Learning Lumatone: Ep. 28 - "Isomorphic Keyboards"
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- We get asked a lot what it means when we say Lumatone is an "Isomorphic" keyboard. In this episode, Dave breaks down the meaning of the word, and why it makes Lumatone such a powerful and creative instrument. 🌈
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The only thing complicated is how they come up with the $3,700 price tag. Another great thing never getting the popularity it deserved by pricing itself out of the market.
How much?!
I'm away...
It’s absurdly costly. Like you are paying 13 dollars per key hahaha It’s just electronics and plastic, are they handmade?
it would be an awesome extra piece on a music production studio setup, but that price exceeds any possible budget. For that amount you buy a bunch of good classic more useful instruments.
Why not making a smaller cheaper version just for music production? I mean, you don’t need to have that many octaves for composition, It’s perfectly solvable with a transpose button. And keep it between the 500 to 1000 dollars range as any other midi controller.
@@yoverale It would be great to experiment with one, but for what it is they could knock a zero off the price and become something big.Just like the "Haken continuum " probably never go anywhere by pricing itself off the large market. And now that the "Roli" sea board is out the Continuum doesn't stand a chance. Check those out if you haven't heard of em they're both pretty interesting. Also I believe there is software out there where you can use your computer keyboard as a isomorphic midi controller not that its glamorous but its the same function.
@@electricharmonyac7354 yeah i remember those promotional videos of Jordan Rudess testing it. Since Roli appeared with a much competitive price I've never heard about Haken ever again. Poor marketing strategy
@@yoverale for what it's worth i design hardware for a living and have deep knowledge of what goes into producing a product like this and the price is pretty good ngl.
The chromatic button accordion, which was standardised in the late 1800's, also uses an isomorphic layout for its treble side, albeit not the Bosanquet as it would be too stretched-out. Each column of buttons makes a huge dimished chord.
Yup. And that diminished prevalence is what makes CBA such a great tool for jazz improvisation. It’s as if Barry Harris had invented a layout designed specifically for chromaticism and 6thDim bebop octatonic scales.
Looks like you could pretty easily use the Lumatone editor to map to CBA, but you’d have to orient the instrument tilted clockwise about 45°
2:03 Better Call Saul
xd
i've got that thaught instantly when I've heard that, either xd
I started out thinking that this would be an esoteric keyboard option for an advanced or experimental musician who wants to move beyond the standard keyboard....but now I see that it could get someone playing music competently far more quickly than with a conventional keyboard. The isomorphic concept, where any given shape of chord or arrangement of intervals is always the same shape and arrangement no matter where it is on the board, is SO much more logical than the regular keyboard layout which has always been based on a seven tone original system with five sharps and flats added later and shoehorned into the keyboard. That is NOT a logical layout. And it makes it difficult. Quick, how many chord shapes are required on a standard keyboard to play just the major chords in all 12 keys? Answr: SIX. With the isomorphic layout, the number is reduced to ONE. As is any other chord formulation. This is elegantly beautiful.
Exactly! It's pretty spectacular one you connect with it.
Hey there.
Still eating polish food to become supperman🧏🏻♀️
As always, "bravo, Dave, and Lumatone"!
It's just great to call the Lumatone an Isomorphic keyboard. However, I think it would be more accurate to describe it as _uniquely and unprecedentedly suitable for isomorphism_ .
Why? Because the Lumatone is _not limited to_ isomorphic layouts. Above all else, the Lumatone:
* provides a consistent hexagonal grid of superbly touch-sensitive keys, and
* lets you layout pitches _any way your musical intuition desires_ on that super-consistent grid!
So, for example, for microtonal equal-temperaments with a "pseudo-comma," like 22TET, 34TET, 41TET, and 53TET, some people might prefer to create a set of key-dependent layouts that intentionally break isomorphism, to put the just major third "on the white keys," so to speak. That, so that you don't have to modify your fingerings as much when you change between tuning systems.
But what matters here is that _Lumatone above all else is super-flexible_ : It works either way -- isomorphically or not!
Actually I have learned that if you focus your attention to the back side of the keyboard on a standard piano keyboard, where the keys enter the body of the piano, you notice that there are 12 evenly spaced keys per octave. The keys are shaped in a certain way beyond this point, but where they enter the piano main body, the 12 keys are all the same size, shape, and spacing. So in fact it's actually isomorphic! Isomorphic with some adaptations made to acccomodate four different white key shapes and the spacing of the black keys, of course.
i could never get along with the standard keyboard with its odd placement of blacks and whites.
it would be easier if there were 6 blacks and 6 whites i think.
it's so much easier on an hexagonal isomorphic keyboard like the Lumatone.
all keyboards should be built like that, except for people who need a standard keyboard for piano competitions and such.
For keyboards, all in all, I'm not a huge fan of the proverbial "6+6" keyboards (Vanderford, etc.). They don't seem seem to me feel natural for major/minor diatonics.
However, I can certainly relate to not "getting along with the standard keyboard." I've tried 2.5 times in my 62 years to learn keyboards, but it just never really interested me. I instead stuck with woodwinds and strings. However this time, with Lumatone, it's really makes sense to my fingers and mind!
Admittedly going off on a tangent (not related to Lumatone), here's a side-line related to 6+6 fingering systems, for those familiar with transposing woodwinds:
I've thought the 6+6 approach for saxophones (or clarinets) might make a lot of sense. Then, instead of keying them in Eb and Bb, make them Eb and A. Why would that be interesting?
Imagine an A soprano, tenor, and bass, and Eb alto and baritone. Something scored for soprano, alto, and tenor, could then be played equally well on alto, tenor, and baritone. It would sound a tritone lower, but the parts would work.
Why 6+6 fingering, rather than diatonic, though? With a 6+6 fingering system, pretty much any key is equally easy or cumbersome to play, rather than (notated) C major being easy to finger and F# major, say, being cumbersome.
The main complaint about tritone-separated instrument families is that, for example, if you have something in concert Bb major, then it's roughly equally easy to play on a Bb and Eb instrument to play, but if the soprano, tenor, and bass are keyed in A, then their parts would be notated in B major, which would be kinda cumbersome. However, with a 6+6-based fingering system, then playing in B major would be about equally easy to finger as C major.
I am saving up for one now!
Having tried and more or less, failed to come to terms with the standard piano keyboard layout for 60 odd years, this looks like a great new idea. It can’t be any more difficult than the conventional keyboard.
Quite the opposite, it is designed exactly for folks who didn’t quite bond with a piano, or people who love piano but are looking to snap out of their musical habits - which are quite easy to fall into on piano!
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
El isomorfismo es una propiedad fundamental del Lumatone que lo hace único.
Con un teclado isomorfo, cualquier intervalo conserva su forma sin importar la posición en el teclado.
Esto abre muchas posibilidades musicales y simplifica la teoría musical.
El término "isomorfismo" proviene de las palabras griegas "iso" (igual) y "amorphosis" (forma).
Un instrumento isomorfo, como el Lumatone, facilita el aprendizaje de la teoría musical.
Esto lo hace ideal para principiantes, ya que pueden transferir patrones fácilmente entre diferentes partes del teclado.
La guitarra no es totalmente isomorfa, pero ejemplifica el concepto.
En afinación estándar, las cuerdas están afinadas en cuartas perfectas, excepto la de sol a si (tercera mayor).
Esto permite tocar acordes en diferentes posiciones del mástil manteniendo la misma forma.
En el piano, esto no es posible.
El Lumatone aprovecha la disposición hexagonal de sus teclas para potenciar el isomorfismo.
Esto permite tocar cualquier acorde o escala en cualquier posición del teclado, manteniendo la misma forma.
Esto es especialmente útil para acordes complejos y microtonalidades.
Se muestra cómo tocar un acorde mayor, un acorde lidio y una escala en diferentes posiciones del teclado, manteniendo la misma forma.
Esto facilita la transposición y la improvisación.
El isomorfismo del Lumatone es aún más ventajoso al usar afinaciones microtonales.
Con un controlador MIDI estándar, las afinaciones microtonales pueden ser complejas de manejar.
El Lumatone, con su diseño isomorfo, simplifica el uso de estas afinaciones.
El Lumatone permite usar afinaciones microtonales de forma sencilla gracias a su diseño isomorfo.
Esto se logra mediante la incorporación de notas adicionales (sostenidos dobles, bemoles dobles) que no son equivalentes a las del sistema dodecafónico estándar.
Se muestra cómo tocar un acorde lidio en diferentes microtonalidades, manteniendo la misma forma.
El diseño isomorfo del Lumatone se relaciona con la tabla armónica, un sistema centenario para representar las notas musicales.
Aprender formas de acordes en la tabla armónica es una buena manera de tocar en 12 tonos con el Lumatone.
La disposición de las notas en el Lumatone permite tocar acordes complejos con formas simples.
Aprender unas pocas formas en este diseño te abrirá a ideas musicales fuera de tu memoria muscular.
El diseño isomorfo te permite moverte por el teclado con menos esfuerzo analítico y más intuición musical.
El isomorfismo es una característica clave del Lumatone que lo hace potente y sencillo a la vez.
Aunque parezca complejo a primera vista, el Lumatone está diseñado para hacer la música más accesible, permitiendo también profundizar en ella cuando estés listo.
Made with HARPA AI
"So this is where the Lumatone really shines" -- no pun intended!
scriabin wd have enjoyed this, plus the programmable colours to generate synaesthesia lol
Cool wig!
It's not a wig, it's an isomorphic hairpiece.
So, literally, _isomorphism_ means “evenshapedness”.
Why is there background music during the video (which cuts out when the Lumatone is being played and then jumps right back in)? Distracting.
I think putting these keys on a long action before the "strike" of the key would be incredible. For me it's like a loose clutch or a brake where you can really dial in on the amount of force....there's a buoyant feel to piano keys, so an isomorphic version of that same "feel" seems perfect. Hopefully there are already products or at least hobbyist/artisan models...must dive deeper into the rabbit hole I guess! btw: screw the linear layout lets go hexagons!
I tune my guitar in all 4ths like a bass. Is there any 4ths type of layout on the lumatone that would kind of replicate a guitar that would make sense?
EADGCF is a great guitar tuning for working with 22TET or 34TET, among others. It avoids the complexities of the pseudo-comma.
It's certainly possible to tune the Lumatone with each row a fourth apart, and ascending by semitones horizontally, yes. I personally don't know whether such a layout is readily available somewhere, but it certainly can be done. Now, just as a general matter, a guitar fingerboard is broadly a square/rectangular matrix, whereas the Lumatone's is hexagonal. So, where the lines of the frets would lie on such a layout raises some interesting questions.
Personally, I find the Bosanquet layouts very musically intuitive, and compelling, for whatever it's worth..
The Linnstrument might be a better choice for a guitar/bass style layout, because it's a rectangle with 90° angles, instead of the parallelogram hexisomorphic layout here. But sure, you could do a slightly diagonal version of a fretboard with this.
Can Lumatone be configured with different tuning/keyboard layouts? Specifically thinking about chromatic button accordion, C system.
Very very cool, love the integration of colors into this. I found this looking to see if anyone had built something similar to an idea I had and I'm really glad to see you have!
I really wish it were oriented straight instead of on a bias though. I would definitely order one if it were, but I might despite that
Space keyboard ❤
Nice !
Im in the future. Im so happy 😊.
everything has both positives and negatives. The negative for isomorphic keyboards is that your muscle memory will lead you to use the same, licks, patterns/techniques in every key. So, while it’s handy for transposition, it can be stifling for improvisation and composition.
This is entirely too much of a blanket statement. While some isomorphic layouts might create habits (a problem I must say is quite common for those used to non isomorphic layouts as well, like a piano), many isomorphic layouts like Lumatone’s harmonic and melodic modes are completely different moods and approaches, and shake up your flow. So you can use these different layouts to shake up improvs and defeat old habits.
@@lumatone Its not a slam against isomorphic layouts. As I said there are positives and negatives to everything. Downside to traditional (eg) piano keyboard is difficulty in transposing. But the upside is that licks that are easy in one key are hard or impossible in others which makes each key physically and sonically unique. Stephen Sondheim said he intentionally composed in unfamiliar keys specifically so that his mind, not motor habits would not determine what he wrote.
I play CBA accordion, which is isomorphic when you have 5 rows, but I intentionally generally only use 3 rows to force myself to use the advantages of each position to create unique lines.
Most discussions of isomorphic seem to come back to the fact that if you know a piece in one key, all you have to do is shift your hands transpose.
Good point that Lumatone allows you to instantly change keyboards. That’s really cool, but at that point is completely different instrument that you now have to learn, just as you would on a traditional keyboard. Sort of like a 3 level game board with one level being chess, the 2nd checkers, and the third backgammon.
All that said, some point I may still get a Harpjii. 😁
Damn, i've been using "shape" music on a piano in a small game called "Sky candle of the light" for the past 3 years haha
It costs so much :X
I'm color-blind and will soon be blind. Will there be a version with braille-dots?
No.
Yes please
Wish the key-to-key distance wasn't the same as the normal piano-- those are too big, and I would guess, so are these.
say you then thus , blue men wash the wights ,isle 'o'
Dave - where can I listen to your own microtonal music?
This guy looks like the mad scientist version of Dax Shepard. And I mean that in the best way. I wish the Lumatone was way more affordable, but an awesome instrument nonetheless.
What does he say at 5:06? A great way to.. what? I tried the subtitles, they don't know either.
That's because it's unintroduced music theory insider speak 😛
He says "Is a great way to play in 12-EDO", where 12-EDO means "12 tone, equal division of the octave" which is the fancy name of "the normal tuning that virtually all pianos use".
That is, we take an octave (doubling the frequency, say 440 to 880) and then divide it into 12 semitones that are equally spaced to span between the root and the octave.
If you want to know _why_ we have a term for this obvious sounding idea, there are music-theory + math reasons you can find on CZcams if you search keywords "equal temperament" and "just intonation"
*EDIT:* I maybe sounded like he was using the term unnecessarily, but _actually_ he had just been talking about a microtonal layout, and so the reason he clarified 12-EDO here was to bring us back from talking about microtones to show us a new 12-EDO (non microtonal) layout that was different from the first one he introduced.
SO SINGLE FUNCTION ISOMORPHIC RESPONSE IS REAL AND NOT JUST SOMETHING YOU SEE IN SCIENCE FICTION LIKE IN BLAKE'S-7 ON THE SPACESHIP 'THE LIBERATOR' ? ? ?🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
Nice! =)
How can I buy this?
With lots of money
What is it?
I can’t get over that this guy looks like a computer game avatar where the hair just doesn’t quite fit the face. Only love though! 🤩
This instrument is a supervillain to the color blind
You cant do this , I’m calling the piano police.
Thanks awfully.
what a waste of time
have a nice day
It reminds me of Phoebe Buffay's gitar technique 😁
Brutal🤩🇦🇺
Is the wig some inside joke? Or what's going on?