source file: mills2.txt Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996 08:10:54 -0800 Subject: Microtonal keyboards - cheap! From: bf250@freenet.carleton.ca (John Sankey) Velocity-sensitive MIDI keyboards (no sound) can be got new for $130US each here. There are two obvious ways to combine as many of them as you want into any desired playing configuration: key extensions and push rods. Key extensions: pieces of metal bent in a Z shape, one end fastened to the MIDI keys, the other holding the surface to be played. In side view (the * are the extensions): ************** ----------- ********** ----| keyboard | playing * --------| 1 | surface * ----------- ********************* ----------- ********** ----| keyboard | --------| 2 | ----------- etc. Push rods: with a pin on the lower end to sit in a hole in the MIDI key, the top surface going through a plate that defines the key configuration desired (you can have several plates). Push-on keys of various lengths, shapes and colours identify each as desired and can be interchanged to change tuning. Side view again: playing surface _____****______geometry plate ** * * * * * * * * * * ----------- * * * ----| keyboard | * * --------| 1 | * * ----------- * * ----------- * ----| keyboard | --------| 2 | ----------- etc. Either way: no electronics work. No special software development. (Not even any "entrepreneurial attitude"!) Cost about $600 for a 48 notes/octave setup. I'd use the push rod method if I were building one. Wood doweling is light weight and rigid in compression for the best feel, easy to work and cheap. And, with the only modification of the keyboards being a small hole in each key for a pin, they can be put back to regular use at any time. Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Tue, 19 Nov 1996 18:28 +0100 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA18110; Tue, 19 Nov 1996 18:29:25 +0100 Received: from eartha.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA18111 Received: from by eartha.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) for id JAA17306; Tue, 19 Nov 1996 09:29:22 -0800 Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996 09:29:22 -0800 Message-Id: Errors-To: madole@ella.mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu