DIY Janko Keyboard

[jjj333]

My Tyros with its grossly is irregular zebra Kbd is made for Profi-musician. - Yet, since I didn't inherit the talent of the latter, I had to find ways & means to create my very own "easiest to learn & play" Kbd. - I already gained some dexterity on a zebra Paolo Soprani accordion and my Tyros Kbd and the JANKO Kbd layout seemed to be the next best layout relearn a uniform Kbd system. In a nutshell, the difference between Zebra & Janko Kbd: Janko= 9999999999 // Zebra= 3703689541 Q: which number is easier to remember? - Using my acquired DIY skills, I decided on and succeeded to do the following:
1) I already converted an old 120-button Farfisa bass part to MIDI.
2) I build myself a 6 layer Janko keyboard layout. Since I cannot find a fitting, large PC keyboard plate I have to create one from 3 regular PC plates and 123 light-touch, silent Cherry switches. That will be a bit tricky, for I'll have to cut section out and epoxy-glue it from 3 PC plates.
Now for me it's daily practice on my new Janko Kbd, which I connected to the Tyros via MIDI. Fortunately, I inherited "whistling to good music", which helps me overcome practice bordom. - Actually, compared to other whistlers my whistling focuses rather on emotional creativity, such as in this piece, which music lovers know to define:

https://app.box.com/s/u68q3fn26jtwb9673xbfc751mef4wq6e

Apropos... practicing my Janko Kbd, I discovered a new problem: ...that I almost every time fall asleep after about 30 minute of Janko practice! I think it would be even worse with zebra practice. Yesterday, I kept going regardless and I slept in that deep that I didn't know where I was. - I suppose this phenomenon might end as soon I'll be able to considerably progress my dexterity, because then I'll be able to truly enjoy all the advantages of the Janko layout. At the moment I'm still far away from achieving it and have to put up with boring excercises.
But already now, after a few weeks of exercises, I noticed that I cannot achieve the same on the traditional zebra piano Kbd, because of its gross irregularity. Of course Profi-musicians are forced to put up with its regularity "by practicing 10 years more irregularity"! Thanks God hobby musicians can afford enjoying the Janko Kbd advantages? - These days computer technology enable us to level any shortfalls.
I even created my own WYSIWYG notation, based on Klavarskribo. For that I would need to get some help from programmers or graphic experts, for Klavarskribo's free program converts Midifiles to Klavarskribo notation.
- I'll keep you updated on how I'm going.

 

[jjj333]

Before I used to play the accordion and Tyros only in C-major or A-minor, yet now with the Janko Kbd I too, enjoy the same freedom of scale choice as enjoyed by Profi-musicians. That's something very new to me. The only other way I used to enjoy this freedom was by whistling to good music.
It's now that I come to fully realize the restrictions of the lousy zebra piano layout. - So, now I'm going to practice the Janko Kbd at all costs, for this uniform layout deserves all my afforts, whereas practicing zebra scales is a waste of time and efforts. Also, hobby musicians playing the zebra Kbd will need to keep practicing its grossly irregular scale fingerings. The Janko Kbd doesn't require this sort of nonsense.
The good thing is to build this Janko Kbd took me only about 2 - 3 weeks and can be connected to any zebra MIDI Synths/module.
In hindsight I can only mutter: "I regret having wasted time & efforts on zabra Kbds!!" - Shall Profi-musicians bother with it, for their money-hungry teachers aim to perpetuate this zebra madness for thir selfish benefits.
It's the same with money-hungry medical/Pharma cartels holding oldies, suffering from cruel chronic diseases (due to accumulated urique acid), to ransom by bombarding them deadly treatments, instead reducing their excess of uric acid via detoxification with baking soda.

 

[jjj333]

Janko Progress Report:

Regardless of the lack of a Janko tutor, gradually I'm getting my act together.
Now I focus on ca. six melodies and play them by ear for so long until I'm playing them almost perfectly. From then on I do the same with another half dozen melodies. This method seems to be pretty promising.
Feel free to criticize or (preferably) guide me, for you might have far more experience in Kbd dexterity. Thank you in advance, Joh

 

[jjj333]

Janko Progress Report:

Regardless of the lack of a Janko tutor, gradually I'm getting my act together.
Now I focus on ca. six melodies and play them by ear for so long until I'm playing them almost perfectly. From then on I do the same with another half dozen melodies. This method seems to be pretty promising.
Feel free to criticize or (preferably) guide me, for you might have far more experience in Kbd dexterity. Thank you in advance, Joh

The only zebra Kbd experiences I have are from playing by ear my Paolo Soprani accordion and there I learnt to appreciate the uniform accordion accompaniment and uniform Janko Kbd layout. Thus, from these experiences, I gained insight into musical scales and chords.
Yet, many of you have gained a greater knowledge of these things and apart from the obvious advantages, such as that the zebra Kbd has been promoted as the world standard for musical keyboards and thus, perpetuated by music teachers, I can't see it's having advantages over the Janko Kbd.
So, please tell me the secret what the true advantages of the zebra piano Kbd over the Janko Kbd layout are because it's still not too late for me to dismantle my Janko Kbd and return to the advantages of my Tyros zebra Kbd.

 

[jjj333]

I noticed that the Janko Kbd layout attracted a lot of disapproval, even hatred, thus I should be more careful to describe it as advantageous Kbd. Yet, on the personal level, I'm entitled to hail its progressive attributes. At the very least I fulfilled my lifetime ambition with it. That of creating a musical instrument and notation, which is (for me at least) the easiest to learn and to play!
I only published my project in the hope I can help someone, who (like me) prefers to enjoy the known advantages of the Janko Kbd layout. I'm also aware of the (in my view invalid) reasons why the Janko Kbd layout has been rejected by musicians. - So, "let it be"... seems here to be the fitting song, for life is full of controversies. So, maybe I,m better off keeping my Janko study progress a secret as not to upset zebra players?

 

[jjj333]

Klavarskribo offers a freeware program that transcribes Midifiles into WYSIWYG Klavarskribo notation, which could be adapted to Janko Kbd. The attachment shows some more details: