Technabob » string

Pocketstrings Helps You Learn Guitar by Putting the Frets in Your Pocket

Conner Flynn — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:42 +0000

Learning to play the guitar can be very challenging. It may have just six strings, but there are hundreds of positions and fingering combinations as well as different strumming patterns that you have to remember. That’s probably why I don’t play guitar.

The PocketStrings device can help those learning to play guitar through muscle memory. It is about the size of a remote control, with a tiny four fret board that lets you practice chords and riffs. You normally can’t practice without the actual instrument on hand, so this is the next best thing.

The problem is that you still can’t strum and hear the notes, so who knows how much this would actually help you play. At $30(USD) it might be worth a look, though you are bound to look odd playing with this in public.

[via Redferret]

Smart String Upstages Your Ordinary Measuring Tape

Hazel Chua — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 11:45:01 +0000

Who would think that the day would come that measuring tapes would be rendered, well, second rate or second class when it comes to measuring? After all, that was the only reason and purpose for which they were created.

They served their purpose well for the past few decades or so while they reigned supreme as the top measuring device for carpenters, furniture makers, and DIY enthusiasts.

Now Smart String, another measuring tool, might just be the one that can upstage it. No metal tape measures here that make it hard to measure the circumference of round or irregularly-shaped objects here, just pure string.

Just pull on the metal tab, use the string to measure whatever it is you want to measure, and read the length off the digital display on the Smart String unit. It’s small and handy, as you can see, and can measure objects up to 50″ in length and store up to three measurements in memory. And if you were wondering why it has keypads that look like that of a calculator’s, that’s because the Smart String doubles as a calculator, too. And if you need a longer version, they’re already working on the 12-foot, industrial-strength Smart String 2.

Smart String is available from ThinkGeek for $11.99 (USD). It’s a good deal, if you ask me.

[via 7Gadgets via Oh Gizmo!]

33% Guitar + 33% Mandolin + 33% Theremin = 100% Awesome

Technabob — Tue, 18 May 2010 03:12:05 +0000

The guys over at synthopia hunted up this wondrous electrical musical oddity, and I love it.

The Destroyer combines an electric guitar, mandolin and that wonderful outer-spacey-squealy instrument – the theremin – in one compact package.

Handmade by guitar artist Mark Dalzell, The Destroyer is has two necks – one for the 6-string guitar, the other for the 4-string mandolin. The third protrusion? An antennae for controlling the on-board Thermaniacs’ theremin. There’s also a full set of on-board digital effects for distortion, chorus and flanger, as well as a built-in chromatic tuner. And how about those LED fret markers and pickup indicators? All I can say is “awesome”.

Check out the full gallery of pics over at Mark’s flickr album.

[via synthopia]

String Trio Turns Your iPhone Into an Air Violin

Technabob — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:33:21 +0000

We’ve featured a variety of iPhone musical instruments around here, including pianos, guitars, drums, and even ocarinas, but this is the first time I’ve come across an app that lets you play your iPhone like it was a violin, viola or cello.

Just load up greySox String Trio, choose a bit of classical music, and press “play”. The music loads in and plays based on the strokes of the virtual “bow” that is your iPhone or iPod Touch. String Trio uses the motion sensor in your iPhone to detect the angle and length of your strokes, and adjusts the playback of the music accordingly. You can either choose automatic accompaniment (hence the “trio” part of the name), or perform a solo without any backing instruments. The video below should give you a pretty good idea of how it works.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I don’t know about you, but that Beethoven demo track sort of sounded like the theme from Fawlty Towers to me. They really should add that one to the app and they’d sell a lot more copies. For now, you’ll have to settle for one of the over 20 included classical and folks songs bundled with the App. greySox is also offering in-app downloads of two additional 10-track collections, priced at 99 cents each.

String Trio is available now over at the iTunes App Store for $1.99 (USD).

Rock Band Guitar String Mod Kit Available for Purchase

Technabob — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 08:00:45 +0000

I’m as addicted to Rock Band as the next gaming geek, but I still wish the strum bar on the game’s Fender Stratocaster felt more like a real guitar string. Now you get your hands on a mod kit which will let you swap out the plastic strum bar with an actual metal guitar string.

Originally a one-of-a-kind guitar mod designed by a guy going by the name A4AJ, it’s now available as a (patent-pending) kit you can install on your own guitar.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The kit includes everything you need to swap out the plastic bar with a playable string, special strum switch, along with several metal strings, springs and even a Fender guitar pick. Yep, with this mod in place and the tension cranked up, you can play the guitar with a pick!

Keep in mind that the kit does not include the guitar or the wood backboard, and requires that you perform some fairly significant surgery (Dremel, drilling and soldering) on your stock Stratocaster — obviously voiding your warranty.

The kit works with the PS2, PS3 or Xbox 360 versions of the guitar and is currently up for auction on eBay with a starting bid of $75. At this point A4AJ hasn’t geared up production on the kit, so you’ll have to have the top bid if you want this one.