The 10 Octave Circular Keyboard



Ten Octave Keyboard

This design reimagines the traditional keyboard instrument in a way that seamlessly blends technology, aesthetics, and ergonomics. Instead of a straight keyboard whee you run out of keys at each end if your tune goes too high or low, this one would use a rotating disc of keys, one for each hand, that keeps rotating so you never run out of keys. It could keep going, but human hearing only needs 20Hz to 20kHz, about 10 octaves. If you’re composing music for your pet cats, it needs to go to 80kHz but the keyboard can cope fine, even if you can’t hear what you’re playing.

The Concept: At the heart of the Infinite Octave are two separate, elegantly designed discs, each dedicated to one hand. These aren’t your ordinary piano keys; they’re arranged in a circular pattern around the rim of each disc, representing three full octaves. But here’s the magic: as you play, the discs rotate, providing a seemingly endless range of pitches. Ascend in pitch, and the disc rotates to bring you higher octaves; descend, and it intuitively scrolls to lower ones. You’ll never run out of keys again!

As an alternative, the keys could be placed on the surface of two rotating cylinders that rotate as you play, rotating around their horizontal axes, allowing the keys to move in a continuous loop and providing an endless range of pitches. The cylinders would be arranged lengthwise along their sides and would rotate as the player performs, allowing the keys to move in a continuous loop. This design represents a unique blend of traditional piano elements with an innovative, cylindrical form.

The focus would be on clean lines and functionality, each disc with nothing but the keys on its rim. The discs stand independently, either side of a separate control keypad with all the usual tone and rhythm selections keys etc, or arranged vertically if that suits your style better, creating a visually striking setup that could be as beautiful as it is functional.

I tried and failed to get an image from AI. It understood the idea to chat about, but was unable to make a sensible image. This is the one that gets closest. Should be only 3 octaves around, with the right keys, and easier to hit the keys, and nicer looking in the middle, and there should be one for each hand, and a control pad. Otherwise perfect.

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