Wednesday, April 7, 2010

The HakenAudio Continuum (fretless instrument)

Performing on the Continuum Fingerboard is challenging. Like a fretless instrument, you must rely on audio feedback, finger memory and manual dexterity for accurate intonation and expression. You will find that the Continuum Fingerboard requires its own technique, different from any other instrument.

When you play a traditional music keyboard, it is normal to feel the key hit a hard stop as you play a note, even if you are playing quietly. Also, traditional keyboards are usually velocity sensitive. On an instrument like a piano, a single velocity value is transmitted from the speed of the key movement.


In contrast, the Continuum Fingerboard is both velocity sensitive and, more importantly, pressure sensitive. It initially outputs a single velocity level then continually outputs a stream of pressure values. These pressure values continue as pressure changes until the note isterminated. It is unusual to hit the hard stop (or "bottom out") except for the very loudest notes. This distance from zero pressure to maximum pressure is small, yet offers an extremely wide range of dynamic possibilities. The lighter the touch you master on the Continuum Fingerboard, the greater the expressive possibilities it will offer you. This is a very important thing to emember. Even if you have a refined keyboard technique on a piano or synthesizer you will still need to develop new playing skills to master the Continuum Fingerboard.

တီးခတ္ပံုကိုဒီမွာၾကည့္႐ႈႏိုင္ပါတယ္။
Don't assume that the Continuum Fingerboard will respond like a pressure sensitive drum pad. The Continuum Fingerboard playing surface has been designed for a finger technique. The human hand is an extremely sensitive input/output device. Thanks to the ContinuumFingerboard's design the performer is free from the greater mechanical forces that are required to actuate a note on an acoustic keyboard instrument like a piano or harpsichord. As such, the mechanical feedback devices inside the Continuum Fingerboard are designed to take advantage of the lighter pressures that a human hand can easily and quickly generate. Keep this in mind as you play your Continuum Fingerboard. You'll be rewarded with a decidedly musical response to your subtle and dynamic playing gestures. A lighter touch will also minimize heat buildup on the fingertips that can be caused by overly aggressive contact with the silk-screened patterns on the surface.


1 comment:

  1. Although there is a lot you can do with the Continuum, I am really impressed by the internal sounds of the keyboard. The album ‘Continuum Fingers’ uses only internal sounds http://tinyurl.com/2u5hzeo

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