Virtualized reeds
Right now, I’m trying to resuscitate a battery. Actually, a series of them. The RV won’t start, and so I’ve brought out the heavy artillery: a proper battery charger. See how things go, this time tomorrow.
That was just a distraction. I’m also testing a new musical instrument, on consignment. A chameleon. There’s been a lot of progress since the era of Mr. Sax and Mr. Boehm. This is a MIDI controller, with breath sensors. You plug it in, start the enclosed software and pretend that you are performing with the instrument of your choice. No need to suck on a reed beforehand, or pucker up and direct your air flow across a hole at EXACTLY the right angle.
In fact, based on one afternoon, I’m impressed. I came into this with a lot of “baggage”; sitting in the second row of the clarinets during a fill-in class in high school, or playing flute in a fill-in pit orchestra in high school (the second time around). I know what to expect, and I know that a rookie doesn’t get to make controlled noise on a first meeting. Imagine, if you will: no squeaks. No leaky keys. No anything, really, as this is virtualized music. Something we didn’t even dream about, back when we were musicians in arms.
No, I can’t take the instrument out into the fevered world of a high school marching band, and in case of a power failure, I might as well whistle. I’ve got a few more days to cement my impressions into place, but this could be the answer to a problem I hadn’t recognized. Those VST files that I picked up somewhere along the way? You can play them, with a beast like this.
