Nothing goes better with the blues than random computer files, so the FlashHarp miniature harmonica includes a 4GB flash drive with a USB connector hanging off one end. It was actually created to provide a convenient way to deliver harmonica lesson videos for those wanting to learn to play, and it’s available from Etsy seller ‘BackyardBrand’ for $54.95.
Hot on the heels of this new Guitar Hero video game I’ve been hearing about comes this Electronic Rock Guitar shirt from ThinkGeek. Using a special magnetic pick and your fingers, you can actually strum and play the guitar printed on the shirt, almost like the real thing. An included miniature amp clips to your belt and plays back samples of all the major chords recorded from an actual electric guitar, and yes, the volume dial absolutely goes to 11. And with a price tag of just $29.99, you’ve probably just finished half of your Christmas shopping. You’re welcome.
It won’t guarantee you instant electronic music superstardom, but the new microSAMPLER sampling keyboard from Korg might put you on the right path to becoming the next Daft Punk or Chemical Brothers some day. It’s specifically designed for live performances allowing you to create samples from a line or mic input, its own built-in gooseneck mic or even an iPod thanks to a handy dock. It comes with five different sampling methods including one shot, gate, loop as well as key gate and auto next, and the samples can be assigned to each key on the keyboard while a string of red LEDs shows you the sample status of each one. Available now for around $500.
Instead of relying on soundwaves, which can be problematic if you’re trying to tune a guitar backstage at a noisy venue, the Headstock Tuner from D’addario detects vibrations to determine if a particular string is in tune or not. You simply attach it to any part of the instrument that vibrates when a string is plucked, and the device’s “optimally positioned, highly sensitive piezo transducer” will let you know if you’re ready to rock.
Now tuners that use vibrations aren’t new or anything, but the Headstock Tuner does seem particularly easy to use thanks in part to a backlit LCD display that glows red when a string is out of tune and glows green when it’s hitting the right note. $42 available from Planet Waves.
I’m not entirely sure how to classify the Otamatone, it’s kind of a cross between a musical toy, an actual instrument and a theremin. “Waaaah”-like sounds are produced by squeezing the ‘face’ at the bottom while sliding one’s fingers up and down the ‘neck’, but to really understand what it is, how it’s played and how it sounds, I recommend watching this video.
The Otamatone was created by Maywa Denki, whose website is even more confusing than this device, but since it was shown at the 2009 Tokyo Toy Show I have to assume it will actually be available for sale in Japan at some point.
Designed for students learning wind and string instruments, not talent-challenged pop stars, the PT-7 from Tascam combines a high-speed chromatic tuner with a large display to help aspiring musicians find their pitch, an electronic metronome with rates from 30 to 300bpm in six time signatures and a basic mono recorder for capturing performances. There’s a built-in speaker that can be used for playing back recordings or listening to the metronome, but a headphone jack is also provided if you want to keep things private. $99 available from Tascam dealers sometime in October.
Remember the first day of school each year when the teacher would hand out new supplies? Pristine erasers, un-chewed pencils and crisp wooden rulers just waiting to be twanged on the edge of your desk. But did you know that in some circles the ruler is actually considered a musical instrument? Well at least by Dan Wieden who came up with the Musical Ruler. It’s your standard plastic model with the measurement units marked in centimeters on one edge, but it also features finger markings and note positions showing you exactly how far the ruler needs to hang off the edge of your desk to produce a particular note.
I can’t imagine teachers will be too thrilled with the idea, but if you’ve always wanted your kid to play a musical instrument and the piano or violin just isn’t going to happen, this seems like an easy alternative. ~$11 from Gadgets.co.uk.
There’s just something more satisfying about playing air drums than air guitar, and I think it’s because almost anything from a pencil to a wooden spoon can be turned into drumsticks, whereas finding a suitable substitute for a real guitar is a bit trickier. Of course drumsticks alone can’t reproduce the sounds from a full-on drum kit, but these V-Beat sticks seem to fall somewhere in-between your imagination and the real thing.
The drumsticks feature motion sensors and come tethered to an electronic control box which is somehow able to detect the positions of the sticks. So hitting the air where a cymbal would be in a traditional drum kit would produce a cymbal sound, and hitting where a snare would be located would produce a snare sound, etc. It also comes with a pair of foot pedals which are used to produce the sounds from a bass drum and a hi-hat. Now the fact that the drumsticks aren’t wireless is kind of sucky, but it does mean the only batteries you’ll need are a set of 4xAAs for the control unit. And you can get it from Firebox.com for about $42.
I think we’ve all grudgingly accepted that the Wii is a magnet for crappy gaming accessories, but the DS? The little dual-screen handheld that could? It’s almost painful to see the ridiculous types of add-ons game designers have created that essentially negate the DS’s portability. So what’s next you might ask? Well Namco Bandai have a new piano learning title called Easy Piano that comes with an eight note full-octave keyboard peripheral allowing newcomers to play along with various tutorials.
More advanced pianists will be able to play classics from Mozart and Beethoven or more modern fare like Bohemian Rhapsody and Jingle Bells. And there’s also a create mode that will record up to three minutes of a performance so you can show others why that ridiculous keyboard peripheral was actually a good investment.
Easy Piano should be available in “PAL territories” this November for an undisclosed sum.
Related Tags: Instruments, Unusual, USB flash drive
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