The Artiphon is coming … the what?

The Artiphon Instrument 1 Nashville Edition (Artiphon)

It’s a weird name, but it looks like an amazing breakthrough for musical instruments. Meet, the Artiphon. This Kickstarter project was looking for $70,000, and at time of writing, has reached close to $600,000, with more than a month still to go on the project. Check out what it can do by watching the video.

So what we have here is an electronic surface, essentially, that can mimmick not only the sound of an instrument, but also the way traditional instruments are played. “Plug in and play 100’s of apps like GarageBand with universal musical gestures: strumming, tapping, bowing, sliding, and more,” the blurb reads.

This model is called INSTRUMENT 1, which presumably means there are more to come. You can also use it as a MIDI trigger if you fancy. All up, it appears to be bloody incredible and I want one. It’s the “key-tar” of the new millennium.

I reckon if you’re not even musical or have never played an instrument, you could still get a pleasant sound out of this thing. More pleasant, at least, than if you picked up a violin for the first time and dragged the hairs of a bow across it. Trust me, that can hurt your ears and send cats wild for many miles around if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Anyway, you can read all about the project, the instrument, and what it can do here, if you’re so inclined. Personally, I’m in awe.