It’s not often that we can say that we've seen something truly original. But the Eigenharp certainly fits that bill. It's loaded with technology that takes the best of synthesizers and mixes it with the best of traditional instruments. It's been a good 60 years since we've had a game-changing musical instrument. To paraphrase The Strokes, Is This It?
What it is A mix between a MIDI-sample-powered synth and a responsive, tangible instrument, it’s completely portable and (smartly) comes at two price points – a super-expensive one (the Alpha, which looks like a mix between a Chapman Stick and a hookah) for the musical nerds and the pros, and a cheaper one (the Pico) priced within the reach of normal people.
Post-guitar? The electric guitar, in the grand scheme, has held its status as the most influential instrument for about 60 years. Others have tried, but electric guitars had just have the right mix of portability and shape that make them make sense in thousands of settings. That’s what intrigues us about the idea of the Eigenharp: It has the same appeal the electric guitar did.
A reference pointYears ago, we used to live in Milwaukee. We knew this guy named Jim Bartz, who had an interesting artistic outlet in the form of the Stringstation, a musical instrument with 40 strings meant to convey a huge sonic experience. In a lot of ways, this reminds us a lot of that. It’s got that wild, out-of-nowhere experimental tinge to it that Bartz’ instrument does. source
