It works by squashing the strings in all the right places.
July 10, 2016 9:46 PM Subscribe
Introducing the Chordelia. Tim of the utterly charming WayOutWestBlowinBlog Youtube channel has invented a device to assist in guitar playing for people who find all that chord business "tricky."
This is awesome.
He's just a rotor drone and a couple other modifications away from inventing the hurdy-gurdy, but still.. awesome.
posted by motty at 10:17 PM on July 10, 2016 [7 favorites]
He's just a rotor drone and a couple other modifications away from inventing the hurdy-gurdy, but still.. awesome.
posted by motty at 10:17 PM on July 10, 2016 [7 favorites]
You got your autoharp on my guitar!
You got your guitar in my autoharp!
Two great tastes that go great together!
posted by hippybear at 10:17 PM on July 10, 2016 [6 favorites]
You got your guitar in my autoharp!
Two great tastes that go great together!
posted by hippybear at 10:17 PM on July 10, 2016 [6 favorites]
It's funny that people around the Internet are framing this thing as LOOK, YOU CAN USE THIS IF YOU SUCK when it looks to me like a whimsical contraption made for the fun of it
posted by thelonius at 10:29 PM on July 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by thelonius at 10:29 PM on July 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
Really similar to the nyckelharpa which is a great way of playing fiddle if you don't know how to.
posted by JoeBlubaugh at 10:49 PM on July 10, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by JoeBlubaugh at 10:49 PM on July 10, 2016 [3 favorites]
Or you can get an accordion his is the logical extreme of this thing. M/Min/7th/dim with one button on the left, all 12 keys.
To be fair this sounds better than a autoharp since it only dampens the other strings to a degree so all the chords sorta sound the same.
posted by boilermonster at 10:56 PM on July 10, 2016
To be fair this sounds better than a autoharp since it only dampens the other strings to a degree so all the chords sorta sound the same.
posted by boilermonster at 10:56 PM on July 10, 2016
Or you could just use open tuning.
posted by bongo_x at 11:03 PM on July 10, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by bongo_x at 11:03 PM on July 10, 2016 [3 favorites]
It is kind of a funny implementation. This kind of device has been around for probably at least a century, and seems to be reinvented every decade or so. There are at least a couple on the market right now.
While not the same thing, the aesthetic reminds me of a busker I saw in Dublin about 25 years ago, who had a device mounted above the soundhole on his guitar that appeared to pluck the strings in a rather piano-like way, via a piano-like keyboard. In fact the gizmo looked a bit like a tiny red toy grand piano with six big white keys suspended above the strings/soundhole of his guitar. The musician fretted normally, but used the keyboard rather than strum or pick the strings to make them vibrate. The actual working of the device could not be easily seen underneath, but it appeared to function quite well, and the musician was rather skilled in its use. I couldn't tell if it was a commercially available or diy device. It didn't look particularly polished or flashy, but it seemed like it could have been hand crafted. While there have been one or two commercial gizmos over the years that offer similar kind of function, I've never seen that particular device anywhere else.
posted by 2N2222 at 11:23 PM on July 10, 2016 [2 favorites]
While not the same thing, the aesthetic reminds me of a busker I saw in Dublin about 25 years ago, who had a device mounted above the soundhole on his guitar that appeared to pluck the strings in a rather piano-like way, via a piano-like keyboard. In fact the gizmo looked a bit like a tiny red toy grand piano with six big white keys suspended above the strings/soundhole of his guitar. The musician fretted normally, but used the keyboard rather than strum or pick the strings to make them vibrate. The actual working of the device could not be easily seen underneath, but it appeared to function quite well, and the musician was rather skilled in its use. I couldn't tell if it was a commercially available or diy device. It didn't look particularly polished or flashy, but it seemed like it could have been hand crafted. While there have been one or two commercial gizmos over the years that offer similar kind of function, I've never seen that particular device anywhere else.
posted by 2N2222 at 11:23 PM on July 10, 2016 [2 favorites]
2N2222 maybe something like this thing?
posted by smcameron at 12:17 AM on July 11, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by smcameron at 12:17 AM on July 11, 2016 [3 favorites]
I liked, "And if people don't like it, just play louder."
posted by not that girl at 12:59 AM on July 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by not that girl at 12:59 AM on July 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
Back in the 1950's, Emenee Industries made beginner-level instruments out of plastic. They developed a capo-style push-button chord player for an Arthur Godfrey licensed ukelele, and later added the device to their Gene Autry Cowboy Guitar. They've become a staple of toy/memorabilia collectors.
posted by Smart Dalek at 2:38 AM on July 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Smart Dalek at 2:38 AM on July 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
I was far lazier.
I just suction cupped a bluetooth speaker to my ukelele.
I'm actually genuinely delighted by this really stupid invention. In real life it sounds fantastic (if you play acoustic ukelele songs through it) and looks bizarrely magical.
I know it's dumb, but... it pleased me way too much
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 3:07 AM on July 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
I just suction cupped a bluetooth speaker to my ukelele.
I'm actually genuinely delighted by this really stupid invention. In real life it sounds fantastic (if you play acoustic ukelele songs through it) and looks bizarrely magical.
I know it's dumb, but... it pleased me way too much
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 3:07 AM on July 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
Despite all of Andy griffith's hard work, this commercial is the main reason I knew some words to the crawdad song.
posted by SharkParty at 5:19 AM on July 11, 2016
posted by SharkParty at 5:19 AM on July 11, 2016
It's funny that people around the Internet are framing this thing as LOOK, YOU CAN USE THIS IF YOU SUCK when it looks to me like a whimsical contraption made for the fun of it
I was able to pick up those basic chords after a few weeks of practicing about thirty minutes each day.
If you suck at guitar, you probably can't anything much more advanced than just those basic chords but those basic chords will get youa lot of chicks pretty far.
A fun contraption though and probably useful for people with some kind of injury to their left hand that would keep them from playing chords.
posted by VTX at 6:07 AM on July 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
I was able to pick up those basic chords after a few weeks of practicing about thirty minutes each day.
If you suck at guitar, you probably can't anything much more advanced than just those basic chords but those basic chords will get you
A fun contraption though and probably useful for people with some kind of injury to their left hand that would keep them from playing chords.
posted by VTX at 6:07 AM on July 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
At least it's less complex than the Stromberg-Voisinet (a.k.a. Kay) KeyKord.
Nice video for the Chordelia. Shame it's €200, though.
posted by scruss at 6:58 AM on July 11, 2016
Nice video for the Chordelia. Shame it's €200, though.
posted by scruss at 6:58 AM on July 11, 2016
You could also just dig up an old Omnichord (although that video is using it in an advanced way by emulating a picking style).
Personally, I get why this is a thing. But my answer is to take up an instrument where those five or seven basic chords only need a couple fingers: The Ukulele. You can even get a tenor uke and string a low G on it and it sounds deep and resonant like a guitar.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 8:01 AM on July 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
Personally, I get why this is a thing. But my answer is to take up an instrument where those five or seven basic chords only need a couple fingers: The Ukulele. You can even get a tenor uke and string a low G on it and it sounds deep and resonant like a guitar.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 8:01 AM on July 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
I wonder what percent of popular songs can be played with those five chords? (C, D, G, Em, Am)
Probably most of them. You've got the I/IV/V sequence covered with the first three chords, and a couple of useful relative minors thrown in. I'd be frustrated with just five chords, though. I'd go with an autoharp...except an autoharp sounds unpleasantly autoharpish.
I like the guy in the video, and have no problems at all with his enterprise...except that my personal belief is that with all the time he spent making his device, he could have instead chosen to become a decent beginning guitarist. One of the unseen benefits he would have gotten from this choice is having part of his brain rewired for music. This has all kinds of advantages, including enhanced listening enjoyment without having to apply for a medical marijuana certificate.
posted by kozad at 8:29 AM on July 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
Probably most of them. You've got the I/IV/V sequence covered with the first three chords, and a couple of useful relative minors thrown in. I'd be frustrated with just five chords, though. I'd go with an autoharp...except an autoharp sounds unpleasantly autoharpish.
I like the guy in the video, and have no problems at all with his enterprise...except that my personal belief is that with all the time he spent making his device, he could have instead chosen to become a decent beginning guitarist. One of the unseen benefits he would have gotten from this choice is having part of his brain rewired for music. This has all kinds of advantages, including enhanced listening enjoyment without having to apply for a medical marijuana certificate.
posted by kozad at 8:29 AM on July 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
Well, he wouldn't HAVE to.
It should be possible to make a similar device that has an ability to change which chords it plays. As long as it doesn't go farther than two frets it should be pretty similar to this device.
You'd be limited to five chords but if you can decide which five chords and change them between songs, it's not much of a limit.
posted by VTX at 9:08 AM on July 11, 2016
It should be possible to make a similar device that has an ability to change which chords it plays. As long as it doesn't go farther than two frets it should be pretty similar to this device.
You'd be limited to five chords but if you can decide which five chords and change them between songs, it's not much of a limit.
posted by VTX at 9:08 AM on July 11, 2016
[in need of change]
Mama, take these strings off of me
I can't squash 'em anymore
It hurts too much, too much to fret
I feel I'm knockin' at Chordelia's door.
[despondent]
Chordelia, you're breaking my strings
You're playing the same five chords daily
Oh Chordelia, I'm down on my knees,
I'm begging you please for a key change
[rejoicing]
Well, now I've found the secret chord
that Chordelia plays to please the Lord
But you never cared for newbies, did you?
The levers, they just go like so:
To press the second, fourth, then third I know
This baffling thing just played Cohen's Hallelujah!
posted by sylvanshine at 11:23 AM on July 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
Mama, take these strings off of me
I can't squash 'em anymore
It hurts too much, too much to fret
I feel I'm knockin' at Chordelia's door.
[despondent]
Chordelia, you're breaking my strings
You're playing the same five chords daily
Oh Chordelia, I'm down on my knees,
I'm begging you please for a key change
[rejoicing]
Well, now I've found the secret chord
that Chordelia plays to please the Lord
But you never cared for newbies, did you?
The levers, they just go like so:
To press the second, fourth, then third I know
This baffling thing just played Cohen's Hallelujah!
posted by sylvanshine at 11:23 AM on July 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
Kozad, you would be astounded at how many songs you can play with only four chords!
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 12:30 PM on July 11, 2016
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 12:30 PM on July 11, 2016
Also, kozad, I know a lot of people who find the manual dexterity necessary for some chord shapes simply too much to take on in later life. Particularly folks who are highly dominant with their right hands have trouble doing the necessary brain mapping to curl their non-dominant hands back around toward themselves and then quickly form precise contortions.
Again, this is why I love the uke: C is one finger, F is two, G or G7 is three in a basic triangle (and you can pick whichever's most comfortable for your hands), and Am is one finger (you just lift your finger off the F in the F shape to make that an E and job done). From there you can do your full Axis of Awesome four-chord pop medley without much practice!
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 12:35 PM on July 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
Again, this is why I love the uke: C is one finger, F is two, G or G7 is three in a basic triangle (and you can pick whichever's most comfortable for your hands), and Am is one finger (you just lift your finger off the F in the F shape to make that an E and job done). From there you can do your full Axis of Awesome four-chord pop medley without much practice!
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 12:35 PM on July 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
Points well taken, Mr.Rum-soaked Space Hobo Ukulele Man!
As someone who has been exploring different permutations on that strange machine we call the piano for fifty years, I am the exact opposite of the person to whom the Chordelia is being marketed, so I am not really someone who anyone should listen to about this thing.
posted by kozad at 1:01 PM on July 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
As someone who has been exploring different permutations on that strange machine we call the piano for fifty years, I am the exact opposite of the person to whom the Chordelia is being marketed, so I am not really someone who anyone should listen to about this thing.
posted by kozad at 1:01 PM on July 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
If a future archaeologist uncovered this device, they may well conclude that the guitar evolved into the piano and this device is the missing link.
While I'm certain that the purchase of an additional guitar would result in me getting strangled in my sleep by Mrs. VTX, Rum-soaked space hobo has convinced me to snag the next decent, cheap ukulele I find at a garage sale.
posted by VTX at 1:50 PM on July 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
While I'm certain that the purchase of an additional guitar would result in me getting strangled in my sleep by Mrs. VTX, Rum-soaked space hobo has convinced me to snag the next decent, cheap ukulele I find at a garage sale.
posted by VTX at 1:50 PM on July 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
So, if you have just one finger, or maybe arthritis in your hand or something, well then maybe you can play guitar too! (2m)This is definitely meant to be a device to make music more accessible, not an engineering fix in place of memorization. Everyone should be able to play and make music!
posted by books for weapons at 3:08 PM on July 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
I don't understand. What are the two extra chords for?
Minor chords, of which their are two on the Chordelia, are useful for younger players before they move on to the full three major chords. You'll notice they have a sadder sound than the major chords. That's because young people are awful.
posted by Sparx at 6:38 PM on July 11, 2016 [3 favorites]
Minor chords, of which their are two on the Chordelia, are useful for younger players before they move on to the full three major chords. You'll notice they have a sadder sound than the major chords. That's because young people are awful.
posted by Sparx at 6:38 PM on July 11, 2016 [3 favorites]
2N2222 maybe something like this thing?
No. the device I saw was more mysterious in that you couldn't see the workings, as they were underneath the "keyboard/toy piano". Couldn't tell if the strings were hammered or plucked. ISTR it would mute the string like a piano when the finger released the key. The Hammer Jammer is a very simple device, but the thing I saw the busker use seemed to be more sophisticated, judging by how it performed.
I've searched every now and then over the years, put out questions on various guitar forums, and nothing ever came up. People always point to the Hammer Jammer, and while it offers a similar kind of function, it definitely is not the same. I remember seeing old issues of Guitar Player magazine going back to the 70s, and I think I've seen similar devices in product announcements, but the one I saw in Dublin made me think it was hand crafted. Who knows? The mystery remains unsolved.
posted by 2N2222 at 11:06 PM on July 11, 2016
If you're gonna play guitar, learn how to play guitar. How friggin' lazy are we getting? Does anyone care anymore?
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 10:40 AM on July 12, 2016
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 10:40 AM on July 12, 2016
After my gig the other week we had an acoustic jam session in the pub after-hours. There was an older guy that had been hanging around the band all night making it obvious that he too was a musician, and during a break in the jam session he asked to have a go on my guitar.
It was at that point that I noticed that large parts of his left hand were... missing.
He futzed around on my guitar for a bit then handed it back. He looked sad. It was clearly not the moment to bring up Django Reinhardt or Tony Iommi.
That's the kind of use case I can see for this.
posted by motty at 8:09 PM on July 12, 2016
It was at that point that I noticed that large parts of his left hand were... missing.
He futzed around on my guitar for a bit then handed it back. He looked sad. It was clearly not the moment to bring up Django Reinhardt or Tony Iommi.
That's the kind of use case I can see for this.
posted by motty at 8:09 PM on July 12, 2016
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posted by books for weapons at 9:55 PM on July 10, 2016