" audio input jack.
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- KVRAF
- 3080 posts since 17 Apr, 2005 from S.E. TN
Not being able to play piano keyboard very well, may be an advantage.
It is said that learning to play in all keys is hard on piano keyboard but I have felt that it is among the easiest. The keys are big and it is reasonably easy to hit the right ones and miss the wrong ones and sure the fingering takes some practice but it is quite feasible to manage to play the kind of things a keyboard is good at, in any key, without tying the fingers in knots. Its not really a different fingering for each scale. Sure more than one possible fingering to learn but there is broad overlap. And some famous planists managed to play great with horrible fingering.
its just that if you get good at guitar or piano then there may be less motivation to get good on some other instrument. When I tried wind controller, sure it could do a few things difficult on keys, and I already knew sax and clarinet, and was always terrible playing sax and clarinet.
But for 99 percent of times I might pick up the wind controller to lay a track, it was just a more difficult glitchier way to play a line I could do quicker and easier on keyboard. So there wasn't the motivation for practice. Long long amounts of practice before wind controller would be anything except the harder more glitchy way to get er done.
I experimented with some alternate keyboards over the years and had the same dynamic. Supposedly the alternate keyboards were superior to 88's, but they were not so head and shoulders superior to 88's that it would not have taken months or years of practice to get as good or better than my mediocre piano playing. So the motivation wasn't there. Why work so hard for so long to get an amateurish glitchy result on the alternate keyboard layout when for the vast majority of music lines I can rip them out from a piano keyboard with lots less trouble?
Therefore, if you are not already at least "passably good" playing some instrument, then you may be more patient and more willing to spend the long hours getting good at the linnstrument, because you won't have an "easy out" instrument you can fall back on that you already know how to play purt good.
On the other hand knowing one instrument might give some advantages in learning other instruments. Notes are notes and scales are scales even if switching from bassoon to cello, so you are not re-learning EVERYTHING.
It is said that learning to play in all keys is hard on piano keyboard but I have felt that it is among the easiest. The keys are big and it is reasonably easy to hit the right ones and miss the wrong ones and sure the fingering takes some practice but it is quite feasible to manage to play the kind of things a keyboard is good at, in any key, without tying the fingers in knots. Its not really a different fingering for each scale. Sure more than one possible fingering to learn but there is broad overlap. And some famous planists managed to play great with horrible fingering.
its just that if you get good at guitar or piano then there may be less motivation to get good on some other instrument. When I tried wind controller, sure it could do a few things difficult on keys, and I already knew sax and clarinet, and was always terrible playing sax and clarinet.
But for 99 percent of times I might pick up the wind controller to lay a track, it was just a more difficult glitchier way to play a line I could do quicker and easier on keyboard. So there wasn't the motivation for practice. Long long amounts of practice before wind controller would be anything except the harder more glitchy way to get er done.I experimented with some alternate keyboards over the years and had the same dynamic. Supposedly the alternate keyboards were superior to 88's, but they were not so head and shoulders superior to 88's that it would not have taken months or years of practice to get as good or better than my mediocre piano playing. So the motivation wasn't there. Why work so hard for so long to get an amateurish glitchy result on the alternate keyboard layout when for the vast majority of music lines I can rip them out from a piano keyboard with lots less trouble?
Therefore, if you are not already at least "passably good" playing some instrument, then you may be more patient and more willing to spend the long hours getting good at the linnstrument, because you won't have an "easy out" instrument you can fall back on that you already know how to play purt good.
On the other hand knowing one instrument might give some advantages in learning other instruments. Notes are notes and scales are scales even if switching from bassoon to cello, so you are not re-learning EVERYTHING.
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- addled muppet weed
- 105790 posts since 26 Jan, 2003 from through the looking glass
depends what you're looking to do as well.
if you want to play pianoesque/keys style music, might not be the best approach.
watch some of the videos and see if it lends itself well to what you wish to achieve
that thread mentioned above has some interesting information
if you want to play pianoesque/keys style music, might not be the best approach.
watch some of the videos and see if it lends itself well to what you wish to achieve
that thread mentioned above has some interesting information
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- KVRAF
- 6800 posts since 20 Jan, 2008
That depends on you....
Having guitar background would take you further on the linnstrument than keyboard. But still you would have to be adaptable.
Plus you would have to develop skills for x,y axis movement, even with the options for built in quantification.
As for learning it or any instrument yes that will take dedication. There are no linnstrument schools or learning platforms. I'm actually using mine to improve my notation sight reading skills.
If you stick to the 4ths layout (and I advise doing so) the isomorphic layout makes learning easier than learning the physical fundamentals than a keyboard or guitar for various reasons. Mostly it's about form.... Once you learn a "shape" you can transpose it fairly effortlessly to any key. There are three shapes to primary chords. Not all shapes are functional in all situations. Some work will be trial and error. There are three "forms" of diatonic scales. It all depends on which finger you start the scale on. As soon as you get these "shapes/forms" down it's easy to transpose to any key.
As stated earlier there is no "Learn to play the Linnstrument" courseware out there. Every linnstrument user I've encountered has had background with other instruments previously. And... I ought to know as I admin the Linnstrument user group on FB. Which is the only place outside of KVR where users can interact and share ideas. But I digress.
If you are really interested in learning the Linnstrument... Piano tutor notation based software may be your best option.
Not Melodics Melodics uses a keyboard layout for instruction which means you need to mentally transpose the visual display of the keyboard to the linnstrument which is less than practical. It's also the least practical way to learn music as it's not very grounded.
Yousician, Piano Marvel and Playground Sessions are other options.
I didn't like Playground Sessions as there was no trial to evaluate the subscription based tutorware before you buy. Granted a lot of famous musicians and some pretty big deals endorse the product.
Yousician has a childish ui. Nonetheless it's actually a pretty good game type environment that gets one going fairly quickly.
I'm currently using Piano Marvel. Piano Marvel courseware can seem taxingly slow at first because you go through lesson after lesson just trying to go through foundations. But if you keep it up and keep aiming for 100% on each lesson eventually you'll become more relaxed at playing and get a better handle on playing. I can honestly say that my linnstrument playing has gotten better due to Piano Marvel. And I also mean the playing I do outside the courseware with songs I know and when I "dabble"
Having guitar background would take you further on the linnstrument than keyboard. But still you would have to be adaptable.
Plus you would have to develop skills for x,y axis movement, even with the options for built in quantification.
As for learning it or any instrument yes that will take dedication. There are no linnstrument schools or learning platforms. I'm actually using mine to improve my notation sight reading skills.
If you stick to the 4ths layout (and I advise doing so) the isomorphic layout makes learning easier than learning the physical fundamentals than a keyboard or guitar for various reasons. Mostly it's about form.... Once you learn a "shape" you can transpose it fairly effortlessly to any key. There are three shapes to primary chords. Not all shapes are functional in all situations. Some work will be trial and error. There are three "forms" of diatonic scales. It all depends on which finger you start the scale on. As soon as you get these "shapes/forms" down it's easy to transpose to any key.
As stated earlier there is no "Learn to play the Linnstrument" courseware out there. Every linnstrument user I've encountered has had background with other instruments previously. And... I ought to know as I admin the Linnstrument user group on FB. Which is the only place outside of KVR where users can interact and share ideas. But I digress.
If you are really interested in learning the Linnstrument... Piano tutor notation based software may be your best option.
Not Melodics Melodics uses a keyboard layout for instruction which means you need to mentally transpose the visual display of the keyboard to the linnstrument which is less than practical. It's also the least practical way to learn music as it's not very grounded.
Yousician, Piano Marvel and Playground Sessions are other options.
I didn't like Playground Sessions as there was no trial to evaluate the subscription based tutorware before you buy. Granted a lot of famous musicians and some pretty big deals endorse the product.
Yousician has a childish ui. Nonetheless it's actually a pretty good game type environment that gets one going fairly quickly.
I'm currently using Piano Marvel. Piano Marvel courseware can seem taxingly slow at first because you go through lesson after lesson just trying to go through foundations. But if you keep it up and keep aiming for 100% on each lesson eventually you'll become more relaxed at playing and get a better handle on playing. I can honestly say that my linnstrument playing has gotten better due to Piano Marvel. And I also mean the playing I do outside the courseware with songs I know and when I "dabble"
Dell Vostro i9 64GB Ram Windows 11 Pro, Cubase, Bitwig, Mixcraft Guitar Pod Go, Linntrument Nektar P1, Novation Launchpad
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- KVRist
- 32 posts since 28 Mar, 2017
Has anyone played with both a Seaboard and a Linnstrument? Maybe someone has tried both side to side somewhere? I'm interested in pros and cons as someone who never learned to play piano.
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- KVRAF
- 7540 posts since 7 Aug, 2003 from San Francisco Bay Area
I have both, and both have their pros and cons. If you prefer a piano layout, the Seaboard makes more sense. If you have guitar experience, go with LinnStrument. Overall, I prefer the sensitivity and expressive control of the LinnStrument much more for solo melodic lines.
Incomplete list of my gear: 1/8" audio input jack.
