Actually I just finished making the final sheets, it took about a week. Shipping them out today.
Speedbumpy Surface for better play by feel - samples ready
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- KVRAF
- 1577 posts since 2 Apr, 2015
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- KVRer
- 28 posts since 10 May, 2022
Hi I looked at this, but what I was looking for was a way to orient myself on which 'row'. So (apologies to those who've seen this on another group), I did wonder if just raising the 'row ridge' between a couple of rows to help with vertical orientation would be worth pursuing at all?
This wouldn't change the exisiting 'flat' surface of the original design, just a modification. As ever this is only an idea...
This wouldn't change the exisiting 'flat' surface of the original design, just a modification. As ever this is only an idea...
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- KVRer
- 9 posts since 15 Jan, 2023
From what I understand, some people want to be able to play across several columns with one finger (like a barre chord on a guitar). I think this is one reason why a design with raised rows are preferred to raised ridges.
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- KVRAF
- 2507 posts since 8 Jun, 2010
- Roger Linn Design
Unfortunately barre chords don't work so well on LinnStrument because of a limitation of the sensor:
The number of pads that can be played simultaneously in a single column is 3.
The number of pads that can be played simultaneously in a single column is 3.
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- KVRer
- 9 posts since 15 Jan, 2023
I see. But a limited three string barre chord is still a barre chord 
I would think that even a two row double stop barre is probably easier to play on raised rows than on raised ridges. But if you are a one-finger-for-each-note kind of player, then the lack of barre ability would probably not be such a big sacrifice. Although there might have been other benefits to raised rows over raised ridges that TigerBalm considered. I don't know.
I would think that even a two row double stop barre is probably easier to play on raised rows than on raised ridges. But if you are a one-finger-for-each-note kind of player, then the lack of barre ability would probably not be such a big sacrifice. Although there might have been other benefits to raised rows over raised ridges that TigerBalm considered. I don't know.-
- KVRAF
- 2507 posts since 8 Jun, 2010
- Roger Linn Design
I've never seen any LinnStrument player use a barre chord. It's not a guitar controller but rather an expressive keyboard that happens to have its pitches arrangement as on a stringed instrument, not to appeal to guitarists but rather because rows of equally-spaced consecutive semitones is essential for isomorphism and for performing pitch gestures like bends and pitch slides, which are cumbersome on a piano pitch layout.
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- KVRer
- 9 posts since 15 Jan, 2023
I understand and respect how you designed the controller with the intention of making an expressive keyboard, Roger. But I don't think that I clearly see the practical benefit of thinking of the controller as an expressive keyboard instead of a pad controller for expressive playing. And I fail to see a problem with the wider appeal. If raised rows make some people play barre chords (or play with barre-like gestures), and this function appeals to people who wants to play barre chords, is the worry that these people will subsequently request further guitar features that the controller will not be able to implement? As I see it, by applying the same reasoning that slide pitch gestures limited to rows doesn't make the controller a guitar controller (even though the behaviour connotes a stringed instrument), the possibility to play barre chords will not make it a guitar controller either. It will just make it an expressive pad controller that now (more easily) accommodates the playing of two/three-row barre chords.
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peter.antoniou peter.antoniou https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=392106
- KVRer
- 13 posts since 17 Jan, 2017
I think there's a tendency with any new tool, whether it's an instrument, controller, programming language or kitchen utensil to try to use it with techniques of something that's superficially similar. While that can make the transition easier, it's also limiting - to really let the new tool shine you need to let it be itself.
The barre chord thing confuses me - although to be fair I'm not a guitarist. As I see it barre chords are a way of dealing with the limitations of a guitar and finding a way to deal with otherwise open strings. Here there's really no such concept as an open string. Is there something I'm missing?
The barre chord thing confuses me - although to be fair I'm not a guitarist. As I see it barre chords are a way of dealing with the limitations of a guitar and finding a way to deal with otherwise open strings. Here there's really no such concept as an open string. Is there something I'm missing?
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- KVRAF
- 1577 posts since 2 Apr, 2015
I'm a guitarist and I just can't see any way that I would attempt to use barre chords on the LS, it's the wrong shape!
On a guitar it may be a useful thing but that is because it is the right shape and to be honest even on the guitar I tend not to use them that much, nasty things.
On a guitar it may be a useful thing but that is because it is the right shape and to be honest even on the guitar I tend not to use them that much, nasty things.
Bitwig, against the constitution.
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- KVRAF
- 2507 posts since 8 Jun, 2010
- Roger Linn Design
Hi Andrew,
If you have a LinnStrument, you're certainly welcome to try barre chords, but you'll probably find it very uncomfortable to do because the shape of LinnStrument isn't designed for playing like a guitar.
It's important to understand that unlike guitar, notes held by the barre formation will also sound on LinnStrument, because LinnStrument doesn't have the guitar's limitation of only one note per string. However, LinnStrument does have a "Strum" mode that provides a limited version of guitar strumming, and which only plays only the highest of simultaneous notes within each row. You can see this demonstrated in this video at 6:15:
https://youtu.be/STz__28Scwc?t=375
I'd say this mode is more useful for autoharp-style strumming on a flat surface. Of all the owner videos of playing LinnStrument standing, none use this Strum mode but rather play the LinnStrument either as they would on a table, or with one hand playing from each side of LinnStrument, similar to tapping guitar or Chapman Stick.
In addition to the 3-touches-per-column limitation of LinnStrument's sensor, there's one more limitation of the sensor that makes barre chords difficult: the 4-corners-of-a-rectangle limitation, which would occur more frequently in a barre chord formation. You can learn more about this on the LinnStrument FAQ page, Pre-Sales tab, 1st FAQ. paragraph 2:
https://www.rogerlinndesign.com/support ... ument-faqs
I hope this is helpful to you.
If you have a LinnStrument, you're certainly welcome to try barre chords, but you'll probably find it very uncomfortable to do because the shape of LinnStrument isn't designed for playing like a guitar.
It's important to understand that unlike guitar, notes held by the barre formation will also sound on LinnStrument, because LinnStrument doesn't have the guitar's limitation of only one note per string. However, LinnStrument does have a "Strum" mode that provides a limited version of guitar strumming, and which only plays only the highest of simultaneous notes within each row. You can see this demonstrated in this video at 6:15:
https://youtu.be/STz__28Scwc?t=375
I'd say this mode is more useful for autoharp-style strumming on a flat surface. Of all the owner videos of playing LinnStrument standing, none use this Strum mode but rather play the LinnStrument either as they would on a table, or with one hand playing from each side of LinnStrument, similar to tapping guitar or Chapman Stick.
In addition to the 3-touches-per-column limitation of LinnStrument's sensor, there's one more limitation of the sensor that makes barre chords difficult: the 4-corners-of-a-rectangle limitation, which would occur more frequently in a barre chord formation. You can learn more about this on the LinnStrument FAQ page, Pre-Sales tab, 1st FAQ. paragraph 2:
https://www.rogerlinndesign.com/support ... ument-faqs
I hope this is helpful to you.
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- KVRer
- 9 posts since 15 Jan, 2023
Evidently, using one finger across several rows on an unmodified flat Linnstrument surface is not ideal. One will probably find it quite awkward. With raised rows, however, it will probably not be as awkward. I don't know, because I don't have TigerBalm's surface to test it out, but if someone wants to play a double-stop barre (using a single finger on two rows) on TigerBalm's raised surface it seems to be able to accommodate this well. On Equiton's suggestion of a board with raised ridges instead of raised rows, this will probably not be a comfortable playing style.
@peter.antoniou A barre chord is just the technique of using your finger as a bar across several rows in the same column to make up a chord. It could be for convenience or laziness, or for speed of playing. It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with counteracting open strings, unless you use your finger as a bar/capo across most strings to transpose a chord down the fretboard. This will obviously be impossible even on a Linnstrument surface with raised rows, because of the apparent limitations of hand and finger anatomy as well as the technical limitations pointed out by Roger, and so this is not the kind of barres that we talk about here.
@peter.antoniou A barre chord is just the technique of using your finger as a bar across several rows in the same column to make up a chord. It could be for convenience or laziness, or for speed of playing. It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with counteracting open strings, unless you use your finger as a bar/capo across most strings to transpose a chord down the fretboard. This will obviously be impossible even on a Linnstrument surface with raised rows, because of the apparent limitations of hand and finger anatomy as well as the technical limitations pointed out by Roger, and so this is not the kind of barres that we talk about here.
