Characterizing the Feel of the Piano Action

Gillespie, R. Brent; Yu, Bo; Grijalva, Robert; Awtar, Shorya

doi:10.1162/comj_a_00039

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…A similar concept was patented by Richard Baker (1990). This work was further extended in Brent Gillespie's Touchback Keyboard (Gillespie 1996;Gillespie et al 2011) and Oboe and De Poli's MIKEY (multi-instrument virtual keyboard, cf. Oboe and De Poli 2002;Oboe 2006).…”

Section: Active Haptic Controlmentioning

confidence: 97%

Buttons, Handles, and Keys: Advances in Continuous-Control Keyboard Instruments

McPherson

2015

Computer Music Journal

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The keyboard is one of the most popular and enduring musical interfaces ever created. Today, the keyboard is most closely associated with the acoustic piano and the electronic keyboards inspired by it, which share the essential feature of being discrete: Notes are defined temporally by their onset and release only, with little control over each note beyond velocity and timing. Many keyboard instruments have been invented, however, that let the player continuously shape each note. This article provides a review of keyboards whose keys allow continuous control, from early mechanical origins to the latest digital controllers and augmented instruments. Two of the author's own contributions will be described in detail: a portable optical scanner that can measure continuous key angle on any acoustic piano, and the TouchKeys capacitive multi-touch sensors, which measure the position of fingers on the key surfaces. These two instrument technologies share the trait that they transform the keys of existing keyboards into fully continuous controllers. In addition to their ability to shape the sound of a sustaining note, both technologies also give the keyboardist new dimensions of articulation beyond key velocity. Even in an era of new and imaginative musical interfaces, the keyboard is likely to remain with us for the foreseeable future, and the incorporation of continuous control can bring new levels of richness and nuance to a performance.

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Section: Active Haptic Controlmentioning

confidence: 97%

Buttons, Handles, and Keys: Advances in Continuous-Control Keyboard Instruments

McPherson

2015

Computer Music Journal

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“…Examples include models that capture the touch response of the piano action [9,10] and feel of the drum head [11].…”

Section: The Coupled Dynamics: a New Perspective On Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

Once More, with Feeling: Revisiting the Role of Touch in Performer-Instrument Interaction

O’Modhrain

Gillespie

2018

Springer Series on Touch and Haptic Systems

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The dynamical response of a musical instrument plays a vital role in determining its playability. This is because, for instruments where there is a physical coupling between the sound-producing mechanism of the instrument and the player's body (as with any acoustic instrument), energy can be exchanged across points of contact. Most instruments are strong enough to push back; they are springy, have inertia, and store and release energy on a scale that is appropriate and well matched to the player's body. Haptic receptors embedded in skin, muscles, and joints are stimulated to relay force and motion signals to the player. We propose that the performer-instrument interaction is, in practice, a dynamic coupling between a mechanical system and a biomechanical instrumentalist. We take a stand on what is actually under the control of the musician, claiming it is not the instrument that is played, but the dynamic system formed by the instrument coupled to the musician's body. In this chapter, we suggest that the robustness, immediacy, and potential for virtuosity associated with acoustic instrument performance are derived, in no small measure, from the fact that such interactions engage both the active and passive elements of the sensorimotor system and from the musician's ability to learn to control and manage the dynamics of this coupled system. This, we suggest, is very different from an interaction with an instrument whose interface only supports information exchange. Finally, we suggest that a musical instrument interface that incorporates dynamic coupling likely supports the development of higher levels of skill and musical expressiveness.

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“…Undoubtedly, building a keyboard with all force-feedback keys is remarkable (Cadoz, Lisowski, and Florens 1990;Gillespie 1992;Oboe and De Poli 2002;Gillespie et al 2011) and could be implemented by connecting several FireFaders to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) hub and orienting the faders vertically. One can also obtain interesting interactions by combining fewer force-feedback degrees of freedom with standard musical controllers.…”

Section: Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

The FireFader: Simple, Open-Source, and Reconfigurable Haptic Force Feedback for Musicians

Berdahl

Kontogeorgakopoulos

2013

Computer Music Journal

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The FireFader is a simple haptic force-feedback device that is optimized for introducing musicians to haptics. It is based upon a single-degree-of-freedom potentiometer fader coupled to a DC motor, also known as a "motorized fader." A light is connected in parallel with the motor to help communicate the force's strength visually. The FireFader consists of only open-source hardware and open-source software elements. Consequently, it is relatively easy for users to repurpose it into new projects involving varying kinds and numbers of motors and sensors.An open-source device driver for the FireFader allows it to be linked to a computer via USB so that the computer can perform the feedback control calculations. For example, the computer can simulate the acoustics of a virtual musical instrument to concurrently synthesize sound and calculate the motor force as a function of the fader position. The serial connection over USB increases the latency of the control signal compared to embedded implementations, but the serial connection facilitates easier programming via the computer, and the force feedback can be automatically disabled when the user is not touching the fader. Some new devices derived from the FireFader design are presented.

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Characterizing the Feel of the Piano Action

Cited by 13 publications

References 19 publications

Buttons, Handles, and Keys: Advances in Continuous-Control Keyboard Instruments

Buttons, Handles, and Keys: Advances in Continuous-Control Keyboard Instruments

Once More, with Feeling: Revisiting the Role of Touch in Performer-Instrument Interaction

The FireFader: Simple, Open-Source, and Reconfigurable Haptic Force Feedback for Musicians

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