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Eigenharp

Released by UK-based startup Eigenlabs in 2009 after eight years in development, the electronic Eigenharp uses MIDI to create audio oddities. It is built long and thin like a bassoon, but rather than finger holes and standard keys, it features an impressive display of joystick-like keys that are 10 times more sensitive to the touch than a typical keyboard and detect movement in five directions (downward pressure for volume, side to side for effects, and up and down to modulate pitch).



The digital Eigenharp needs to be plugged into a computer to produce sound, and uses Mac-based software—EigenD—as its engine. With this software, the player assigns a function to each of these keys. The Eigenharp can be set to sound like preloaded instruments, or create sine wave noises. The Eigenharp also includes a breath controller for converting actions like bite pressure and fingering into control signals, and one or two ribbon controller strips, which the player uses for tweaking pitch. Leonard Cohen incorporated an Eigenharp into his 2010 tour.



"The spirit of exploration is alive and well in both the creation and control of these unconventional instruments," says Carl Coletti, an experimental electronic musician and former session drummer for Ottmar Liebert, "however outlandish or primitive they may be."