My Linnstrument Won't Register Certain Keys Pressed Simultaneously

[drake-n]

If I press 4 (or more) notes that involved two sets of stacked notes on the same rows, the 4th note won't send any midi data.

For example if I press C and E in one row and the F and A in the rows directly above, the 4th note pressed won't register. If I were to play it somewhere else it does. Similarly, with 4 notes stacked on top of each other, the 4th note also won't register.

Is there some settings I have that is causing this (although I've tested different midi modes and it occurs in all of them), is this normal (frustrating if that's the case), or is there an issue with my Linnstrument?

Thanks so much for the help.

[Roger_Linn]

Hi drake-n,

I’m sorry about that. It is a fundamental limitation of LinnStrument’s sensing technology. It is explained on the LinnStrument FAQ page, Pre-Sales tab, 1st FAQ, paragraph 2:

“If 3 note pads are pressed that are 3 corners of a rectangle, presses to a note pad that is the 4th corner of that rectangle will be ignored.”

Here’s the page, which explains it further:

https://www.rogerlinndesign.com/support ... ument-faqs

[FranklyFlawless]

The easiest method to get around this sensor limitation is to use the isomorphic layout to your advantage. You can press the missing note on the higher or lower row(s), and shift your finger position to match the pitch. You may need to use two hands depending on how large the span is. Depending on the row offset, this workaround may be unavailable, particularly at the extreme ends of the LinnStrument's note range.

An advantage of using the tritone layout is that this sensor limitation is fully addressed in my tritone documents, where I provide chord shape diagrams that retain the same voicing in one hand. There is no need to use two hands to deal with this sensor limitation unless you want to.

For four notes stacked on one column, that is not addressed in the documents because that produces tritone octaves, not a seventh chord, and is not ergonomic for either hand. You can produce the same voicing by using two fingers adjacently stacked, then another two fingers adjacently stacked six columns to the right, but one row above. You can also use the right thumb to press both notes on the left side, at the cost of expressive control, but benefits from improved ergonomics. Both assume you want this voicing played with only one hand.

[drake-n]

Got it. Thanks for the quick response.

[drake-n]

The easiest method to get around this sensor limitation is to use the isomorphic layout to your advantage. You can press the missing note on the higher or lower row(s), and shift your finger position to match the pitch. You may need to use two hands depending on how large the span is. Depending on the row offset, this workaround may be unavailable, particularly at the extreme ends of the LinnStrument's note range.

An advantage of using the tritone layout is that this sensor limitation is fully addressed in my tritone documents, where I provide chord shape diagrams that retain the same voicing in one hand. There is no need to use two hands to deal with this sensor limitation unless you want to.

For four notes stacked on one column, that is not addressed in the documents because that produces tritone octaves, not a seventh chord, and is not ergonomic for either hand. You can produce the same voicing by using two fingers adjacently stacked, then another two fingers adjacently stacked six columns to the right, but one row above. You can also use the right thumb to press both notes on the left side, at the cost of expressive control, but benefits from improved ergonomics. Both assume you want this voicing played with only one hand.

That's interesting, I switched around to that layout last night to test it. It's seeming to be a much smoother transition than I expected.

[FranklyFlawless]

That's interesting, I switched around to that layout last night to test it. It's seeming to be a much smoother transition than I expected.

There are many advantages to the layout, the most notable one being that the rows repeats every two. In common music, the key tends to be the same, so in this layout you generally do not need to move your hands as much left or right when performing melodies.

If you want to have a solid foundation for chords, I suggest using the Quick References document located in the ZIP file on the thread I linked earlier. It is designed to get you up and running. Once you have understood the chord shapes you enjoy performing, you can use the Chord Diagrams document for a comprehensive list of ergonomic chord shapes. The documents themselves are released under the Creative Commons Zero (CCO) license. Here is a human readable summary of what that means:

The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of his or her rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Feel free to modify them to suit your purposes and usage. I still have more documents in the works pending peer review, so eventually I will provide another update to the thread.

[5KW1RE]

I also switched to tritones for this reason. Took a little adjusting but I'm good with it, fourths on one diagonal, fifths on the other, octaves every two rows, lots of great outcomes, most voicings work great, the only one that brought back in to play the 3 corners of a square problem was diminished, but then in drop 2 it was fine again. it occasionally needs working around, but i think it's better. props to tj shredder for first pointing it out as well

[drake-n]

I've stuck with this layout for this week. And I have to say, I think it's here to stay for me!

Thanks for the suggestion FranklyFlawless. It's much less likely to run into that sensor issue, I like the extra range, and that playing a large range of notes feels closer with less position changes. I also find the stacked octaves every other row very helpful for keeping my place.

Still need to hammer down those new chord positions, but overall, I think I'm already at the level I was, or better in certain instances, than where I was on the default tuning last week.

[FranklyFlawless]

I've stuck with this layout for this week. And I have to say, I think it's here to stay for me!

Thanks for the suggestion FranklyFlawless. It's much less likely to run into that sensor issue, I like the extra range, and that playing a large range of notes feels closer with less position changes. I also find the stacked octaves every other row very helpful for keeping my place.

Still need to hammer down those new chord positions, but overall, I think I'm already at the level I was, or better in certain instances, than where I was on the default tuning last week.

I am glad you have found success with the tritone layout as many others did, including myself. Most of the chord diagrams suggested in the Quick Reference document have the root note on the bottom left position for the little finger so it is easier to keep track of where you are at in any given piece.

There are still clear advantages with the string 4ths layout worth mentioning. Playing the diatonic scale is trivial ascending or descending when using three fingers per row. It is also the most commonly used isomorphic layout amongst commercial products, and shares many similiarities with the guitar's layout, so if you have previous guitar experience, there is significantly less relearning involved.

[drake-n]

Hahaha, the biggest flip flopper here...I should be in politics.

Just for anyone who comes across this: I did end up going back to the 4ths tuning as I discovered some 4 note chord progressions to be really awkward and slightly uncomfortable to play with one hand on the tritone layout (that were a breeze to play with the 4ths), and now that I was aware of that sensor limitation it wasn't that challenging to work around.

I had just been playing two handed chords so I came across the issue very frequently, but I just had to offset the hands to play on different rows (or occasionally use a different fingering as FranklyFlawless suggested).

Interestingly, I thought switching tunings was going to be a total mindfuck, but I actually went back to the 4ths layout an even better player than I was when I left it, and it took no time at all to get back into it, or even switch back and forth (which is great to have that option).

[FranklyFlawless]

Hahaha, the biggest flip flopper here...I should be in politics.

Just for anyone who comes across this: I did end up going back to the 4ths tuning as I discovered some 4 note chord progressions to be really awkward and slightly uncomfortable to play with one hand on the tritone layout (that were a breeze to play with the 4ths), and now that I was aware of that sensor limitation it wasn't that challenging to work around.

I had just been playing two handed chords so I came across the issue very frequently, but I just had to offset the hands to play on different rows (or occasionally use a different fingering as FranklyFlawless suggested).

Interestingly, I thought switching tunings was going to be a total mindfuck, but I actually went back to the 4ths layout an even better player than I was when I left it, and it took no time at all to get back into it, or even switch back and forth (which is great to have that option).

I would love to know what chord progression exactly you were uncomfortable with.

Remember that the Quick Reference document is just something to start off. As you become more familiarized with it, you may run into issues with how much space each chord takes against the playing surface, especially using splits. That is why the Chord Diagrams document exists, so you have more options for whenever you want a larger or smaller voicing.

LinnStrumentalists who can use multiple layouts with ease are rare, although using the lights for each of them may help the transition.

[drake-n]

I'll go look sometime this weekend, maybe you have some fingering suggestions.

One was: Fmaj7, Bm7b5\F, Em7, Am7\E, Dm7, G7\D, C (with the stacked octave on C) (FACE, FABD, EGBD, EGAC, DFAC, DFGB, CEGC).

[FranklyFlawless]

I'll go look sometime this weekend, maybe you have some fingering suggestions.

One was: Fmaj7, Bm7b5\F, Em7, Am7\E, Dm7, G7\D, C (with the stacked octave on C) (FACE, FABD, EGBD, EGAC, DFAC, DFGB, CEGC).

The issue is that the tritone chord diagrams are not stacked thirds. If you try to play the chord tones like block chords on the piano/keyboard, your fingers will contort to uncomfortable and unergonomic positions. This is why the chord diagrams are generally shaped like a frown, as that is the natural curvature of the arc on each hand, and not shaped like parallelograms. In the Quick Reference document, the third will be raised to a tenth due to this, so you will need to accept it or use a different chord shape from the other Chord Diagrams document.

Prioritizing a open sound with little movement on the left hand, like how I play, here is what I suggest for your diatonic cadence using the Quick Reference document as a starting point:

1. 6th column, even row, play M.
2. Slide middle and index finger diagonally down left, slide ring finger left, play 6♭5.
3. Slide middle and index finger diagonally up left, slide little finger left, play m.
4. Slide index finger diagonally down right, slide ring finger right, play m in an undocumented voicing.
5. Slide middle finger diagonally down right, slide little finger right, add thumb two rows below the middle finger, play m + octave.
6. Slide middle and index finger diagonally up left, slide ring finger left, play octave.
7. Slide middle and index finger diagonally down left, slide little finger left, slide thumb two columns left, lift ring finger, play s + octave.

If you want to complete the harmonic rhythm loop, here are the extra steps in a very minimal suggestion:

1. Add the ring finger above the little finger, play octave.
2. From here, you can form the same shape as the first step one column to the right to simplify memorization (remember to lift the thumb), or if you are advanced, you can start forming the alternative M shapes on nearby cells. An easy example is sliding the entire left hand diagonally left in either direction, then sliding your ring finger right.

I did not talk about the thumb in the documents because it constitutes five fingers. Consider it an experimental sneak peek.