From bruce@ashbysolutions.com Sun Jan 23 09:26:22 2011
Subject:Re: The Future of Clonewheels?

Certainly, musical gear is getting smaller and lighter all the time.
Have you ever tried to play expressively on those membrane keyboards,
though?

Back in the late '60s, Don Buchla came out with a line of very
progressive, flexible synthesizers. All of them had flat,
capacitive-touch keyboards, because Mr. Buchla was convinced that the
combination of a synthesizer and a piano-style keyboard was an
accidental -- an inappropriate -- marriage. While he may have been
correct on a theoretical level, 40+ years of synthesizer use has shown
him to be incorrect on a practical level. Musicians need ways to add
expression to their playing, and playing harder or softer is one of the
more intuitive methods. This requires a mechanical interface with
thickness, and to a degree, bulk. One can play Chopsticks on a membrane
keyboard, but Rachmaninoff is another story.

I'm fully expecting to see an expressive 20-lb. 'grand piano' someday
soon, but I'm not holding out a lot of hope for its membrane keyboard.

Regards,

-BW

Bruce Wahler
Ashby Solutions.com^(TM)
bruce@ashbysolutions.com
http://music.ashbysolutions.com
877.55.ASHBY (877.552.7429)

On 1/23/2011 8:11 AM, dhawnt wrote:
> Thanks for that link David...