hex idea

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caseyjamesbasichis
Posts: 54
Joined: Sun Apr 18, 2010 9:05 pm

hex idea

Post by caseyjamesbasichis »

I have a number of novel Ideas that I think would draw on thumb jams strengths and improve on the existing hex model. The idea revolves around using visual landmarks to influence creative divergence.

I know there a number of different kinds of interfaces in thumbjam -- drum pads, scalar and continuous. Have you considered adding a hex grid type interface? I use Hex Osc and I find that it has a unique influence on melodic writing by making distant intervals more accessible than scale steps.

When using Hex Osc I tend to react to the black keys (hexagons) as visual landmarks to orient my ideas. I would love to see this idea taken further, using hexagon patterning and coloring to organize and influence ideas.

Landmark patterns could be random like a cross word puzzle or repeating like a textile. They could be engineered to encourage the mingling of specific keys or to help enforce a mode. Different colors could be used to overlap different scales/keys on a chromatic grid. The visual landmarks could be dynamic and react to the current note or make calculations based on the recent history of notes changing the pattern for a whole array of purposes.

None of these function would create or alter notes, they would only be vague visual guides to influence creative structuring.

I think all of these ideas could apply to the normal Thumbjam interface as well to help tie the interfaces together so one could swap back and forth as needed -- the lines on the gliss/continuous mode could take on the same colors etc.

I would prefer to see this in thumbjam than as an addition to hex osc. I think your commitment to making exotic scales, interfaces and work flows is really great and I would love to see it become a tool box of practical creative interfaces.

As a side note, I think it would be interesting if a hex grid were able to use the notes of the exotic scales exclusively, but I imagine that is a much more complex problem due to the interrelationship between all the elements in the grid. Perhaps the landmarks and chromatic grid itself would be simple though.

EDIT: Come to think of it... This last facet could alter the grid as needed converting it into triangles, pentagons, octagons or whatever else might be needed for representing specific scales and overlapping tonalities on the grid. -- Even a grid of circles for continuous pitches or a set of concentric circles, each band with a scale, that would rotate according to the history of notes played. Note that I don't mean to cloud the main hexagon landmark idea... These are just some thoughts off the top that are along the same lines of thinking.


There are some interesting images towards the bottom of these.

http://www.quadibloc.com/other/cfaint.htm
http://www.quadibloc.com/other/bo02.htm
http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/tess/pent.htm

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