Checkout these Adaptive Instruments that are now available for music students and musicians with Physical Disabilities.
Switch Adapted Devices
Several adaptive musical instruments like drums, tambourines, keyboards, bells (and more) are available that are designed specially for people with motor disabilities. These can be used for special education or in music therapy.
Switch adapted musical instruments connect to an ability button which the player presses to play the instrument. Read more here.
Pioneering Technology for Disabled Musicians
Mi.Mu Gloves: Musical device controlled by hand gestures, provide great opportunities for disabled musicians. Allows musicians to conjure music from thin air during live performances. Ariana Grande even got her hands on a pair for her 2015 world tour.
Clarion: OpenUp Music’s Clarion runs on iPad and Windows, and can be played independently with any part of the body, even the eyes. It’s an instrument that adapts to the musician, rather than the other way around. Now commonly used in many ‘Open’ orchestras, Clarion allows musicians to play several instruments.
Exploring our Clarion instrument here at #ReSEND2018 @openorchestras pic.twitter.com/LY6FYp9Ef5
— Open Up Music (@openupmusic) November 30, 2018
Jamboxx: Designed like a hramonica, Jamboxx is a hands-free instrument powered only by your breath. Great for disabled musicians and even for the one-man band musicians. You can vary the effect of the sound and even bend notes.
The Magic Flute: Mounted on a tripod, The Magic Flute is an electronic wind instrument that can be played without using the hands. A control module with integrated display lets you change the scale and choose from 128 different instrument sounds.
Komplete Kontrol: Created by Native Instruments, this instrument allows blind and visually impaired musicians to produce music. Touch-sensitive rotary encoders detect the player’s fingers movements on the keyboard buttons, and the auditory feedback function allows the player to browse and tweak sounds (no need to involve a sighted person).
Inclusive Instruments Project
Inclusive Instruments, a project led by a recent Bienen school of music alumnus that provides free electronic musical services and technologies for students with disabilities. Ryan McCaul began creating musical instruments to combine his software development skills with his passion for music education.
The instrument created by McCaul allows students to tilt a tablet or smartphone to change the pitch and tone of any sound, and one that automatically autotunes voices spoken into a microphone. McCaul described an interaction with a student, who teachers considered reserved. After giving him a microphone and playing chords on a keyboard, the student rapped for 20 minutes straight and only stopped because he had to. Read more here.
KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
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