Scales, modes and non-standard scales

[LGTrader]

I only found the LinnStrument recently. Very interesting device. I browsed around the website very quickly but didn't find instructions on how to program modes such as A Minor being C Major with the root note moved to A, or scales with steps larger than whole notes. In watching a few videos I see what appears to be someone using Pentatonic spacing and other videos where the lights are very different so I'm fairly sure it can be done.

Can someone point me toward the right part of the manual that explains doing this in more depth and how many scales can be stored internally? (Or externally if that's how it's done.)

Thanks in advance,
Mark

[FranklyFlawless]

Can someone point me toward the right part of the manual that explains doing this in more depth and how many scales can be stored internally?

You can change the Note Light patterns in Global Settings.

3) SCALE SELECT
This feature permits creating, and quickly switching between, multiple Note Light patterns. For example, you could instantly switch between the default C major scale lights, an alternate light pattern that lights the C minor scale, and a custom pattern that resembles the dots on a guitar neck.

If Scale Select is selected in the View column, the 12 settings in columns 2-4 (C through B) are used to select one of 12 Note Lights memories, each containing a different light pattern. (Important: the labels C through B are merely identifiers for the 12 memories, using the same 12 printed labels C through B that are printed below the 12 buttons, and have no relation to the musical keys C though B.) These 12 memories are divided into two types:

The first nine memories (C through G#) contain a unique set of both Main and Accent light settings as described above. This permits quickly changing the lights of one musical scale to another. Though all 9 memories are editable, the default contents are:

C: Major (default)
C#: Natural minor
D: Harmonic minor
D#: Major Pentatonic
E: Minor Pentatonic
F: Major Blues
F#: Minor Blues
G: Diminished
G#: Whole Tone

The last three memories (A, A# and B) are fully custom light patterns that you can create by individually setting each of the note pads to any of 10 colors or off. This is useful for light patterns that cannot be created with the first nine memories, such as guitar neck dots or light patterns with more than two colors. Though all three of these memories are editable, the default contents are:

A: Guitar neck dots
A#: C major scale with a different color for each scale note
B: Blank

To display one of these 3 custom light patterns, briefly press Scale Select button A, A# or B, then turn off Global Settings. Your selected light pattern will appear.

To Edit one of these 3 custom light patterns, enter Global Settings then:
1) HOLD Scale Select memory A, A# or B. You have now entered the light editor screen and the existing contents of the selected memory will appear.
2) To set the color of a pad: repeatedly press the blinking Switch 1 button until it shows your desired color, rotating through the 10 available colors. Then press any note pad to change it to that color.
3) To erase any note pad: hold it.
4) To erase many note pads: press 2 pads that are 2 corners of a rectangle that includes the pads to be erased.
5) To save your changes and exit the editor: press Global Settings to turn it off and return to the normal performance lights.

So if you want A minor, select any of the first 9 Note Lights memories, change the Main light to A, then change the Accent lights to B, C, D, E, F, and G.

[LGTrader]

Great info. Thanks very much!

Question: I am primarily a guitar player with minimal piano keyboard skills. I'm wondering about using the LinnStrument in a live setting where it's on some sort of stand and the song we're playing does some sort of scale change or modulation in the middle of the song. If I've got my hands on the guitar when the change occurs, is there a way to switch between scales using an external MIDI footswitch or some other device?

Never having seen this device in person I'm hesitant to depend on a row of switch or anything on the front of the device to make these changes as mistaken key press could be disastrous.

Cheers

[FranklyFlawless]

If I've got my hands on the guitar when the change occurs, is there a way to switch between scales using an external MIDI footswitch or some other device?

Yes, send an NRPN message of 247 with a value between 0-11 to change the Note Lights preset.

https://github.com/rogerlinndesign/linn ... i.txt#L247

You can also send an NRPN message of 37 or 38 with a value between 0-14 to transpose the pitch or lights of the left split.

https://github.com/rogerlinndesign/linn ... #L103-L104

The right split also has a similar implementation, using an NRPN message of 137 or 138 instead with a value between 0-14 to transpose the pitch or lights.

https://github.com/rogerlinndesign/linn ... #L170-L171

[LGTrader]

Thank you. that's enough info to convince me to make a purchase.

I appreciate your help very much

[Roger_Linn]

Note that the 8 control buttons function as either toggle (if held less than 1/2 second) or momentary (if held more than 1/2 second).

So to quickly change the transposition:
While holding the Octave/Transpose button, select a pad to set the transpose amount, then release the Octave/Transpose button.

Or to quickly change the "Scale Select" memory:
While holding the Global Settings button, select one of the 12 "Scale Select" memories, then release the Global Settings button.

However, most people find that after using LinnStrument for a while, they don't find a need to frequently change the light patterns, because it's difficult to learn an instrument if the pitch indicators are always changing.

An alternate is to simply transpose in order to change the scale lights. For example, to change from C major to C minor, simply play the the C major scale starting on A, which is an A minor scale, but transpose up 3 semitones so it's a C minor scale.

[John the Savage]

I am primarily a guitar player ...

Consider the fact that you navigate the guitar fretboard, no matter the key, by simply playing in and around the otherwise fixed fret markers. The LinnStrument should be no different, in this respect. You can even customize the lights to represent fret markers, if that suits you.

Regardless, it would be entirely impractical to change the layout of the lights for every different key or scale you might encounter throughout the duration of a given song or set.

Therefore, my best advice is to simply learn your way around the LinnStrument, as you would any other instrument. Coming from the guitar, the default 4th's tuning should already be familiar, so you're way ahead of the curve.

Cheers!