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Other musical keyboard designs
This section gives more information about various other keyboard designs related to the Balanced keyboard.
The Music Notation Project - article on Isomorphic
Instruments
The Music Notation Project is a project which explores alternative music notation systems. Its website
has a page which summarises a number of "Isomorphic" instruments, meaning
instruments whose physical note layout presents musical structure in an
identical or similar appearance of intervals in all transpositions. See
http://musicnotation.org/wiki/instruments/isomorphic-instruments/.
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Re-colouring of standard keyboard - The Music Notation Project
The Music Notation Project also discusses a re-coloured variant of the standard keyboard - see
6-6 Colored Traditional (7-5) Keyboard
. According to the web page, it helps the musician to see the interval patterns
between the keys. Note that this layout is NOT the same as the Balanced layout.
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The Janko keyboard
The Janko keyboard seems to be one of the most well-known alternative
keyboard designs, based on a large array of keys / buttons. See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jank%C3%B3_keyboard
for a good introduction to the Janko keyboard.
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The Uniform keyboard - Daskin
Manufacturing / Paul Vandervoort
Paul Vandervoort's Uniform keyboard (produced by his company, Daskin Manufacturing) is based
upon the Janko keyboard design. See the Daskin Manufacturing website at
www.daskin.com.
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Symmetrical/Uniform accordions - Hugo Alberto Alzate LondoƱo
Hugo's interests are in accordions with the "symmetrical" (2-row) and "uniform" (3 or more rows) 6+6
keyboard layouts. Here is Hugo's 2-row symmetrical keyboard accordion which he designed:
Hugo explains: "I am trying to revive the interest of accordionists about the 6+6 system.
There are some videos in YouTube of me playing a 3 rows button accordion and a 2 rows symmetrical
keyboard accordion."
Video 1
Video 2
"Also, this 4-row uniform keyboard accordion belongs to Edwin Davison (co-author of the
famous book 'The Golden Age of the Accordion'":
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Uniform accordion - Hakan Widar
Hakan Widar is a Swedish accordionist who has several videos in YouTube playing a Uniform keyboard
accordion, for example:
Video 1
Video 2
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C-Thru Music Controllers (Harmonic Table note arrangement)
C-Thru Music is a company which produces MIDI music controllers based upon a Harmonic Table note arrangement.
See the website at
www.c-thru-music.com.
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The WholeTone keyboard
A Japanese company have a commercial variant of the Janko keyboard available, called the "WholeTone".
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The Symmetrical keyboard
Closely related to the Balanced keyboard is the "symmetrical keyboard", in which Graham Breed modifies
a DX21 keyboard (see http://x31eq.com/instrum.htm)
in a similar manner as described in the Build
one section of this website, but for microtonal music (i.e. with
more than 12 notes per octave) rather than as a generalised replacement
for a standard keyboard.
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Bilinear Chromatic keyboard website
Jose Sotorrio discusses the "Bilinear Chromatic" keyboard (a variant of the Balanced keyboard layout),
along with his Bilinear Music Notation system, at
www.myspace.com/sotorriokeyboard.
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"Intuitive Instruments for Improvisers"
website
Alternative keyboard designs, with commercially available adaptors to
adapt standard keyboards. The website also has a range of other
interesting ideas. See http://improvise.free.fr/
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