KVR Audio

I used to be a guitarist, forty-five years worth, and to a lesser extent a bass player, keyboard player, and percussionist. Then 11 years ago I had a brain aneurysm (AVM). It affected my right side; the right hand was useless and the right leg necessitates the use of a brace and a four-prong cane to enable me to walk like a drunken sailor. It also knocked out my sense of relative pitch, my ability to do math in my head, my voice, and my programming abilities. My programming abilities have returned and I'm making slow, but steady progress on the relative pitch.

At first, I tried to play an NS Stick, because I have gotten one shortly before my aneurysm. The stick had the advantage of being a familiar interface, but I felt the lack of using the thumb limited my playing and I recently acquired a fretless guitar and I missed that too. I sold the stick and got a Starr Labs MiniZ. I could lay it down, play it like a keyboard, and use my thumb. It also had the advantage of playing multiple notes per string. Unfortunately, while MiniZ had a joy-stick, it wasn't playable by me.

I got a LinnStrument in 2017 and since getting it my MiniZ doesn't get much action. The first thing I used it with, was a Yamaha VL70m. That had patches that were useful, but they were monophonic. Recently, I have a Roland XV-5050 and I am getting that setup. Are there any other handicapped musicians out there?

Hi Dave,
I'm so pleased to learn that your LinnStrument is proving useful to you. Do any of my suggested sounds on the Recommended Sounds page resonate with you. You're also welcome to email at the support address and describe what type of sounds you're seeking. Perhaps I can steer you in the right direction.

I use Bitwig 8-track and Roland XV-5050 from the Recommended Sounds page. I get a lot of use out of my Yamaha VL70m, although that's monophonic. I plan to order the Madrona Labs Aalto and Kaivo, but I've been busy making the LinnStrument instrument file for FretWorx. I plan on getting my organ foot pedals out of storage in the near future, so I can experiment with merging the LinnStrument with the pedals to get a wider range of notes than I can get with my left hand and the LinnStrument alone.

I don’t know the VL70m but I suspect it’s good at expressive control. Make a video!

And thanks for the Fretworx post.

You're welcome. I've never made a video on my own before. Will look into it as soon as I clear my plate a little.

Not exactly handicapped, but my carpal tunnel makes playing a traditional keyboard difficult - the LinnStrument made it possible for me to play regularly again.

I have two friends that have carpal tunnel. One friend has a mild case and can play the piano, but has to watch himself. The other friend, a stick and bass player, had to give up playing. Although, after he had surgery, he's trying to work on it gradually.

The UK's One Handed Musical Instrument Trust awarded LinnStrument the "Best Playable Instrrument" for one-handed musicians in their 2015 competition. Shortly afterward, I started offering a 20% discount for, as stated on my site under the Where To Buy menu, "Musicians with a physical disability that impedes their ability to play a conventional musical instrument."

And I'm a proud member of that program!

Oops-- forgot about that.

Hi! I played trumpet for fifty years, a perfect instrument for someone missing his right hand. One of my front teeth acted up and made the trumpet playing very uncomfortable, so I purchased a Linnstrument. It's an amazing machine. It's taking a while to move my brain from trumpet fingerings and piano keyboard layout familiarity, but it's coming. I was hoping to use the right side of the Linnstrument as bass notes, played with my fingerless hand. No luck yet. The pads need a 'sharper' instrument than my blunt hand. I'll come up with something. I'm currently using the SWAM string instruments to enter in the score to Nimrod, with multiple section players positioned on the 'stage' with EAReverb2. It sounds absolutely fantastic. Makes one appreciate the genius of Elgar, and the genius of Mr. Linn. Very fun!

Chronic hand pain from cancer treatment here. I play with gloves most of the time and Linnstrument works great for that.