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General Discussion: Alpha tuned like a guitar

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written by: keyman

Hi Andy,

Sorry for the delay; yes I'm from Portugal - Palmela near Lisboa.

John, as always, is very enlightening (and I also thank him for all the replies). But, we are like "children near candies" and we have to have them... all!
So, about the lights "see if you can find you're way" on that thread.
I don't really like to have a "christmas tree", but training with lights does help immensely.

Google+ direct

keyman

written by: AndyAbrantes

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:18:24 +0000 GMT

Hello everyone,

My first post here. ;-) I've been playing my Alpha some months now and I wanted to ask if smb knows how to tune the Alpha like a Guitar?

Would be great if that tuning would be available in the menu where all the tunings are.

As well as a Led that's on all the time where the dots are normaly on a guitar, two Leds for the 12th position aso.

Been a guitar player for years and switched completely to the Eigenharp as main instruments. Love it so far and it is great. But I would feel better having the keys tuned like a guitar (with one string less) than maybe other tunings.

Thanks for all help.

Best regards to all of you

Andy


written by: Larryheil

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:10:02 +0000 GMT

Yes there is a script for that. I don't remember where , maybe you can search for it on the forum. Lights are a bit trickier, some are working on better ways to do the lights using newer versions of Eigen D. To make guitar tuning better there is an additional agent (called stringer I think) that would let you play bar chords. Without that when you have 2 notes pressed in a vertical column both will sound, stringer is supposed to make only the highest note sound as on a real bar chord. Hang in there more help should be on the way.


written by: barnone

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:22:26 +0000 GMT

Andy,

On a related note, are you using Eigentab to help orient you?

http://www.eigentab.net/eigenTab.htm

I wish it had been available when I had started.

I also feel that lighting the roots and 5ths on the alpha is a huge huge help for finding your way around.

There are some scripts posted for that. A little tricky to setup but worth it. You can use the same method to do guitar style fret lighting.


written by: AndyAbrantes

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:46:50 +0000 GMT

Hello.

Thanks for the reply Larryheil. That with the bar chords sounds amazing... I haven't thought about that... That sounds great too.

Would be cool to have a script combining the tuning, bar chord thing as well as the lights on like on a real guitar.

I like the other tunings but after playing the guitar for more than 10 years, I just have to have the same tuning. But it would be cool to have the option to swith to the guitar tuning on the same menu as the other tunings...

@barnone: Unfortunately, I haven't testet eigentab yet. I am busy programming my sounds etc. But I will surely test it out as soon as possible... ;-)

Hope the find a way to get this done. I am sure, there are alot of Eigenharp players interested in a complete proper guitartuning script for the Alpha...

Thanks

Andy


written by: barnone

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:54:53 +0000 GMT

The script is on the wiki here

Guitar Tuning

led lighting thread is here
led lighting


written by: keyman

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:01:44 +0000 GMT

Hi Andy,

Welcome around "Eigen adventures" (as I affectionately refer to)
I can not help notice your surname is a Portuguese city; some root's?

The "menu" you mention could be something like the Script browser, you can add scripts to this *.dir or create you're own.
Get a bit familiar with scripts (Eigenharp_Seminars help a lot no matter what...)
DL and put this file in user/library/Eigenlabs/scripts and run it.
Keygroup 1 Guitar Layout
This will give you a layout of the top 5 strings ( it's easy to change this to the lower 5 ...
About Lights; it's not difficult... let me know how it goes...

I'm happy I'm not the only one changing completely and using the Eigenharp as my main instrument !!!

Have fun
keyman


written by: AndyAbrantes

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 18:27:01 +0000 GMT

Hey,

Thanks for the script. Got it work. Now my eigenharp is indeed tuned like a guitar. But unfortunately, I can't switch it on and off in the Scales and Tonic menu. I would like another Red Led to appear in that menu so that the Guitar tuning can be selected anytime...

The Light problem, well I am kind of lost... Don't know how to do that. Can smb help me by posting a proper script maybe. Only one led just light up for one Dot on the Fretboard and two Leds for the 12th and 24th fret aso... Hope you guys know what I mean.

I really appreciate all of your help. It's not easy for me that whole programming and Belcanto stuff. I wanna play the instrument but I spend more hours in programming... So hopefully you guys can help me on some issues.

@keyman: Yeah my name is originaly from Portugal. My father is portugies but I was born and live in Luxemburg. No roots in Abrantes city for all I know.... Maybe the founding members were my encestors who knows. ;-)

Thanks for any help. You guys are awesome.

Andy


written by: AndyAbrantes

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 18:59:21 +0000 GMT

@keyman: I just saw that there might be one problem with the guitar script you posted.... It seems to be tuned to E,A,D,Gb,B... Should be E,A,D,G,B....

Thanks


written by: AndyAbrantes

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 18:58:41 +0000 GMT

Messed around with the script.... Now it should be correct...


description
This script configures the tuning of Keygroup 1 to be set up in the same way as the top five strings of the guitar.
script
empty join kgroup 1 listen
tonic to notea set
scale to chromatic set
course 2 offset to 5 interval set
course 3 offset to 5 interval set
course 4 offset to 5 interval set
course 5 offset to 4 interval set

The two last intervals were wrong....

Now only problem to solve is the switch in the Scales and Tonic menu and the Lights...

Andy


written by: keyman

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 13:32:28 +0000 GMT

Hi Andy,
It's nice to know about a Portuguese descendant; with an Eigenharp!

About "...switch it on and off in the Scales and Tonic menu.."
As you will go "deeper" in understanding EigenD and it's architecture, Belcanto and it's strengths, it will be clear the ideas that will emerge, and to this date the lack of a dedicated "configuring" tool; enter Workbench and 2.0, that will (hopefully) invert the time spent in, as you said, programming the instrument, rather the playing with it.
Advancing on, Belcanto allows almost miracles to happen, (as I like to think) trick is to know how to. Some users/players run scripts from either the percussion keys or thru new talkers on the keys.
I can paste some ideas os this here; later (weekends are mad times for me
I'll can also help you "put some lights" on you're ALPHA; guitar like

"Eigenharp players are now organizing a clubhouse, twice a week, on opposite times to allow everyone to join at one point or another. This happens on Monday at 4PM CEST (Europe) and Wednesday 4PM CDT (US), using Google+ Hangouts."

keyman


written by: AndyAbrantes

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 19:23:05 +0000 GMT

Hey Keyman!

Thanks for your support! If you could help me on the Belcanto stuff to create a new talker in the Scales and Tonic menu to allow to activate the guitar tuning along with the "Lights" would be much appreciated! I am already happy to be able to play old guitarstuff now on the Eigenharp! But without Lights (Dots) it's hard to find my way through all the keys...

Yeah, maybe there seem no way around digging more into Belcanto! But I hope with 2.0, everything's getting easier! I don't feel inspired with Belcanto and all of that programming!

Are you portugies Keyman?!?! I love Portugal and I make holidays in Portugal every yeah!!
Yeah I am an Eigenharp player with portugies roots living in small Luxemburg! ;-)

Hope to hear from you soon after weekend! Hopefully you can help me on the Lights and talker thing!

Andy


written by: AndyAbrantes

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 19:23:51 +0000 GMT

AndyAbrantes said:
Hey Keyman!

Thanks for your support! If you could help me on the Belcanto stuff to create a new talker in the Scales and Tonic menu to allow to activate the guitar tuning along with the "Lights" would be much appreciated! I am already happy to be able to play old guitarstuff now on the Eigenharp! But without Lights (Dots) it's hard to find my way through all the keys...

Yeah, maybe there seem no way around digging more into Belcanto! But I hope with 2.0, everything's getting easier! I don't feel inspired with Belcanto and all of that programming!

Are you portugies Keyman?!?! I love Portugal and I make holidays in Portugal every year!
Yeah I am an Eigenharp player with portugies roots living in small Luxemburg! ;-)

Hope to hear from you soon after weekend! Hopefully you can help me on the Lights and talker thing!

Andy


written by: john

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:33:07 +0000 GMT

Hi Andy

It's quite a lot of work to create talkers to make the guitar tuning on the fly and its also a bit of an odd way to go about it - normally one would just save a setup with that tuning and those course offsets as it does involve a different Keygroup setup, not just a scale change. It also wouldn't have any kind of 'back' button, as it's changing the course offsets in the upstream Keygroup, which means that changing scales is going to behave quite oddly after its used - remember that the scales are applied to each course. Your best bet is just to keep a User Setup for the configuration that you want.

Regrading permanently lighting keys, this isn't currently supported although we have plans to introduce a nice mechanism for this next year. Some players have done this by using a really horrible bodge (connecting a Talker Agent to the keys I think) but it is quite complicated to set up. If you're interested in having a go there's a long forum thread about exactly this here.

In order to really have a nice guitar style setup, you really also need a Stringer Agent in the signal flow, to allow barre style chords (and doing that really would make a configuration Talker a bit of a nightmare). I'll put this kind of setup on the list of possible Factory Setups for the 2.0 branch - it sounds as if it could be popular with guitarists transitioning and if we get the time we'll fit it in.

John


written by: AndyAbrantes

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:17:16 +0000 GMT

Hi John,

Thanks for taking the time to reply during busy times at Eigenlabs.

For me, and I believe alot of players being guitar players as well, a proper "guitar setup" would be very important for making the transition as well as making the playability easier.

The script I now have works great for having the eigenharp tuned like a guitar. But as you say, a stringer Agend would also be awesome. If all three elements would be combined, Tuned like a guitar, Stringer agend for barre chords and permanently Leds on for finding it's way around like on a guitar neck would be the perfect Guitar Setup.

I would really appreciate if you guys would find the time to spend on that to incorporate this in 2.0. I believe if guitar players would know that the Eigenharp is capable of this, more would make the step towards the Eigenharp and leave the guitar behind like I did.

Hopefully, I will find al of thes possabilities in 2.0.

Regards

Andy


written by: keyman

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 04:04:41 +0000 GMT

Hi Andy,

Sorry for the delay; yes I'm from Portugal - Palmela near Lisboa.

John, as always, is very enlightening (and I also thank him for all the replies). But, we are like "children near candies" and we have to have them... all!
So, about the lights "see if you can find you're way" on that thread.
I don't really like to have a "christmas tree", but training with lights does help immensely.

Google+ direct

keyman



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