Hasta La Gadget!

The FretPen is a pen that doubles as a miniature guitar. Even if you can’t do much with one string and teensy frets, at least you can write and play a neat little tune with it.

The FretPen is also smartphone-connected. A small D-pad on the pen allows you to switch strings on the fly, which gives you the ability to play scale-like runs and rudimentary melodies.

The video below will show you some of what this pen can do.

A Kickstarter campaign will be launching on the 22nd, so if you are interested you can give them your email address to be notified when they’re ready to accept your pledges.

The pen is mightier than the sword, plus now it can play tunes.

[via Chip Chick via OhGizmo!]

Back in the day, you had to figure out how to play songs either by listening to them or by buying a book. Then came the internet and easy access to tabs. These days the bands are doing all the work for you!

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I’ve tried playing the guitar on a few occasions in my life, but I always got frustrated with proper fret placement that I like to blame on my fat fingers rather than my lack of coordination. So when I saw these miniature guitar models from Japan, I realized that things could be a whole lot worse for me.

These 10 inch-tall Guitar Legend models from Media Factory are incredibly detailed 1/8th scale versions of authentic electric and bass guitars, from brands including Fender, Gretsch, Ovation and Zemaitis.

Each one is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, but no detail has been left out – other than the ability to actually play them. Depending on the model, they include accessories such as tiny guitar stands and cases as well.

They’re available from Amazon Japan or Media Factory for ¥1,764 (~$17 USD) each, but the guys at White Rabbit Express can import them to other countries for you if you’re interested.

Unless you’ve traded your guitar strings for an axe-shaped MIDI controller, tuning your guitar is probably one of those chores you’ve just learned to deal with. It’s hardly the bane of any guitarist’s existence, but sometimes it seems like there could just be a faster, more brainless way to get your instrument ready to jam. Turns out, there is.

Roadie positions itself as the next generation of guitar tuners. Think of it like a modern String Master, a device that fits snugly over your instrument’s tuning pegs and does the hard part for you. Paired with a companion smartphone app, Roadie listens your guitar’s strings and turns its gears until the instrument is on key. We dropped by the team’s table at Haxlr8r, and the process was dead easy, quickly tuning a demo guitar without breaking a string. In fact, it’s designed not to — by comparing a string’s elasticity with its frequency, the device can actually warn you when your guitar’s wires are about to break. Not a bad trick, particularly for guitarists (like this editor) that aren’t completely sure when their instrument was last restrung. The device’s Kickstarter page has already more than half of its $60,000 goal, and has a little over a month left to get the rest. Looking for a way to chip in (and to avoid guitar maintenance)? Check out the source link below; Roadie tuners start at $79.
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Filed under: Misc

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Source: Roadie (Kickstarter)

Sometimes a metronome just won’t cut it when you’re playing an instrument alone. That’s where Korg’s KR Mini comes in, providing the galloping metal beat that bridges into a poppy chorus for your bass, guitar or keyboard jam session. You can even chain the unit’s nine presets — 8-beat, 16-beat, dance, jazz, Latin, metal, pop, R&B and rock — together with a plethora of fills to make your own backing tracks to shred along to. The box’s 16 velocity sensitive-pads do double duty too, allowing for finger drumming if none of the onboard loops do the trick.

If you need inputs to run your existing effects pedal-board or foot controls into, the KR Mini has you covered there too. No monitor? No problem. The built-in speakers can provide the sound you need at a moment’s notice, with a trio of AAs providing the juice if you aren’t near a wall outlet. Considering the company’s storied drum machine-heritage, it’s cool to see Korg honoring that legacy with this latest KR model. The Mini ships in November for $79.99, and while it may not be the ego-free backing band of your dreams, it probably comes close.

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Via: Create Digital Music

Source: Korg