I'm getting a Linnstrument Dammit!

[tapper mike]

I'm leaning more towards a Seaboard precisely because I know I'll never put in the work to get good at the Linnstrument layout. I'm right there with keyman sam... 30 years of playing guitar and I still suck. 40 years of piano and I'm at least semi-competent, so I'll go with the more familiar layout. Plus I already have an Ableton Push 2, so I've had a taste of grid controllers. But really, they're all pretty awesome. I would have bought a Continuum years ago if they weren't so expensive, or a Soundplane if they were PC-compatible.

I've printed out an image of the linnstrument on to two pieces of paper. It looks close to the actual dimensions though I think the printout is larger. When played as a desktop controller (as opposed to strapped) it actually is more of a challenge for guitarists. Everything is upside down and backwards in relation to how the left hand operates. On a guitar string the index finger holds the lower note value and it goes up from there in half steps. On the linnstrument the pinky of the left had is the lower note of the row. You are actually fighting muscle memory. As for the right hand... Well I don't call myself tapper mike for nothing. I often split the fretboard on my ztar and play melodies on the right and chords on the left hand. So the right hand is actually holding it's own. left hand rhythm is also a challenge for me (not impossible just something I'm not as acquainted with. Nonetheless I still try to tap out musical ideas, scales, chords etc as a means to prepare myself for the units arrival.

There will be plenty of challenges ahead. There are no how to play a linnstrument books or videos or other stuff. Because the linnstrument allows for up to three notes per row (string) One can't properly use tablature to notate various concepts. I'm a lousy sight reader, sure I can read standard notation but it's at a snails pace.

I like a good challenge and that's the way I see the linnstrument. I'm fascinated with jazz organ and while I'll never be a Jimmy Smith or Tony Monaco or Joey DeFrancesco It puts me in the game more then trying and failing at piano again.

[Winstontaneous]

Funny I feel the same way about guitar. I've been learning acoustic guitar for the past 8 months now and can't for the life of me figure out how to play bar chords without pain in my thumb. It requires much more physical dexterity than the piano, to me. I get quickly disappointed after playing a few bars of bar chords(no pun).

Rather than squeezing with your thumb, relax and let the weight of your shoulder and arm go through your arched fingers, to your fingertips, and onto the strings. The thumb is a guide but not the providing the force that holds down the strings. All this is easier if you position the guitar "classical style" with the neck at a ~45 degree angle - which also keeps both your wrists straighter, a very good thing IME.

I learned this the hard way, after injuring myself playing the upright bass. Playing with the big muscle groups also helps you create better tone. Be sure the guitar is set up well - a little truss rod adjustment to lower the action can work wonders. Or maybe go down a string gauge.

[tapper mike]

It arrived today. Way way cool

[tapper mike]

It's Here and my review is here - http://forums.songstuff.com/blogs/entry ... nt-review/

Ztar meet dumpster.

[tapper mike]

So after having it about a week.

I'm still playing it in desktop mode. And still learning the board. I'm surprised few have commented about my review. Roger Linn was kind enough to review it and we seem to be in disagreement. I am able to use the "NotePerChannel" feature on a Win Machine using Cantable as a host setting it up in Omni and then creating instances of the same plugin on different channels. The Linnstrument cycles through the channels so I can pull the "bend in different directions at once.

The tiles (cells/pads) are a little big for my hands but I'm adapting. They need to be that big for x/y CC.

It's been a blast. Everyday I wake up and run to the linnstrument start playing trying to get down my scales and chords. I'm trying to develop a left hand bass / right hand comp technique similar to Tony Monaco...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsA7yv9uwdo

I've got a long way to go but I've had some initial success.

I've also been formulating technique ideas. Some are borrowed from my ztar tapping approaches - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsA7yv9uwdo Even though everything is upside down and backwards. It's hard to develop muscle memory when you have so many options. Like diatonic scales Use the thumb / don't, Three finger / Four finger, combinations of left and right hand. Django "ish two finger scaling. Lots of fun, lots of options, not a lot of time in a day. Locking down one methodology would be faster in terms of developing muscle memory. But I want a good handle on all of them so I can do video demos.

The only thing I'm really not liking on it is... ChannelPerRow
I've been playing ztars for 9 years now. On ztars or on Roland GK or other devices channel per row works perfectly in GuitarPro. When I use ChannelPerRow in GP6 it's hopeless. I don't know if it's GP6 or the linn but the transcription in gp6 doesn't match what I'm playing on the linn. tabbing ideas out in gp is back to the old number pad and cursor arrows. Annoying as hell.

[zerocrossing]

I'm leaning more towards a Seaboard precisely because I know I'll never put in the work to get good at the Linnstrument layout. I'm right there with keyman sam... 30 years of playing guitar and I still suck. 40 years of piano and I'm at least semi-competent, so I'll go with the more familiar layout. Plus I already have an Ableton Push 2, so I've had a taste of grid controllers. But really, they're all pretty awesome. I would have bought a Continuum years ago if they weren't so expensive, or a Soundplane if they were PC-compatible.

I occasionally see Continuum's on ebay.
I am now committed to my 23" Viewsonic 10 touch monitor and hope more
iPad apps are ported to the Windows environment.

There's a Roll iPhone app. I doubt it would satisfy anyone.

[zerocrossing]

Actually, I downloaded the Roli app (it's free with in app purchases) and it's quite fun. The iPhone 6s seems too small but I imagine if I could run this on my iPad Pro and transmit OSC or MIDI, I'd buy that app in a heartbeat.