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Misa Digital Guitar Runs On Linux
conner_bw writes "Imagine strumming a guitar without any strings, on a touchscreen. Think the idea is too far-fetched? The Misa digital guitar claims to be exactly this. Overcoming the natural limitations of a traditional guitar, this new instrument eliminates the need to pluck strings while using the right hand to control sound. Specs: Linux kernel 2.6.31 (Gentoo); 24 frets; touchscreen; MIDI out; RJ-45 Ethernet. My favourite parts of the site are the FAQ (How do you SSH into the guitar?), and this quote from the developer: 'Because the software is open source I'm hoping people completely change the instrument and share new "firmware" with others. Different graphics, different control ideas etc. It would all be free of charge. So I'm hoping that happens as the instrument becomes more familiar.'" The developer, Michael, has not yet promised a delivery date or set a price for the instruments he is manufacturing.
Skip the words, watch a video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2eiP12hQQY&fmt=35
...Muse's next album delayed as the riffs are still compiling.
Hack your mind out of its sandbox.
That linux rocks! \m/
The point is there are no strings, therefore no string bending. If you watch the video though you can see the the right hand uses a touch sensitive screen to control pitch etc. so you can simulate a bending effect. It's not a guitar, just an electronic instrument inspired and shaped by a guitar
oh...
Yeah, because a site, that contains not a single argument, but only out-of-context quotes, and idiotic ideals, is just oh so cool.
(..)
Frankly, you both can fuck right off.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a *official Gentoo Developer*. You can check it here:
http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/devrel/roll-call/userinfo.xml
However that doesn't prevent me of finding that website *extremely* funny.
Jesus Christ, can't people laugh anymore?
I played guitar hero in the 80's when it was called Simon
I heard they wanted to do it in C#, but that idea fell flat, so they went with C.
*groan*
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
Such BS doesn't even make a good soundbite. I would be willing to bet that the computer you are posting from has all sorts of patents and patent-pending notices in its documentation and stamped on the body.
If I were to go into your kitchen, your bathroom, your bedroom, and your living room, I'd see all sorts of little gadgets, gizmos, appliances, and devices that have patents or have a patent pending.
Worse yet, I bet you have a lot of software patented material.
Yeah, you're a rebel. Yep, you got street cred. Power to the masses.
No wonder you're hiding under the AC label, you know how ridiculous you sound on the surface and under the surface.
Of course, this kind of self realization indicates that deep down, you know you're an idiot and blowhard, filled with self loathing 'cause you are THAT guy. You are the guy that has the permanent coffee mug grip that wanders through the cubicle farm espousing your ill founded, self contradicting, absurd opinion on matters political, economic, and such.
It's the weekend, so you have to do it here.
Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.
What looks unique to me is the use of the touchscreen not to interact with virtual strings but to control midi parameters - the neck is used to finger chords, and all notes fingered are played no matter where on the touchscreen you tap. The touchscreen is used to modify pitch and distortion with multiple fingers at the same time for multiple chords.
In comparison, your example involved fingering chords and 'virtually' strumming them - much closer to a typical electric guitar. If it's an effective instrument this does seem innovative enough to be patent-worthy IMO.
As long as you weren't wanting to give a guitar performance:
With this, the right hand gains options, and you actually lose options with the left hand. On a guitar the left hand provides fretting, bending, vibrato, harmonics, muting and probably more techniques that I don't know about. Triggering all the notes at the same time is also limiting as it rules out sweeping and slow strumming. To actually give a performance that's expressive in the same way a guitar is you're going to have to fill the touch pad with different regions controlling different kinds of expressive playing. Not ideal.
That's not to say this doesn't look like a great toy, a cross between instruments being used by a couple of well-known bands at the moment.
I play guitar for almost a decade and I've built a couple of electric guitars by myself. But it seems you don't know shit about the history of electric guitar. The only reason for solid body was to avoid feedback at high volumes. All the effects came much later.
And no, playing an electric guitar is not fundamentally different from playing an acoustic guitar. There are some additional tricks that differ, but most things are pretty much the same.
"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
It is true that you can already do all that on a keyboard with a touchpad. The interesting thing though is that the keys aren't placed in the same way on a guitar than they are on a keyboard so you can compose things that sound different.
In other words, you'll be able to compose and play differently since piano tends to make you compose in a linear way, and a guitar forces you to play notes that are all over the keyboard.
It's a bit like the Akai EWI USB which gives you more control over the sound level depending on how hard you blow into it. You'd need a pedal to get the same result with a keyboard, which is a less intuitive setup.
Different tools have different strong points and weaknesses.
Fight! Fight! Fight!
Also, TFA mentioned that the touchscreen is a simple X Y MIDI CC. Devices like that, such as the Korg KAOSS pads, have been out for awhile. My question(I'm a longtime guitar player) is if the touchscreen could be calibrated(via OS hacks?) for fingerstyle playing. That is, to calibrate seperate resting positions for your thumb and then five other spaces for the other strings and then each tap in that particular spot would pluck its respective string.
Think of playing songs like Fleetwood Mac's Landslide or Metallica's Nothing Else Matters. If the software controlling the pad could be changed to support that, I'd buy one. Otherwise it's just a fancy KAOSS pad.