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Other bits you can buy
There are a number of bits I’ve used that you can buy off-the-shelf. These are the joystick and the computer board it is connected to, and the harness for attaching the frame to your torso.
The joystick can be bought from several suppliers on eBay and as is usual for this type of component they may be available one day and gone the next. Essentially you are looking for a 4-axis joystick (we use 3, the fourth being a “fire” button on top that gets covered over.
The joystick connects to a microcontroller board (connections and program listed elsewhere) and there are a number to choose from. I picked the Teensy 4 as it is particularly easy to configure for Midi (having struggled previously with older Arduinos, this was a joy to use). It is a bit over-powered for what we need but we may use other features in future (in fact, I have connected a display and 2 rotary encoder switches but have not used them yet)
Finally, there are the straps that attach the frame to your body. As mentioned elsewhere, I do have a hankering for a waistcoat to which the frame is fixed. My first attempts were not too successful but I am going to keep experimenting. What I am currently using is something known as a “back posture corrector”. Here’s a link to the one I use (£20 from Amazon)
Musical instrument competition
Quite by chance I found out about a competition devoted to new musical instruments and I have submitted the Novakordo. There are monetary prizes but the real draw would be going to Atlanta to chat to and perform in front of other instrument makers. Here is the video that I created as part of my submission.
If you have made an instrument, you can find out more abour the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition here.
The modules you can buy
Novakordo is designed to be modular so other players may choose different componets. My two (and theoretical you could stack more) are the Alesis VI25 (around £125) keyboard for the right hand and the Novation Launchpad Mini (around £80) for the left. I chose the Alesis because I wanted a small keyboard with semi-weighted keys and it has a relly good feel. Having the control pad and knobs is a bit of a bonus. I also have an Akai APC Key 25 but the keyboard is not so good and the control surface redundant because that is what is needed for the left hand.
The Launchpad Mini is just about the right size for my hand with a bit of modification (see elsewhere) and just about lets me simulate accordion buttons – this could be better but for the time being, more than adequate.
