Pianos (keys) are badly designed!

It works!

Now I can enjoy and "be proud of my right-handedness" on such a badly, badly badly designed pianos you and all of us had to endure! I can have my right thumb on lower notes – exectly how it is on my guitar (right-handed) and play solos and melodies with my left fingers. Such a great find is this pree plugin called NoteMapper (for MIDI) by CodeFN42.
Too bad this forum is not Diversity, Equity, Inclusion of people from the non-ABCDFG+ community!
Ha. Ha. Ha.

https://www.codefn42.com/notemapper/

I've made two presens
• 61 keys
• 88 keys both split at the same notes (between E~F in the middle)

for Windows:
(presets go in
…Documents\CodeFN42\NoteMapper\Presets)

**********************************************************************************

Now… a bit more challenging question: Let's say I have two 49 key keyboards and want each on to dedicate to each hand. If I connect them on two diffrent USB ports maybe I can rout them to two diff. tracks\instances of NoteMapper. But, what if I have chained them both through a typical 5Din MIDI port (plug)? Can the MIDI data transfer protocol carry an info about the Device ID or something, so I can maybe tell the DAW to "see" them as separate devices (ID)?

Midi channels

Just ask chatgpt…

Yes, channels but buth my devices are daisy‑chained. (not MIDI thru)

Korg → Midi Out → to MIDI in (Novation)… then (Novation) MIDI Out → MIDI In (Audio Interface, 5pin DIN slot)

I can see both keyboards triggering MIDI signal in my DAWs Track.
But how to tell the Korg to output on channel 2 (for example) whilst Novation to output on channel 1?
At least that is my logic. Maybe can be done from each hardware device respectively but I've never done it and am messing up settings here (might "break" something).

Or is it possible at all. Oh, never mind. Found it!
Fabulous! Many thanks, ambrozy for the suggestion!

If you output your handware keyboard to channel 2, just copy its NoteMapper preset (uploaded above) in the UI to channel 2 in the plugin and save it (same name).
Bliss!

Of course, the keyboard (digital in this case) should have a bit different design – as such:

Left hand plays high notes. Right hand (especially thumb) plays low notes! All respective chord shapes betwen hands are the same for either hand – that is how Nature has designed our hands to be – symmetric!

Global Pitch and Mod Weels go dead center for quick access by either hand (or can be assigned to foot\pedals controller – better option). Similarly, drum pads go in that centre as well for quick access.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_yIgrkSNzE
and how am I suppose to play that?

ambrozy

This has been written on the current layout. I can not tell unless transcribed for the symmetrical one.
I can try but I am not a pianist and you will always say – it is wrong.

I have that performance in .mid (midi) file format as I was a memeber of Rousseau's YouTube channel.
Unfortunately, as manny other (99%) of such files on the internet the hands (notes performed by each hand) are not separated into different channels – iti s very difficult to "decode" them (as a non pianist) or tell what finger playes what on each hand. I can see on the video but note for note separation will take me months to do that!

The great thing about thy symmetric piano layout is that the notes of both hands will be separated… for the most part… unless the pianist wants to play close together notes at very high (left tier) or very low (right tier) section of the keyboard.

Finding properly separated hands for many baroque, classical, romantic works is tough. I have some but they are from Synthesia.
I hope you know what I am talking about.

@PASHKULI do you play any instrument? Have you recorded any music on it, a well-known piece, or just an improvisation in an established form or genre? If so, do you mind sharing it with us? I have a reason to ask that question but I can elaborate only after your answer.

PASHKULI All respective chord shapes betwen hands are the same for either hand – that is how Nature has designed our hands to be – symmetric!

To each their own, but the harmonic symmetry is already present. Symmetrical doesn’t mean identical, it means it’s mirrored. Each chord shape already has a symmetrical counterpart. Flip C Maj around the symmetry of the keys and you get A minor, etc. You can kind of cut your work in half once you start thinking in terms of symmetrical counterparts and using your hand symmetry to reinforce that as you work on training your “lizard brain”, but that seems like advantage would be lost if you’re making each hand play the same thing.

CyberGene

Do drums count? But I have no recordings of myself playing a drumkit (no smartphones back then).
Guitar I also play but have not played someonelse's music in ages… probably 18~20 years by now.
I have some recordings in a DAW using a guitar (drums are VST or samples though but "composed" by me) somewhere in the old hard drives (have to hook them up to see what is still there).
Do some of those count (it is my own music though, so it might put you off pretty quickly)?

Mindbullets

Yes, but D maj's symmetry is G min. And inversions… completely different correlation amongs notes.
So, geometrically – yes chourds have counterparts – can not be otherwise but what is the connection in this case of one overall directional layot of notes? Myabe you as a pianist can find such as a reseasch project. It might be something unexpected.

PASHKULI

PASHKULI Yes, but D maj's symmetry is G min. And inversions…

Yep, you got it. It’s what happens when you center the keys over D/G#. There’s are limited numbers of these pairs and they are all harmonic mirrors over that axis. Inversions work the same, you just need to think of it more like “butterflying” out and around the keys rather than linear ranges of octaves. Phil Best has an entire methodology around learning the keyboard map like this and it’s very simple/intuitive, IMHO.

CyberGene
do you play any instrument? Have you recorded any music on it, a well-known piece, or just an improvisation in an established form or genre?

Just for you, here (Google Drive folder) I uploaded some pieces (they are literally just pieces of ideas) of my own attemts at recording\making Music. There are two covers (and me also "singing" just for the sake of audio recording\mixing).
The quality of guitar\vocal recording is questionable. Those are 15+ older, some even 20. I used one of those portable\sticky Skype microphones you would attach to your display monitor. But overall I tried my best to mix them.
Listeners discretion is highly adviced as these music is not genre specific, rather… eclectic? Anyway… enjoy!!!

Music from the Past

PASHKULI thanks, I really enjoyed some of them, especially the one where you sing.

My question was specifically related to live performance, not sequenced compositions. Because what matters is music and musicianship, it’s what makes you hooked up and keeps the fire. I know no musician who is obsessed about symmetry and dimensions of their instrument layouts 🙂 With you I feel it’s the opposite. Unless it makes you feel good. But I rather see frustration in you from the bans and the dismissal.

CyberGene

Ah, live music – no. Last time I was on stage was probably around 2004~5 (20 years ago) and I just played drums and one song (I think it was Pearl Jam's… "Even Flow" or "Alive"). I consider myself a drummer at heart.
Other than that, I am not a musician – who would rehearse and have a show on a local or venue stage during friday\weekend nights (and possibly get paid). No one has ever paid me to play – quite the opposite – we paid for the rehearsal space and rented equipment. Once I played guitar for a TV show but it never got broadcasted (not because of me or anything, some pruducer\director clash on what songs were suitable, etc.). And I have a bit weird moves when I play guitar as I usually headbang in an offbeat\polyrhythmic fasion. I can not explain it.
It is not a 'big ban' (obviously), rather a gentle 'push under the rug'.

I am obsessed with Design for Music. I have done my research since I was 14~15 (and still continue). There are still questions I could not answer or find the source of the reasoning behind. So I've been asking other musicians and researchers. There are plenty of books who "analyse" such subject but they are rather documentaries as preservation of information than questioning the methods used.

My perspective is from a 'blank sheet' point of thinking. Of course, I can not escape the fact that today we know (collectively as humanity) much more than they knew (in the past). I am on my quest for answers and if I can not find them, I try to come up with one myself.

ambrozy and how am I suppose to play that?

Right. Here is whet I have from Rousseau (it is a .pdf of the "Gaspard" but from year 1909). Maybe he used that score to play the piece – I have no idea:

So, if I run it through a score OCR scanning software can I expect the midi exported file to have separate "hands" channels? It is quite interesting to see what will happen. But it won't tell me the individual fingers. I know, itis because I am not a pianist and you see the score and know what finger goes where, but is it really that easy to tell? I doubt it.
For example… those repeated notes (on the page 1 above) – I assume u play them with two fingers alternating? WHich ones? 'Thumb and index' or 'index and middle'? I doubt it is 'middle and ring'. Ah, this…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fcy2X06VH4

Ravel really did try his best to represent 'flamenco' style on the piano. Quite challenging indeed.

PASHKULI So, if I run it through a score OCR scanning software can I expect the midi exported file to have separate "hands" channels?

That is not always the case but you can assume that it is in this case

PASHKULI But it won't tell me the individual fingers. I know, itis because I am not a pianist and you see the score and know what finger goes where, but is it really that easy to tell? I doubt it.
For example… those repeated notes (on the page 1 above) – I assume u play them with two fingers alternating? WHich ones? 'Thumb and index' or 'index and middle'? I doubt it is 'middle and ring'. Ah, this…

No, sometimes the fingering is written in the score, but this is just a suggestion, each player must come up with his own fingerings that suits him while learning the piece, the same goes for which hand plays which notes in some cases.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbMvOjtcsRU
Here is an example, normally you play this with finger 1 (thumb) on A, finger 2 on A#, finger 3 on B and finger 4 on C but then you have to play in the order: 32413241… fingers are out of order and so it is relatively hard to play but he swaps fingers 2 and 3 and then sequence is 23412341… in which fingers are in order and it's very easy to play the notes in correct order, but you have to cross the fingers 2 and 3 which for me doesn't work, I barely can do that and I lose control of the keys (on piano you don't just press the keys at the correct time, you have to controll dynamics and articulation, how hard and how long each key is pressed) so I play this as originally intended, it just needs a little PRACTICE. This is very simple example, you can even try it yourselve!

I have a licence for Overture 5 (by SonicScores) – really great piece of software for score music notation.
Also have one for Notion 6 by PreSonus. MuseScore is free and it is quite powerful where with the other two I have struggled to achieve this masterpiece:

The problem is with all those programs I can ever hardly find any collection of works from great composers and simply open them in the software to get the score. There are some 'openformat' MusicXML files but they are terrible (mostly) when opened!

All these score programs (and their proprietary format) seem to "not speak" to each other. Probably inheritad by the terrible standart music notation and its tripple\quadruple ambiguity (see above).
But I guess, it is part of the business. If you'd like scores in "our format" by them from here and there. Or, why do not simply get a teacher to do it for you as they have already mestered it.

Really discouraging. Maybe one of the reasons I never liked the idea of learning to play the piano. Anyway…
"Decoding" such works form .pdf scores is guing to be painful. That is why I created my own Music notation which is based on such from 2000+ years ago with a modern finish. Technically – it is a TAB for any instrument (even drums).