A folding keyboard for bands that do yoga
(Credit:
Technabob)
We've spent altogether too much time on guitars lately, whether they be real, virtual or even double-necked. The infatuation even extends, so to speak, to those that can do yoga.
But it's in this last category that we can bridge to another flexible instrument, this one in the form of a folding keyboard. Much to the delight of roadies everywhere, the "Vax 77" from Infinite Response folds in half specifically to fit into those ridiculously tight overhead compartments on airplanes according to FAA carry-on specifications. It also weighs about 25 pounds, which Technabob says is roughly half as heavy as most standard keyboards.
Pricing and availability information have yet to be released, but the Vax 77 supposedly won't be lacking in performance, including a highly touted "polyphonic aftertouch" feature. What we'd really like to see, though, is a version like this for the 280-key "Terpstra."
Velocity sensitivity - is used to simulate how the volume and tone of a piano keyboard would change based on how hard you pressed the key down. This is similar to the change in the sound of a guitar based on how hard you would strum the strings.
After touch - is not a native ability of a piano keyboard but a synth many have the abilty to alter the quality of a note after the key has been struck. This is similar to the use of finger movement on a guitar string after the string has been plucked.
Polyphonic Aftertouch - same as above except for it is easy to alter the character of one note after the strike instead of the entire instrument at once. Comparable to the difference in using a single finger to bend a note on the guitar or using a wammy bar which alters all strings at once. This became a fairly common feature on synths starting for the average musician with the Ensoniq ESQ1 and the Yamaha DX7 in the mid 1980s.
Microtonality - is totally foreign to the piano keyboard and the fretted guitar. It is used to simulate perfect intervals in orchestral instruments or have flexabilities in notes approaching a fretless guitar. To work in this realm requires much understanding of music theory and the manual dexterity of an octopus.
Pricing may be around $2,500 to $2,600 - which makes it comparable to having 5x88 key midiman controllers one for each city you are likely to play in.
Sorry for the "good golly miss molly" but I was incensed. I hope that does not get me banned from posting.