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Is there an obvious way to change the fingering that I'm missing? For example, it wasn't obvious to me that the first four left-hand side keys (looking at the Pico from the front) down plus the first four right-hand side keys were an octave, continued directly with the next four left-hand side keys. Specifically, I was expecting that if I moved my fingers down four keys, I'd have moved up one octave. I know that this would mean duplicating a note (in C-major, middle-C would be both your left pinky finger as well as your right index finger shifted down four keys) but I'm fine with this duplication. The mental model is much easier that way -- for me, at least.

Thoughts and advice? Really loving it, by the way. Only had about ninety minutes off and on to play with it this evening, but it's making me more seriously consider an Alpha, given greater programmability (the 1.0.1 release notes mention "belcanto"?) to come.

Also I think one of the training vidoes teased a way for you to create your own scales, although I cant begin to guess how this is is achieved? (ok I'll have a guess - editing a text file somewhere?)

Come to think of it I think the video said to look in the FAQ section of the site, but when I looked there was nothing. Maybe I should look again?

Thanks to all the responders. And yes, for those of you kind enough not to pipe in with, "Well, there are instruments that tune in fifths," thank you as well. Some co-workers (who happen to have experience with stringed instruments) were able to set me straight, being piano-blinded myself.

Looking at one of the Eigenharp Alpha demos this afternoon, I see that in at least one example the fingering goes four across, in four rows stacked on top of each other -- four by four. That seems like it would feel more natural than four by two, then another four by two. Another good reason to go the full Mos Eisley.

The snag with being able to do everything is a lack of constraint enough to do anything. I think the instrument as-ships straddles the boundary well, though additional guidance without necessarily adding more constraints would be helpful. For example, tutorials in recommended fingering for one type of instrument versus another would be helpful. (Perhaps it's simply that I'm a terrible musician, which I accept.)

John, isn't the clarinet set up to be monophonic already - or is there something wrong with how I am setting it up?
I think some new approaches to fingerings - keeping things more in the same place when changing scales and adding range using the two almost unused of the main 18 keys as mode keys will be the main change to add value to the Pico - along with fully mouse driven setup screens as so many people are mentioning.

That's how I read it. Also on the subject of monophonic fingerings, and traditional wind instruments, another variation that I think the Pico needs to support is the generation of note on messages from when you start blowing, rather than when you press the keys.

The Akai EWI in 'EVI' (Electronic Valve Instrument) mode allows you to cover an octave of a chromatic scale using 4 keys. Using that fingering the Pico could cover 4 octaves, without using the octave shift keys, without even using the inexplicably redundant lower 2 playing keys.

I see the FAQ for doing your own scales is up. Is the 1.0.3 software that supports this expected today?

Steve,

The EigenD update v1.0.3 is now available from Software Releases

Sam
Eigenlabs Software Department

Thanks very much for 1.0.3. I cant get user scales to show up though, perhaps because the FAQ on this subject does not tell me what name I need to give to the textfile, or what extension.