Tag: guitar

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Music

Guitar Now helps aspiring guitarists strum without getting fingers numb

The road to learning any musical instrument is littered with pain, heartache, frustration, and the nagging urge to quit. The last one is so great that most people do so, despite the myriad of benefits that come from playing a musical instrument.

While the guitar is one of the more accessible instruments, it also makes it the one most give up trying to learn. Guitar Now is designed to make it a lot easier to grasp the foundations of the easy-to-learn but hard-to-master instrument. It’s comprised of three parts: a collar that wraps around the guitar’s neck, a top plate that fastens to its front side, and a range of sliding inserts. Each of these inserts is key to the Guitar Now concept because each employs a design that guides a new learner’s fingers directly to the strings that need to be played, at once teaching finger, form, and chord placement.

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Connected Objects Music

The Solo plays the guitar for you, lets you focus on burning the dessert

Live music is a great help to practicing singers and musicians wanting accompaniment or as entertainment at a dinner party or in a club. The problem really lies in getting people together consistently who want to play, especially on short notice.

The Solo is looking to resolve that difficulty. The product is a mahogany or ebony guitar attachment that transforms any guitar into a self-playing version of itself. To do this, retractable pegs push down on the strings of a guitar’s fretboard while a row of picks down by the guitar’s base strums them, essentially creating a modern digital equivalent of a player piano.

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Music

Hand Chord lets you cheat on your bar chords and riffs

Most guitarists will admit that learning to play bar chords is one of the more difficult aspects of learning to play the guitar. However, many musicians will endure the practice and pain of learning to play them correctly because bar chords offer a fuller and richer sound than their alternatives.

Hand Chord is a noteworthy new product that offers guitarists an alternative way to play otherwise challenging bar chords. While the product is touted as being ideal for beginners insofar as it makes chords easier to play and reduces finger pain, Hand Chord may be better suited for professional musicians interested in using it for specific songs in their set.

That said, shortcuts are never ideal for anyone aspiring to become a professional or even seasoned musician. While shortcuts may suffice for hobbyists, they won’t help hone one’s ability to jam with other musicians. Musicians who enjoy new gadgets might also like to check out Capo Clips and Wallet Capo. This campaign seeks to raise $9,500 by April 30. Backers get one product for $35 with an expected delivery of June 2015.

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Connected Objects Music

Instrument 1 gets your groove on no matter how you play

The power of music apps have opened the door to a wide range of controllers — things that look like keyboards and disco floors and guitars. The incredible variety of sounds they offer when paired with the right software, however, pales in comparison to their relatively limited ways of producing those sounds.

That’s not the case for unfortunately named Instrument 1, a bold MIDI controller and musical instrument that allows mixing and matching of sounds and play methods. One can strum it like a guitar with its “digital strings” that don’t break, pluck it like a bass, tap it like a drum machine or play it a bit like a piano keyboard. There’s even a way to emulate guitar playing when used with an iPhone or watch. About the only traditional way of producing sound from an instrument that isn’t supported is blowing into it.

The compact Instrument 1 can run for about three hours off its built-in battery (alas, it uses too much juice to charge via USB) and i1s companion app  allows owners to define their own sounds. The versatility can keep backers’ hands occupied for $349 come January 2016. Artiphon  seeks $75,000 by April 12th. Curiously, particularly given how many organizations helped in the product’s development. the company is shying away from committing to producing more Instrument 1 units after fulfilling its Kickstarter obligations

The Instrument 1 is reminiscent of the Zivx Jamstik that was successfully crowdfunded on Indiegogo back in 2014, but that product — while also portable and less expensive — is more focused on replicating a guitar experience on the go for learning and practice. But this latest MIDI-compatible plaything should evoke a lot of fun for newbies who want to experiment with different methods of producing music as well as experienced musicians who want something compact and versatile.

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Music

Leo Hahn’s Scratch Protector covers vulnerable bass or guitar backsides

Getting music gear to and from gigs without something getting scratched or broken can sometimes be a challenge. And the stakes are high since instruments and equipment are usually expensive.

While cases and blankets can usually diminish or even alleviate this problem, Leo Han’s Scratch Protector for electric and bass guitars offers musicians an option for keeping the back of their instrument a bit safer. The product is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. The felt-looking cover attaches to the strap knobs on the guitar to protect the back of the guitar from scratches.

Seems like an interesting idea, but not entirely convinced that it’s a particularly useful product unless the user tends to transport their guitar to gigs without a case, doesn’t use a guitar stand, or has a particularly large belt buckle. Interested backers might also want to check out Guitar Throne and bnd/one.  This campaign seeks to raise $25,000 on Kickstarter. Backers don’t get a product for their support, but there are other perks available with an expected delivery of April 2015.

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Music

Wallet Capo lets guitarists keep capo as close as cash

Being on stage and suddenly realizing that one’s capo got left in the guitar case puts a pretty awkward pause in the flow of a music set, challenging the lead singer to come up with some quick verbal improvisation that’s not necessarily clever.

Since a forgotten capo can be a real pain in the butt, Wallet Capo allows guitarists the benefit of always having a capo, um, somewhere convenient. It’s 3mm thick and is touted as being compatible with nearly any guitar neck, while also improving tone over the average capo out there. The product appears to be made of plastic with rubber fittings that go over the strings and against the back of the guitar neck.

While Wallet Capo is certainly convenient, it’s unclear whether or not the product itself is truly any better than the average capo out there. Interested backers might also like to check out Capo Clips. This product seeks to raise $5,000. For $10, backers get one capo with an expected delivery of March 2015.

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Music

Jack offers live guitarists option of Wi-Fi rather than cables

Every musician that enjoys doing live gigs dreams of one day having roadies for setup and teardown. In the meantime, affordable Wi-Fi options are often much coveted.

Jack is one such possibility. It allows for real time streaming over a secure Wi-Fi connection, eliminating the need for cables. In order to work, the Jack requires both guitar and amp. The Jack app is supposed to allow the user to connect the Jacks through any Wi-Fi enabled device. The app also allows users to record on their instrument, edit their music, and/or upload it to their Web site or social media profiles.

One downside here is that trying to run this through a phone or tablet is really going to put a drain on the battery. And normal use for your average laptop only offers about two –four hours of life without being plugged into an outlet. Nevertheless, as much of a pain in the butt as cords can be to lug to live gigs, this is actually a pretty exciting invention and seems worth checking into further. This project seeks to raise £20,000 (~$30,300) by early February. Early bird backers get one Jack for £95 (~$144).

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Music

Badger Brown Tone Bar offers steel lap players multi-genre freedom

Getting just the right sound on a guitar when playing country music means having the right tone bar. And many country music lovers who play a lap steel string guitar have multiple tone bars so that they can get just the right sound for every song. But carrying around multiple tone bars is pretty inconvenient, and it’s a hassle when it’s time to jam or do a live concert.

The Badger Brown Tone Bar lets country musicians get the sound they need all in one tone bar. The gadget has a rounded tip on one end for those Hawaiian, and jazz numbers, as well as a fluted tip dobro on the other end for bluegrass, blues and edgier rock styles. The comfort fit is one-size-fits all, but those who have shorter fingers may want to ask a few questions to make certain it will be a good fit. Musician backers may also want to check out Kiln, bnd stand, and SoulPedal. This campaign seeks to raise $10,000. Backers get Badger Brown Tone Bar for $35 with an expected delivery of April 2015.

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Music

Capo Clips make open strings ring without the hassle of tuning

One of the more difficult things to work around when chording on a guitar is those open strings. Excluding them makes for less dissonance, but it also thins the sound. Capo Clips allows the musician to cheat and use open strings for a fuller chord sound without having to retune their guitar.  The product is an alternative type of capo that clips directly over the fret (as opposed to in between) and spans two or more in spacing to create a more melodic and fuller sound. A Capo Clip is also capable of giving the guitar a more full sound even when no chord is being played, depending on which Capo Clip is being used and the placement choice on the guitar neck. The moveable rubber fretters allow for many different chords from each Capo Clip.

While the product is touted as suitable for anyone from beginner to pro, beginners may want to focus more on learning chords and proper technique than on finding ways to cheat. This campaign seeks to raise $2,500 on Kickstarter. Backers get one Capo Clip for $7 with an expected delivery in January 2015.

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Music

The Magnet guitar camera mount tells your visual story when drilling technique

While the old adage about practice makes perfect has a certain amount of truth to it, practicing bad technique leads to bad habits, which in turn leads to limited skills and a lot of frustration trying to fix something that could have been avoided. A good teacher can help their student with technique during a lesson, but what to do in between? The Magnet guitar camera mount works with the user’s smartphone to create the perfect angle for capturing where those mistakes are happening so that they can be corrected. It adjusts to fit nearly any smartphone, and the phone can be used either upright or in landscape position.

An adaptor for the magnet allows for users to capture both their left and right hand at the same time, though two separate phones have to be used to accomplish this. Backers strapped for cash may just want to consider looking in a mirror while playing instead. This campaign seeks to raise $55,000. Early bird backers get one Magnet for $30, with an expected delivery of August 2015.