Do you drum it, strum it, or stroke it?

[Cochise]

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Do you drum it, strum it or stroke it?

[Ishido]

That is fucking awesome.

Pity they cost 4000 pounds, although there is a mini version for 350.

[Ksandra]

Since OP is lazy:

It looks like something played by the alien musicians in the bar in Star Wars.

It can be made to sound like it too.

Eigenharp
The flagship Eigenharp Alpha comes with a price tag not far short of £4,000

This is the Eigenharp - described by its developers as "the most expressive electronic musical instrument ever made".

One of my colleagues calls it more simply "a sci-fi bassoon".

The Eigenharp is the brainchild of John Lambert, a musician and software entrepreneur, whose Devon-based team has been working on the project for eight years.

Gig stress

The idea dates back to the early 90s when Lambert played in ambient trance band Shen, who would travel to concerts in a truck packed with musical gear.

"The gigs were really good fun," says Lambert, "but the setting up was just a nightmare. Lots of stuff, equipment, wires, endless stress.

"At the same time I would go to the folk club, take my acoustic guitar out of the box, tune it up, get a pint of beer, and play."

Lambert says the new instrument bridges that gap - bringing a vast range of sounds and drum loops to the fingertips of live performers.

But what's it like to play?


We've got pretty fed up with watching people twiddle knobs on stage
John Lambert, Eigenharp inventor

It initially comes across as a baffling array of buttons with winking red lights. But it doesn't take long to get a broad spectrum of sounds out of the 132 keys, two strip controllers and the breath pipe.

Octaves and scales can be changed at the tap of a button. The Alpha model - aimed at professional musicians - costs £3,950. There's a smaller Pico version for £349.

Theremins and phones

Of course, dozens of electronic instruments have come and gone over the years.

Rick Wakeman in concert in 2005
Could this be the end of keyboards on stage?

Some - like the theremin or Mellotron - have been around for decades and are still in use today. Many others are gathering dust at the back of recording studios.

In an age when complex music-making applications are being made for mobile phones, isn't there a danger that technology might overtake the Eigenharp?

"No," says Lambert. "More likely our decision to make the software for the instrument run on a separate computer will pay off - we are already looking at porting the software perhaps into the PlayStation or Wii."

Lambert points out that many artists no longer make a living from record sales alone. Live tours have become a major source of revenue.

He is upbeat about the response from a wide range of performers, including those working in classical music, rock and electronica.

"The most unexpected thing for me has been the interest from drummers," he says.

Goth rock

Bassoon
Distant cousin: bassoon action from 1942

He says there is one high-profile musician who is about to take delivery of an Eigenharp, but won't give any names.

"Proper musicians want to take this away and learn it before they come out."

Lambert does expect some criticism from musicians, but does not think the price tag will put people off.

"They're going to say it's too expensive. This is a difficult instrument to make cheaply," he says.

"I would be really shocked not to see these out in live situations within six to 12 months.

"It's not just the sonic thing - they are visually compelling, and there's a reason for that - we've got pretty fed up with watching people twiddle knobs on stage.

"It was interesting once when we watched Kraftwerk and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark do it back in the 70s and 80s, but it's not fun in 2009."

And the big question: is the Eigenharp cool enough for a Slash-style guitar solo?

"We were demonstrating it to someone who is in a goth band," says Lambert, "and they were really up for it - so yes. We're making one in jet black. I think people are really going to rock out with these on stage."

Vid on site doesn't seem to work for me but here's an example of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcVqJh0qEMc

Concept is cool and I'm sure many groups will end up using it. I debate on whether or not it's an "instrument". It's kinda like an overcomplicated synthesizer. Still very interesting and unique though~

[Mojo]

Eh

[Jakson]

It's an overcomplicated synthesizer.

I think this sums it up.

[Chun Liroy]

I totally thought this thread was about dicks

[Jefe]

The software behind the instrument is installed on an Apple computer rather than on the Eigenharp itself to prevent the instrument becoming obsolete as technology advances.

The software will be open sourced in the New Year to allow users to help it evolve with newer, faster operating systems.

Though the Eigenharp needs an Apple Macintosh to run, it is not a computer-based instrument. The computer provides the resources, but all the music is made and looped within the Eigenharp itself, eliminating the need for endless mouse-clicks and keystrokes.

Edit: source: http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/...cle6866040.ece

[Gadritan]

Looks pretty fucking awesome to me. The less gear you need for a show the better, and that was the goal for this project.

Unless you're a national act with plenty of roadies, you're looking at 15min to set up/break down before/after your set, which can be a bitch an a half if you've got a lot of gear.

It's the same principal as drummers who have huge sets they use in the studio, but bring a much smaller more practical set to shows. Anything you can do to cut down on set up/break down time is a huge plus.

Hopefully the price will slide down a good bit seeing as how it really benefits local bands/artist more so than national acts (who have all the time in the world to set up/break down).

[zoobernut]

Very cool. I would tend to agree with Ksandra at first glance that it is an oversized synthesizer but after watching the whole video it seems like it has more direct feedback between the user and the music that is created. Specially the way that you can get different tones out of a single button by moving your finger around the single button.

[Yuri-G]

I totally thought this thread was about dicks

I was going to say, "well, none of the above, it's realy more of a grasping motion..."

anyway, as a musician, I guess this looks cool. sort of. it's hard to get excited about it with that price tag. if I got one for free I'm sure it would be a blast to mess around with. although not nearly as cool as one of these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm_FzLya8y4

[Blabj]

do wan't.

Looks awesome.

[Max™]

I totally thought this thread was about dicks

Me too, man, me too.

[Waef]

Meh. I'll be more interested when the holophoner is invented.

[Pun]

Video displaying its features and some demonstrations:

[Khamsin]

Why make it need a big ol' computer next to it to use it? They should have just made it flashable, so you can develop software for it on a computer, then flash it with new firmware as it develops.

Having to pack a computer along with it makes it not quite as portable as it should be.

[Alleya]

Pretty sweet technology, seems like the 21st century version of the glass harmonica though.

[Gadritan]

Why make it need a big ol' computer next to it to use it? They should have just made it flashable, so you can develop software for it on a computer, then flash it with new firmware as it develops.

Having to pack a computer along with it makes it not quite as portable as it should be.

Unfortunately this is a common problem with a lot of electronic musical devices. It cost about the same to get a stand alone MPC (a decent one at least), which is still rather limited in comparison. Especially in live applications, which is why this thing has definitely gotten my attention.

Having to bring a laptop with you to use it is still going to save you an enormous amount of space and reduce set up and break down time when you consider everything it replaces.

I pretty curious as to how durable it is as well.

Edit: And c'mon now. A big ol' computer? 2009...

[Khamsin]

Unfortunately this is a common problem with a lot of electronic musical devices. It cost about the same to get a stand alone MPC (a decent one at least), which is still rather limited in comparison. Especially in live applications, which is why this thing has definitely gotten my attention.

Having to bring a laptop with you to use it is still going to save you an enormous amount of space and reduce set up and break down time when you consider everything it replaces.

I pretty curious as to how durable it is as well.

Edit: And c'mon now. A big ol' computer? 2009...

I haven't used a mac in a while, but last I remembered, they were a moderate sized cube (all built into the monitor) with a handle on top to carry it.

[Gadritan]

Okie dokie.

[wipers]

When I first read this topic (headline) I immediately thought not another masturbation thread. I'm semi pleasantly surprised that it is about a musical instrument.