a name... Huh..... maybe ( Switchback ) since your switching the job of each hand... Just my 2 cents... Seth --- Chris Nogy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Thanks, Seth. Interesting instruments, I am sure > that certain features will be an inspiration to this > instrument. > > Here's a 'just for fun' question. Along with this > medieval Gurdy, for the challenge I am thinking of > building an instrument with the crank on the keyhead > side, with the keyslips reversed (accidentals on the > bottom row, naturals on the top) and a keyboard of > keys in a standard piano pattern hinged to the > bottom of the instrument, that depressed the > keyslips as they were depressed. > > This would let me play the right hand exactly as I > would a piano (the only instrument I have formal > training on), and use the left hand for rhythm. I > have quite a few years of performing with a > guitarboard style keyboard, so this seems kind of a > natural configuration for me (more natural, I think, > than the left-hand melody and right hand rhythm of a > standard gurdy). I am still thinking this through, > not certain of the outcome (playing the sinphone has > definately strengthened my left hand playing piano, > which was ALWAYS my weak point, ALWAYS). But there > seems something almost irresistable about building > the instrument to play with a right-hand dominate > keyboard that runs in the right direction (a gurdy > built mirror image would require playing with the > right hand where the notes decrease in pitch to the > right, which would be very unnatural, thus the crank > on the wrong side as the major design change, the > notes still go up as you move right). > > And I am not sure about how much fine motor control > I would be able to exhibit with my left hand - if it > is my weak playing hand, then probably the same > thing would be true about coups and such. Not to > mention endurance. > > A nightmare to align and assure all the shaft > bearings, and a lot of extra design work. > > But with the exception of the unique keyboard and > the physical position of the crank, it would be a > standard gurdy. > > My question is, if I build the thing, it would need > a name. What might you call such an instrument, and > has one like it ever been built to the best of > anyone's knowledge? I like building unusual wheels, > not necessarily re-inventing every one. > > Chris Nogy > > *********** REPLY SEPARATOR *********** > > On 2/28/2007 at 9:07 AM Seth Hamon wrote: > http://perso.orange.fr/xaime/vielle/vendee/vielvend5.html > >
