Sampling rate hint

I noticed that the cello model was aliasing at higher pitches (hey, it IS a cello, and this is above its proper range). Anyway, increasing the sampling rate to 96K helped substantially.

Tritone Substitution

So, here is a tritone substitution showing C7 to F#7. These chords share two notes.

You may want to read this: Wikipedia, Tritone Substitution

The fingering charts shown here work for improvisation between these two chords.

One could also start the F# chord at 7 (ie in the centre course) and the C chord at '5 to get more even a spread of notes around both roots. In fact, that would probably be a better approach.

I've probably missed a few of the blue notes as well but you get the idea. Corrections or additions are welcome

Alpha Chromatic Chord Shapes

Here are a couple of chord shapes for an Alpha set to chromatic. Click the diagram for a bigger view.

The numbers relate to the keys on the alpha with 1 being C in the centre course counting up towards the spike and down towards the headstock. 'N moves one course towards the breath pipe, N' one away, etc. 

The basic triad is shown in black. One can make various variations by using the coloured entries.

Note that the shapes are exactly the same.

Another Approach...

... might be based on this http://numberednotes.com/

One could consider numbering Alpha keys from 1, starting from the C in the middle course (chromatic) with 'prime' markings for different courses 

So: 
C would be 1 , 
E would be 1' , (or 5 if played in the center course) 
g# above would be 1'' (or 5' )
while g# below would be '1 (or -4 if played in the center course) 

A numbering system like this could be overlaid on the either a chromatic staff (described in an earlier post) to better suggest fingering or it could be overlaid on a standard staff. 

Exactly the same numbering system could be used in different scales (since it is key not tone oriented) for music that does not include notes outside of the scale used. While this does not work on the chromatic scale I've been toying with, it would work on standard notation.


This would certainly be an advantage to anyone approaching a new song. One could also consider adding chord diagrams much like guitar above the staff to suggest a 'home' position for the phrase in question.

A Possible Eigenharp Chromatic Staff

I do not know if this will be useful yet, but here is one possible staff.

Setting up the keygroup so that C is in the middle course, the white area covers all five courses.

While this is true, likely fingerings are not obvious from just this representation. For example B below middle C as shown would suggest the key one course down and 3 keys up (down?) but might more often be played just one key down (up?).

At some point, I think I'll try placing useful chords on this notation with possible fingering shown tab-style as a test.

If you are interested, have a look here: http://musicnotation.org/

Alpha Tab / Notation?

One can, of course, use existing notation. However, I find myself working more like a guitar player starting from chord progressions and using an appropriate scale.

That said, I've been giving some thought to what notation might be more appropriate to the Alpha, particularly in a chromatic scale.

Perhaps the Alpha is better suited to an intervalic form of notation such as this one: A Chromatic Staff. In other words, use a staff that simply lays out a single course of keys and relying on the player to 'fold' up a course every 5th? This would, at least, recognize that the Alpha does not have a piano-like layout. (If you think about it, the standard staff models a piano quite well with sharps and flats telling you to use the black keys).

It might also be possible to code in the course as a number (like guitar TAB) although this either puts some constraints on the keygroup setup or relies on the player to do a translation. (If one ignores the number, it looks just like the chromatic staff above, so there is nothing lost by adding course use suggestions that might be 'wrong' for a particular keygroup or improved on by a particular player)

I'll have to translate some song into such a notation as an experiment. Unless some king soul knows of some software that will do this??

Here is a link to triads notated in several ways. It strikes me that most of the chromatic staffs would be better suited to the Eigenharps. Triad Comparisons