Ableton Forum

If always using hammer ons and wanting 2 hands.....

Rather than slinging it over your neck like a guitar.... Take a close look at
Stick, it's much more erognomic and allows for more relaxed free
movement.

-Ben

Machinate wrote: mike, it sounds like you think of the continuum as monophonic? It isn't at all.

No, I see where it's polyphonic (it is definitely cool) but wouldn't holding it like a guitar make it more like playing one string? I see where there is a "y" axis, if zones of that could be assigned to different note values, then that might do it, but it seems more like a "fretless polyphonic keyboard".

The stick is cool, but I thought it was played by fretting notes with one hand and tapping the strings in the "soundboard" area with the other? Fretboard hammer-ons usually don't track well with midi pickups.

mikemc wrote:The stick is cool, but I thought it was played by fretting notes with one hand and tapping the strings in the "soundboard" area with the other? Fretboard hammer-ons usually don't track well with midi pickups.

Nope, it's essentially 2-handed tapping, and the tracking is actually better on the Stick than on guitar, according to many Stick players. There's a demo video on the Stick site.

mcconaghy wrote: Nope, it's essentially 2-handed tapping, and the tracking is actually better on the Stick than on guitar, according to many Stick players. There's a demo video on the Stick site.

ah ok (on dialup right now so will need to check out the video later) I recall seeing Levin playing one now, right, it's like the tapping all happens on the fretboard, but yes: two handed.

What I'm thinking of could have buttons like that Yamaha EZ guitar, but velocity sensitive. It's a "transform" of a MIDI keyboard, really, where each fret has six keys across, polyphonic and tuned like a guitar, and the frets are evenly spaced. Along the "string axis" of the instrument, it can be switched to poly or monophonic. It could be played with two hands or one hand, it's got a pitch bend wheel.

well, you arent the first to have this idea, I have designs for one that I came up with.

Its a good idea, but ribbon controllers arent very "flexible" most of them come with wierd gear on either end. Not a very practical Idea. Now the continuum is the SHIT

Its a good idea, but ribbon controllers arent very "flexible" most of them come with wierd gear on either end. Not a very practical Idea. Now the continuum is the SHIT

ok-- but you get the concept. It doesn't *have* to be "fretless" continuous tonal control, some buttons with a nice feel would be fine, I'd guess the hard part is getting them to fit nicely in a narrow enough neck and still be fingered cleanly, but I'm looking at my phone turned sideways, "1-#" four rows of buttons and it seems like a slightly narrower version of these same buttons would be just fine for a "bass-like" model.

I know next to nothing about making these sorts of things, but is there a velocity sensitve button like this that can be purchased?