So, why is it so hard for new musical instruments to catch on?
An interesting piece of why it's so hard for musical instruments to catch on, which I think is especially interesting reading given that there are a number of new instruments that rely on the iOS devices.
The article danced around it, but for some reason didn't come to the conclusion: new instrument designs will most likely fail unless they somehow leverage musical knowledge or techniques from what came before. Synthesizers didn't take off until a keyboard was attached. A Saxophone is a single reed instrument with a finger placement not terribly different from a bass clarinet. An electric guitar is just a guitar. If people can apply some of what they know to a new instrument, a lot more people will try to pick it up. A 1,300 key microtonal instrument just doesn't have that "pick up and play" vibe, you know?
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The article danced around it, but for some reason didn't come to the conclusion: new instrument designs will most likely fail unless they somehow leverage musical knowledge or techniques from what came before. Synthesizers didn't take off until a keyboard was attached. A Saxophone is a single reed instrument with a finger placement not terribly different from a bass clarinet. An electric guitar is just a guitar. If people can apply some of what they know to a new instrument, a lot more people will try to pick it up. A 1,300 key microtonal instrument just doesn't have that "pick up and play" vibe, you know?
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