Here’s Diego to tell us about how he built this instrument:

Few days ago I started thinking about how I could re-purpose the keyboard of the dismantled piano I keep in the garden, so I thought to build a new instrument by combining it with some other parts I had laying around. I ended up with this mechanical hybrid thing I thought to call “Bassoforte” (bass + pianoforte).

The track I created is a tribute to my Dad who is a big fan of Western comic books and “spaghetti western” films, and because of him I am too.

Vimeo Link

Since that time, Linn has brought us many other cool products, including the AdrenaLinn multi-effects system for guitar, and now he’s out to reinvent another wheel with his LinnStrument (Linn’s rendering is to the right). Imagine a musical iPad app that can sense how hard you’re pressing down (adjusting the volume accordingly), and provides effects like vibrato when you pivot your finger back and forth.

For a more technical explanation of how the LinnStrument works, here’s some info straight from Linn’s website:

This design uses a fingerboard grid consisting of 6 rows of 24 semitones each, similar to a guitar. In acknowledgment of my wife Ingrid’s contribution to the engineering, we like to refer to this note grid as the “InGRID”. It also has two thumb control strips, one on each side of the fingerboard, to be used for sustaining fingered notes after release, strumming, bowing, blowing or restriking, and also has a wind sensor for added expression. (Ignore the 4 long, thin bars on each side; they were to be used as separate palm-actuated sustain bars, but I’ve decided that the two thumb strips work better for this.) This design is intended to be played from either of two positions:

Sounds cool, right? He’s built a killer prototype and shown it to the world through a YouTube video that’s had over 150,000 views. People are into the product. However, the LinnStrument may never see the light of day.

The problem? Amazon purchased the company, TouchCo, that produced the unique pressure-sensitive, multi-touch surface that the LinnStrument relies on and promptly took the material off the market. It’s a pretty safe bet that Amazon is planning to use the material on future versions of their Kindle e-reader (nothing related to musical instruments).

So, what’s a guy to do? Instead of hijacking the last load of TouchCo product to leave the factory, Linn wrote a very cordial email to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (you can read it on Linn’s website). The email was sent about two months ago, and it looks like there has been to reply yet from Bezos. Linn also says he’s on the hunt for a usable replacement material, but as of yet has not found one.

I’m going to keep an eye on this story and post any updates that come along. You can also sign up for the the Linn Design email list here.

I wouldn’t put money on it, but maybe Bezos has a soft spot in his heart for vintage Madonna and Michael Jackson tracks and will throw Roger Linn a bone!

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The most obvious example to many of us would be rock bands who make the leap form playing clubs to theaters to arenas. When you’re playing a small room, you can play intricate guitar solos and drum fills that would get lost in the reverberation of an building meant to host hockey games. So, as bands play larger rooms, they tend to play less notes, taking advantage of the sound of the rooms they find themselves playing.

This is the easy example that many of us have probably thought about. Byrne runs through some other great examples that may not be as obvious to us. How does the outdoor environment in Africa influence the rich African rhythms? Why did the music of Bach and Mozart differ so much? It may have had quite a bit to do with the rooms they knew they’d be playing their latest pieces in.

Very interesting. I hope you enjoy it!

YouTube Link

Check out other TED videos on GearPipe

The contest page doesn’t specifically say what type of piano, but he plays Yamaha, and I’ve seen them link to this giveaway on Twitter. The contest rules say the prize value is $3,500, so I’m assuming it’s some sort of Yamaha console piano. A pretty great prize!

Note that this contest also involves a scavenger hunt that you can enter in certain cities, but you can skip that and just enter the concert/piano giveaway.

Entry Deadline: March 26, 2010
Get It: Click Here to Enter

For daily links to musical instruments giveaways, make sure you follow me on Twitter or become a fan of my Facebook Page.

When I was in college, the house my band practiced in was broken into and our PA system and our guitarist’s amp was stolen, but the only thing that’s even been taken from me was a splash cymbal. A bummer, but not a huge setback.

On the Fender Front Row blog, the folks from Scottsdale have posted some tips to help you recover your instrument if it’s even stolen. This is pretty simple stuff: write down the serial number, take pictures, file a police report…but sometimes we forget the basics, so this refresher is nice.

Of course, the most important thing is to be extra careful and make sure your gear is safe from sticky fingers to begin with!

Here’s a video from a Bakersfield CA news show reinforcing what Fender is telling us.

via Fender Front Row

If you’re one of those trendy hipsters with a smart phone, you can also access GearPipe on your phone in some cool ways.

First, there is now a free iPhone app in the Apple App Store. It’s not fancy, but it pulls in all of the new GearPipe posts right to your phone, with separate categories for each instrument plus contests and giveaways. Again, it’s totally free, so go to the App Store and download it!

If you’re on an Android equipped phone, a BlackBerry, or if you use an iPhone and would rather access GearPipe through the web browser, I’ve also installed a mobile-specific theme to the site. This detects when you’re coming to the website from a phone and serves up a more streamlined version of GearPipe. This seems to work pretty well, but if you get there and see the regular site, scroll down to the bottom of the page and there should be a switch to toggle between the two versions.

Thanks again for being a GearPipe reader!

Now here’s the catch. Music123 says this deal is good for three days only, but they don’t say which days. Seriously…I looked all over the email they sent me and on their website. If I totally missed it and someone out there knows which days this runs, please leave the dates in the comments. My assumption is that it’s July 3,4, & 5. Who knows?

Coupon Code: Fireworks – Call 1-800-458-4076 24 hours a day.
Expires: July 5, 2009 (maybe!)
Get It: Click Here For More About This Deal

1. Hohner HA-3100 Panther GCF Diatonic Accordion
2. Hohner 3002 Ariette Folk/Cajun Accordion
3. SofiaMari SM-2648 Piano Accordion
4. Musicians Gear SM-3448 34-Key 48-Bass Piano Accordion
5. Musicians Gear SM-3232 32-Key 32-Bass Piano Accordion
6. Hohner Bravo III 72 Accordion
7. SofiaMari SM-3412 Button Accordion
8. Hohner Bravo III 120 Accordion
9. Hohner 3002B Ariette Folk/Cajun Accordion
10. Musicians Gear SM-3112 31-Button 12 Accordion G/C/F

Check out the Best Selling Musical Instruments Archive.
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