nFrom: mclaren
Subject: arcana & incunabula
--
No one seems to have noticed or remarked
that Mr. Fortuin has accomplished something
that has the potential to utterly
revolutionize microtonality. His 2-D
that has the potential to utterly
revolutionize microtonality. His 2-D
generalized MIDI keyboard controller
is nearly identical in design to several
of Erv Wilson's hexagonal keyboard
grids, and is the single finest generalized
keyboard extant for MIDI synths. In fact...
it is the ONLY generalized keyboard extant
for MIDI synths (!)
The profound importance of this breakthrough
cannot be underestimated. As Paul Rapoport
has sagely observed, "[the fact] that ET's have not
been used more widely despite the ability of
most synthesizers to produce them may be
because playing them on a keyboard of the
familiar design [7 white keys, 5 black keys,
standard piano keyboard] is nearly impossible.
[Rapoport, P., "The Structural Relationship
of Fifths and Thirds in Equal Temperaments,"
[Rapoport, P., "The Structural Relationship
of Fifths and Thirds in Equal Temperaments,"
J. Mus. Theory, 1993, pg. 352]
I urge Mr. Fortuin in the strongest possible
terms to either start some sort of company
that makes available these generalized
hexagonal-key MIDI keyboards to xenharmonists
who want them for whatever you want to charge,
or a kit, or technical details, or whatever you
wish. But the vast importance of this hex
key 2-D keyboard with a Bosanquet layout is
hard to adequately describe. This is what we've
been waiting for. This is what we all need. I've
asked Gary Morrison to design and build and
market a 2-D generalized MIDI keyboard, and
he has displayed not the slightest interest.
And the lack of such a generalized 2-D MIDI
keyboard is holding back the progress of
microtonality.
keyboard is holding back the progress of
microtonality.
This, because the primary advantage of such
a 2-D Bosanquet-type generalized MIDI klavier
is that it will permit large numbers of equal
temperaments to be fingered consistently
and without difficulty.
This is *vital* to the progress of microtonality.
Please think about working with STEIM or
licensing their technology to make your
clavette generalized MIDI Bosanquet keyboard
available to a wider public, Mr. Fortuin.
Nota bene: you might be surprised to learn that
the essential design of this keyboard was
invented & patented by Hermann Leudtke in
Germany in 1932(!)
--mclaren
