A couple of proposed DSP-driven pedal-steel-substitute instruments courtesy of my thick head. This post could probably use some helpful drawings, but I’m not going to provide any, so there’s also that.
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Archive for the ‘Crazy, almost-certainly-invalid theories’ Category
STEEL MY IDEAS PLEASE: Two theoretical advancements in steel guitars I’ll probably never be smart enough to build
Posted by r on February 17, 2014
Posted in Crazy, almost-certainly-invalid theories | 5 Comments »
Unicorns revisited
Posted by r on February 28, 2012
(Edit cleanup 3.19.13: This post is on an elaborate if totally silly chance-based system of composition that I came up with but have only employed even partially for one half-song, and have been thinking about using again at greater length for five or six years now, but I definitely haven’t gotten around to it yet. Recommended for only the toughest of tabletop RPGers and/or system-loving noisehounds.)
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Posted in Crazy, almost-certainly-invalid theories, Music I made or something | Leave a Comment »
Food for Appalachian thought
Posted by r on February 15, 2012
Prices in USD, based on new instruments widely available ca. 2012 in the United States only.
“Viable” means the bottom level of available instruments that most existing players of the instrument seem to consider actually acceptable for a beginner’s use, based on real input from existing players, general forum responses to the very common “What guitar / banjo / mandolin should I start with” threads, and other such input around the Internet.
| Viable “starter” | Intermediate | Pro-grade | |
| Electric guitar | 130-150 | 300-450 | 1000-2500+ |
| Acoustic guitar | 150-250 | 300-800 | 1000-3000+ |
| Electronic keyboard | 75-300 | 400-500 | 700-1500+ |
| Dobro | 400-700 | 800-1000 | 1500-3500+ |
| Banjo | 400-700 | 1000+ | 1500-9000+ |
| Mandolin | 500-700 | 1000+ | 2000-9000+ |
Kind of ironic how comparatively expensive it is to be a poor-redneck “traditionalist” these days.
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In the fingers of the beholder
Posted by r on January 25, 2012
(edit cleanup 3.19.13: Relatively personal and/or perhaps pointless musings on the myth of “pros play pro instruments.” Extremely short version: goddammit, I love cheap guitars and/or the thrill of getting “pro grade” results from bargain-basement gear in general. But if you know me at all personally, you probably knew that already.)
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The loudness wars part 2: Ukelele edition
Posted by r on January 19, 2012
(edit cleanup 3.19.13: In which I contemplate the last half-decade of ubiquitous ukeleles– and casual, user-friendly glockenspiels– in commercial music and muse on this fad’s connection to the last decade-and-a-half’s worth of highly questionable commercial mixdown practices and/or The Alleged End of Interesting Music.)
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Posted in Crazy, almost-certainly-invalid theories | 3 Comments »