Thanks! It all came around when I started putting together the opening video and put together that 'classical piano to Janko layout' time-lapse for it. After watching it a few times to make sure the music was timed right it just came to me that it would be an amazing way of explaining how the layout works. Hopefully it made the layout seem less 'complex' than it looks. I remember looking at accordions with their 200 or something buttons and thinking "how could anyone memorize the layout for so many keys and play one of these!!!"... and now im building a Janko piano :)
Wow! What a cool project. The Janko keyboard seems like the perfect example of a superior system that failed to oust an older standard because the cost of switching (i.e. converting the world's pianos and retraining the world's pianists) would be too high. And I've often thought that it would be possible to build a digital piano myself (perhaps salvaging the action from a normal piano with a cracked bridge or something), but here you are actually doing it! I'll be watching your progress with excitement.
Thanks. Its kind of unfortunate that the Janko layout never caught on... too much push back from tradition I believe. Its a catch 22 scenario - if you want people to use it and students/children to learn on it, it needs to be popular enough to have teachers / schools / etc. available.... but there is no way you will have those available until enough people start playing on it. I mean - even 'narrower keyboards' that are basically classical pianos just with a shorter octave span for players with smaller hands cant seem to gain enough popularity to have such keyboards available for purchase, and thats literally the same keyboard just shorter - to say nothing of a completely different layout.
Thanks! Ive got the next few videos in the works now, and the assembly of the actual digital piano is proceeding, so chances are quite good that I will actually finish this project.
At the moment DIY solutions are pretty much the only option unfortunately. There are the 'simple' versions with 3D printed keys glued on top of a regular piano; a slightly more complicated version where the 3D printed keys replace the keys of a regular (digital) piano (I would recommend this one if you are interested: www.thingiverse.com/thing:6666469), and then the wild-wild-world of full DIY pianos like the one I am building.... and finally the "20,000$ modification to an acoustic piano" you can custom order from a few piano makers. I did hear that Rico Raven (www.youtube.com/@rico-raven) is going to be trying his hands at making it possible to buy his version of the Janko digital piano, though keep in mind its based on an existing regular piano so the octave length is kept at the classical piano's 6.5 inches. The keys are different from a 'classical' Janko, but its still a proper Janko isomorphic keyboard through and through.
Regarding diatonic glissandos, this could be done easily by hosting the VST in Gig Performer, which supports MIDI scripting. One might assign a pedal to switch to any alternative note mapping that you would like. It’s like having a transpose or octave switch on an electronic keyboard, but more powerful. You could also split the keyboard, with Janko on the right and Diatonic on the left.
True, but I try to stay away from software solutions. In a way I prefer methods that would at least be theoretically possible on an acoustic instrument. Its much the same reason why I focused so much on a 'realistic' hammer action instead of making each button be its own separate velocity sensitive 'key' which would have allowed the piano to be used not just in Janko layout but also Wicki-Hayden layout or for microtonal music (essentially a DIY Lumatone).
If you are looking for a quick-and-easy conversion for a regular piano to a janko layout, the best bet is probably one of these two: Casio CT-S400 mod: www.thingiverse.com/thing:6666469 Arturia Keystep mod: www.thingiverse.com/thing:3564049 Keep in mind that I havent tried either, and you will likely have to put in some time to figure out how to best print the parts (the casio one seems to be a bit more 'printable', though the keys would have to be split in half for printability). It will also not quite be the same janko keyboard as it will be missing the parallelogram design that makes each key's buttons dip the same 10mm, as well as the 5.1 inch octave instead of the regular piano's 6.5 inch. Personally I might just make a casio conversion myself to try out the piano while the proper build is... building.
Also the Dodeka keyboard's only disadvantage is that it's reach is the same as a standard piano as opposed to the larger reach of the Janko, what you said about it having a large octave or keys that are too thin is not true. Dodeka's keys are the same as a standard piano. 7mm keys with 7mm space between the keys, so each key has 21mm of space for your fingers. And for the Janko and having no touch feedback to orient your hands to, I would think making the white and black keys either mate or gloss finish, like glossy white and mate black could make that a little remedied.
Ah yes - I looked more into the dodeka keyboard design and they feature thinner keys to allow them to keep the same octave span. In a way it reminds me a bit of Rico Raven's (www.youtube.com/@rico-raven) janko layout modification to a standard digital piano but without the staircase-style keys. Would be interesting to have the 3 styles (classical Janko, Rico Raven's version, and the Dodeka) in the same room along with a good pianist to compare them... As for the touch feedback for orientation, there have been several attempts at this including adding 12 different textured patterns to the keys (almost like braille), but even then the classical piano with its 'missing' black keys between BC and EF allows for much better sightless orientation... just too bad that it also makes the layout non-isomorphic. At the same time though - if you did add some sort of touch feedback for the keys it might even be detrimental in cases where you transpose a piece (or even just a single section) as you would 'feel' different keys as you play.
Single- and double-row isomorphic layouts have still one significant issue: you cannot play fast glissandos in every key. This is an issue also for a standard layout, but not to that degree, as on traditional layout you are able to play fast glissandos only in C-major and a-minor, as only white keys are used there. Of course, fast glissandos is not something that is often used in music, but if we want to build a perfect layout, we should consider that as well. With every non-linear layouts containing only 7 keys within an octave, glissandos could be as fast as the finger action of the player, and there's always a limit to that. Dragging your finger across the keys would always be faster. There might be a solution to the fast glissandos issue. Similar problem, but from different angle, was actually solved many years ago by harp makers. Harps were always known for the possibility of playing fast glissandos, but at the same time the possibility to play in different keys, and in the process of developing western music, also changing the key fast during the play, became a necessity. 2 solutions were invented. The first one was the cross-strung harp with 2 sets of strings, one corresponding to the white keys of the piano, and the other to the black keys. This, however, has proved not too practical and now is almost unused, with only a few such harps being produced and even fewer harpist actually being able to play them. The other solution included fast retuning of the harp with 2 mechanisms: hand-operated levers for shortening each single string, and single- or double-action feet-operated pedal mechanism for retuning each string within an octave, so as many strings at once as many octaves the particular model covers. This solution, in double-action (changing each note to flat or sharp) variant to be exact, is widely used now, as it allows to retune the harp very fast to every possible key, provided it's a heptatonic scale (other scales would have to have either some strings removed or just not used) and it's an equal temperament turning. The single-action lever solution is used for smaller, cheaper or custom-made or custom-modified harps. In theory, the retuning solution is perfect, but in practice it has its drawbacks and limitations. The double-action pedal mechanism of the concert harp is extremely complex, its setting-up is very painstaking, operating 7 pedals located close to each other and having 3 settings requires additional training and very precise and careful feet movement. Too slow retuning could cause buzzing, whereas slipping the pedal could damage the harp base, because all the pedals are connected to very strong springs. Also, the mechanism usually doesn't cover all the strings, with the longest being either manually retune with the tuning pins or sometimes there are levers added to those few strings, but they allow for single-action retuning (from neutral to flat or from sharp to neutral). I'm not sure if this idea of retuning could ever be used in pianos, maybe except for fully electronic ones, but that would be a ground-breaking achievement and I really believe we can always do better. If that would ever be achieved, this could solve another issue which I can see with double-row isomorphic keyboards. Although the fingering shape is always retained for every chord, you have to inevitably change rows to be within the same key. And you have to memorize those row changes for each key, which brings back the complexity. On the other hand, the additional lower rows for thumbs are obviously a huge benefit. Also, there's another solution that for some reason was never used in keyboard instruments, but could be very handy. In computer and typewriter keyboards, some keys have special markers on them that could be felt with the fingertips. Those are usually put on F and J keys and function as reference points for all other keys, as those keys are the ones where your index fingers should rest and return to. This relates to the idea of touch typing. In case of playing keyboard instruments, a similar technique is I guess at some point achieved by professional players, but due to the larger size of the keyboard, players have to from time to time control their hand position by looking at the keyboard. But still, this is something that if used, could also make the playing much easier to learn. One last note: there are 3 interesting mechanisms which in my opinion could at least be considered if someone would like to implement some sort of retuning mechanism to a keyboard instrument. Feet could be used to much greater extent, and actually they are used when playing the pipe organ or pedal pianos (although the latter are rarely used). Pianos usually already have 2 or 3 very important pedals, but they could be moved either to a different row (as it is done in pedal pianos), or, and that's the second idea I want to present, modified so that they are operated by the knee. In pedal stell guitars there are knee-operated levers for slight changing of the pitch (similarly to the whammy bar in electric guitars). I'm not saying this knee-lever has to be used only that way, but only that knees could be used to operate additional mechanisms. And the third interesting mechanism that could be used in order to solve the retuning issue are organ stops. Those are drawn knobs next to the exact keyboard. In the pipe organ, stops turn on and off particular sets of pipes, even when playing a piece, and even for a subset of keys in the keyboard. This makes it probably the best option for a retuning mechanism, although it could be extremely difficult if it were to be mechanical. But if it was done for pipe organs and harps, so I guess it cannot be impossible. In my opinion, the piano, as well as many other instruments, still needs some work. Instruments are usually created in order to sound perfect, cover all standard keys, and preferably have some nice effects. But the easiness or logicallnes of playing is almost never considered. Leave well alone, as they say. Nevertheless, it's amazing that someone is actually revising those alternative layouts and trying to build their own piano. Good luck - I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Wow, that was a good read! I did check out pedal harp designs previously (unrelated to piano - was just browsing how-its-made videos and came across them) and was astounded as to the complexity of what I previously considered a pretty simple (at least in terms of 'no moving parts') instrument. Was eye opening to see that complexity. In terms of pianos, the thought of 'movable' C where you can essentially transpose the entire keyboard on the fly did come up while I was researching alternatives to the classical piano; after all most digital pianos already contain the 'auto-transpose' function where you can just shift the 'notes' any which way and just play the same song in a different key without changing anything. Unfortunately its very limiting - even assuming you can figure out a way to switch 'keys' on the fly (not impossible as you said - perhaps a pedal board, or a second row of keys specifically for switching/transposing the keyboard), this would still lead to issues of complexity - you would not only have to memorize each chord position on the keyboard, but also keep in mind which key you are transposed to at that very moment. As for glissandos, the Janko layout offers a way of playing a whole-tone glissando (two types), or a chromatic glissando (in my version of it where I included a row of 'all keys' at the very top that you can glide along. Its true that its not possible to play the specific C major glissando that you can on a regular piano (and yes, I realize there are songs specifically written to take advantage of that which will be 'impossible' to play on a Janko), but an attempt to accommodate glissandos of specific keys will naturally increase the complexity quite a lot - you might have 3 extra 'rows' at the back that would have specific keys raised for a C major glissando, or a 'black keys only' glissando, etc. You could potentially do something similar to the pedal harp with the back row key heights changing based on the 'key' of the glissando you pick, but just as with the pedal harp the complexity of such a device would be crazy, for something that isnt really used all that much in piano playing. Going further, the Janko layout offers a few interesting techniques that arent possible on a regular piano: 1. Very long intervals such as a major 10th are quite easy due to the shorter octave span, and even longer intervals are possible 2. whole tone glissando (as a replacement for C-major glissando) 3. multi-note chromatic slides (such as C-C#-D-D#-E) which on a regular piano are only possible with 2-note when you start from a black key 4. chromatic chord slides (such as C major -> C# major -> D major) which on a regular piano is only possible for 2-tone slides on very specific chords (they have to start on a black key and end on a white key for every note in the chord)
If due to retire shortly and plan to learn the rudiments of keyboard playing. I may have left it a tad late in life and may have to abandon this project, but would you recommend this style of keyboard for someone in my position over the more conventional form?
Do I consider the Janko layout 'superior'? Yes. Would I recommend it to someone? No. Will the janko layout help learn things faster? I believe so. Is it worth going off the beaten path of the classical layout and forgoing any help with learning to play... probably not. To clarify - going down the Janko layout path means accepting that: - you will not find a teacher to help you along - you will most likely need to build the piano yourself (or more likely 3d-print an 'adapter' for a regular digital piano... which has its own set of issues) - you will have to figure things out yourself - in the best case scenario this involves going through piano-learning books and adjusting everything to the new layout - you will not be able to play at any 'public' ventures; if you want to be able to play outside your home you have no choice but to bring the digital piano with you Personally I come at this after ~5 years of playing piano (no teachers, just self-taught) where I realized that while I can memorize pieces and be able to play them, I am doing so in a very mechanical way. I believe that an isomorphic keyboard such as the Janko will help me with being able to 'feel' the chords / intervals as I play, hopefully leading to memorizing the pieces in a more 'musical' way. Will it work? I dont know. Its an interesting project nevertheless.
I knoƿ ɗiſ may ſƿey loaɗſum to ɗee, but ɗe only good ſtrecloꝛe (tuning) foꝛ glee (muſicke) is Pyþagoꝛean Treƿ Strecloꝛe, aka 3 limit JI, ƿiþ ɗe ſtreceſ rigtly ſpelled and ſtretced in keeping ƿiþ ɗeir ſpot on a lenc (chain) of 3/2 fifþſ. So called 5 limit JI is not ɗe beſt ſtrecloꝛe. Only Treƿ Strecloꝛe iſ hƿole and good boþ ſƿiniſcly (melodically) and þƿeariſcly (harmonically) all at once. Ꝺe hƿole ſtrecloꝛe is ſound and good and rodiſc boþ to ɗe mind and to ɗe ear. Pꝛetty muc all folkſ are lacking knoƿledg about ɗiſ. Efen ɗe link hƿic ɗou didſt ſcare is ƿꝛõng. Ꝺou canſt alſo hafe ɗiſ ſtrecloꝛe on a Janko keyboard, and ɗou canſt ƿend (change) ɗe key as ɗou playeſt ƿiþ foot treadelſ (peadalſ) to nudge ɗe ſtrecladder (ſkale) of fifþſ vp oꝛ doƿn ɗe lenc of fifþſ. Ꝺe hƿole reckneſſ (hiſotoꝛy) of ſtrecloꝛe iſ one filled ƿiþ ſad blunder after blunder. Ꝺou canſt hear ƿell ſtreced glee on my þeet (channel) if ɗou ƿiſceſt to hear hƿat I mean.
Have never seen such a great explanation! I couldn’t understand very well the isomorphism in the Janko until now.
Thanks!
It all came around when I started putting together the opening video and put together that 'classical piano to Janko layout' time-lapse for it. After watching it a few times to make sure the music was timed right it just came to me that it would be an amazing way of explaining how the layout works.
Hopefully it made the layout seem less 'complex' than it looks. I remember looking at accordions with their 200 or something buttons and thinking "how could anyone memorize the layout for so many keys and play one of these!!!"... and now im building a Janko piano :)
Nice video 👍
Thanks; glad you enjoyed it!
Wow! What a cool project. The Janko keyboard seems like the perfect example of a superior system that failed to oust an older standard because the cost of switching (i.e. converting the world's pianos and retraining the world's pianists) would be too high. And I've often thought that it would be possible to build a digital piano myself (perhaps salvaging the action from a normal piano with a cracked bridge or something), but here you are actually doing it! I'll be watching your progress with excitement.
It's not Superior but it's cool.
Thanks.
Its kind of unfortunate that the Janko layout never caught on... too much push back from tradition I believe. Its a catch 22 scenario - if you want people to use it and students/children to learn on it, it needs to be popular enough to have teachers / schools / etc. available.... but there is no way you will have those available until enough people start playing on it.
I mean - even 'narrower keyboards' that are basically classical pianos just with a shorter octave span for players with smaller hands cant seem to gain enough popularity to have such keyboards available for purchase, and thats literally the same keyboard just shorter - to say nothing of a completely different layout.
Great work thanks for the vid!
Thanks. Just out of curiosity - is it the 'DIY' or the 'Janko piano' portion that made you interested?
I'm about to follow this channel with great interest...
Thanks! Ive got the next few videos in the works now, and the assembly of the actual digital piano is proceeding, so chances are quite good that I will actually finish this project.
@DIYJankoPiano Great to hear! Thank you very much
I want one.
At the moment DIY solutions are pretty much the only option unfortunately.
There are the 'simple' versions with 3D printed keys glued on top of a regular piano; a slightly more complicated version where the 3D printed keys replace the keys of a regular (digital) piano (I would recommend this one if you are interested: www.thingiverse.com/thing:6666469), and then the wild-wild-world of full DIY pianos like the one I am building.... and finally the "20,000$ modification to an acoustic piano" you can custom order from a few piano makers.
I did hear that Rico Raven (www.youtube.com/@rico-raven) is going to be trying his hands at making it possible to buy his version of the Janko digital piano, though keep in mind its based on an existing regular piano so the octave length is kept at the classical piano's 6.5 inches. The keys are different from a 'classical' Janko, but its still a proper Janko isomorphic keyboard through and through.
Regarding diatonic glissandos, this could be done easily by hosting the VST in Gig Performer, which supports MIDI scripting. One might assign a pedal to switch to any alternative note mapping that you would like. It’s like having a transpose or octave switch on an electronic keyboard, but more powerful. You could also split the keyboard, with Janko on the right and Diatonic on the left.
True, but I try to stay away from software solutions. In a way I prefer methods that would at least be theoretically possible on an acoustic instrument.
Its much the same reason why I focused so much on a 'realistic' hammer action instead of making each button be its own separate velocity sensitive 'key' which would have allowed the piano to be used not just in Janko layout but also Wicki-Hayden layout or for microtonal music (essentially a DIY Lumatone).
❓ Do you have a video how to (more or pess) easily converted the own piano (or e-piano) to this with the use of a 3D-printer?
If you are looking for a quick-and-easy conversion for a regular piano to a janko layout, the best bet is probably one of these two:
Casio CT-S400 mod: www.thingiverse.com/thing:6666469
Arturia Keystep mod: www.thingiverse.com/thing:3564049
Keep in mind that I havent tried either, and you will likely have to put in some time to figure out how to best print the parts (the casio one seems to be a bit more 'printable', though the keys would have to be split in half for printability). It will also not quite be the same janko keyboard as it will be missing the parallelogram design that makes each key's buttons dip the same 10mm, as well as the 5.1 inch octave instead of the regular piano's 6.5 inch.
Personally I might just make a casio conversion myself to try out the piano while the proper build is... building.
@DIYJankoPiano Thanks very much!
Also the Dodeka keyboard's only disadvantage is that it's reach is the same as a standard piano as opposed to the larger reach of the Janko, what you said about it having a large octave or keys that are too thin is not true. Dodeka's keys are the same as a standard piano. 7mm keys with 7mm space between the keys, so each key has 21mm of space for your fingers.
And for the Janko and having no touch feedback to orient your hands to, I would think making the white and black keys either mate or gloss finish, like glossy white and mate black could make that a little remedied.
Ah yes - I looked more into the dodeka keyboard design and they feature thinner keys to allow them to keep the same octave span. In a way it reminds me a bit of Rico Raven's (www.youtube.com/@rico-raven) janko layout modification to a standard digital piano but without the staircase-style keys. Would be interesting to have the 3 styles (classical Janko, Rico Raven's version, and the Dodeka) in the same room along with a good pianist to compare them...
As for the touch feedback for orientation, there have been several attempts at this including adding 12 different textured patterns to the keys (almost like braille), but even then the classical piano with its 'missing' black keys between BC and EF allows for much better sightless orientation... just too bad that it also makes the layout non-isomorphic.
At the same time though - if you did add some sort of touch feedback for the keys it might even be detrimental in cases where you transpose a piece (or even just a single section) as you would 'feel' different keys as you play.
Single- and double-row isomorphic layouts have still one significant issue: you cannot play fast glissandos in every key. This is an issue also for a standard layout, but not to that degree, as on traditional layout you are able to play fast glissandos only in C-major and a-minor, as only white keys are used there.
Of course, fast glissandos is not something that is often used in music, but if we want to build a perfect layout, we should consider that as well. With every non-linear layouts containing only 7 keys within an octave, glissandos could be as fast as the finger action of the player, and there's always a limit to that. Dragging your finger across the keys would always be faster.
There might be a solution to the fast glissandos issue. Similar problem, but from different angle, was actually solved many years ago by harp makers. Harps were always known for the possibility of playing fast glissandos, but at the same time the possibility to play in different keys, and in the process of developing western music, also changing the key fast during the play, became a necessity. 2 solutions were invented. The first one was the cross-strung harp with 2 sets of strings, one corresponding to the white keys of the piano, and the other to the black keys. This, however, has proved not too practical and now is almost unused, with only a few such harps being produced and even fewer harpist actually being able to play them. The other solution included fast retuning of the harp with 2 mechanisms: hand-operated levers for shortening each single string, and single- or double-action feet-operated pedal mechanism for retuning each string within an octave, so as many strings at once as many octaves the particular model covers. This solution, in double-action (changing each note to flat or sharp) variant to be exact, is widely used now, as it allows to retune the harp very fast to every possible key, provided it's a heptatonic scale (other scales would have to have either some strings removed or just not used) and it's an equal temperament turning. The single-action lever solution is used for smaller, cheaper or custom-made or custom-modified harps.
In theory, the retuning solution is perfect, but in practice it has its drawbacks and limitations. The double-action pedal mechanism of the concert harp is extremely complex, its setting-up is very painstaking, operating 7 pedals located close to each other and having 3 settings requires additional training and very precise and careful feet movement. Too slow retuning could cause buzzing, whereas slipping the pedal could damage the harp base, because all the pedals are connected to very strong springs. Also, the mechanism usually doesn't cover all the strings, with the longest being either manually retune with the tuning pins or sometimes there are levers added to those few strings, but they allow for single-action retuning (from neutral to flat or from sharp to neutral).
I'm not sure if this idea of retuning could ever be used in pianos, maybe except for fully electronic ones, but that would be a ground-breaking achievement and I really believe we can always do better. If that would ever be achieved, this could solve another issue which I can see with double-row isomorphic keyboards. Although the fingering shape is always retained for every chord, you have to inevitably change rows to be within the same key. And you have to memorize those row changes for each key, which brings back the complexity. On the other hand, the additional lower rows for thumbs are obviously a huge benefit.
Also, there's another solution that for some reason was never used in keyboard instruments, but could be very handy. In computer and typewriter keyboards, some keys have special markers on them that could be felt with the fingertips. Those are usually put on F and J keys and function as reference points for all other keys, as those keys are the ones where your index fingers should rest and return to. This relates to the idea of touch typing. In case of playing keyboard instruments, a similar technique is I guess at some point achieved by professional players, but due to the larger size of the keyboard, players have to from time to time control their hand position by looking at the keyboard. But still, this is something that if used, could also make the playing much easier to learn.
One last note: there are 3 interesting mechanisms which in my opinion could at least be considered if someone would like to implement some sort of retuning mechanism to a keyboard instrument. Feet could be used to much greater extent, and actually they are used when playing the pipe organ or pedal pianos (although the latter are rarely used). Pianos usually already have 2 or 3 very important pedals, but they could be moved either to a different row (as it is done in pedal pianos), or, and that's the second idea I want to present, modified so that they are operated by the knee. In pedal stell guitars there are knee-operated levers for slight changing of the pitch (similarly to the whammy bar in electric guitars). I'm not saying this knee-lever has to be used only that way, but only that knees could be used to operate additional mechanisms. And the third interesting mechanism that could be used in order to solve the retuning issue are organ stops. Those are drawn knobs next to the exact keyboard. In the pipe organ, stops turn on and off particular sets of pipes, even when playing a piece, and even for a subset of keys in the keyboard. This makes it probably the best option for a retuning mechanism, although it could be extremely difficult if it were to be mechanical. But if it was done for pipe organs and harps, so I guess it cannot be impossible.
In my opinion, the piano, as well as many other instruments, still needs some work. Instruments are usually created in order to sound perfect, cover all standard keys, and preferably have some nice effects. But the easiness or logicallnes of playing is almost never considered. Leave well alone, as they say.
Nevertheless, it's amazing that someone is actually revising those alternative layouts and trying to build their own piano. Good luck - I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Wow, that was a good read! I did check out pedal harp designs previously (unrelated to piano - was just browsing how-its-made videos and came across them) and was astounded as to the complexity of what I previously considered a pretty simple (at least in terms of 'no moving parts') instrument. Was eye opening to see that complexity.
In terms of pianos, the thought of 'movable' C where you can essentially transpose the entire keyboard on the fly did come up while I was researching alternatives to the classical piano; after all most digital pianos already contain the 'auto-transpose' function where you can just shift the 'notes' any which way and just play the same song in a different key without changing anything. Unfortunately its very limiting - even assuming you can figure out a way to switch 'keys' on the fly (not impossible as you said - perhaps a pedal board, or a second row of keys specifically for switching/transposing the keyboard), this would still lead to issues of complexity - you would not only have to memorize each chord position on the keyboard, but also keep in mind which key you are transposed to at that very moment.
As for glissandos, the Janko layout offers a way of playing a whole-tone glissando (two types), or a chromatic glissando (in my version of it where I included a row of 'all keys' at the very top that you can glide along. Its true that its not possible to play the specific C major glissando that you can on a regular piano (and yes, I realize there are songs specifically written to take advantage of that which will be 'impossible' to play on a Janko), but an attempt to accommodate glissandos of specific keys will naturally increase the complexity quite a lot - you might have 3 extra 'rows' at the back that would have specific keys raised for a C major glissando, or a 'black keys only' glissando, etc.
You could potentially do something similar to the pedal harp with the back row key heights changing based on the 'key' of the glissando you pick, but just as with the pedal harp the complexity of such a device would be crazy, for something that isnt really used all that much in piano playing.
Going further, the Janko layout offers a few interesting techniques that arent possible on a regular piano:
1. Very long intervals such as a major 10th are quite easy due to the shorter octave span, and even longer intervals are possible
2. whole tone glissando (as a replacement for C-major glissando)
3. multi-note chromatic slides (such as C-C#-D-D#-E) which on a regular piano are only possible with 2-note when you start from a black key
4. chromatic chord slides (such as C major -> C# major -> D major) which on a regular piano is only possible for 2-tone slides on very specific chords (they have to start on a black key and end on a white key for every note in the chord)
If due to retire shortly and plan to learn the rudiments of keyboard playing. I may have left it a tad late in life and may have to abandon this project, but would you recommend this style of keyboard for someone in my position over the more conventional form?
Do I consider the Janko layout 'superior'? Yes.
Would I recommend it to someone? No.
Will the janko layout help learn things faster? I believe so.
Is it worth going off the beaten path of the classical layout and forgoing any help with learning to play... probably not.
To clarify - going down the Janko layout path means accepting that:
- you will not find a teacher to help you along
- you will most likely need to build the piano yourself (or more likely 3d-print an 'adapter' for a regular digital piano... which has its own set of issues)
- you will have to figure things out yourself - in the best case scenario this involves going through piano-learning books and adjusting everything to the new layout
- you will not be able to play at any 'public' ventures; if you want to be able to play outside your home you have no choice but to bring the digital piano with you
Personally I come at this after ~5 years of playing piano (no teachers, just self-taught) where I realized that while I can memorize pieces and be able to play them, I am doing so in a very mechanical way. I believe that an isomorphic keyboard such as the Janko will help me with being able to 'feel' the chords / intervals as I play, hopefully leading to memorizing the pieces in a more 'musical' way. Will it work? I dont know. Its an interesting project nevertheless.
i saw the Janko piano mf, and heard Samuel L Jackson.
Nice. I read your comment, thought for a second, then read it again in his voice :)
I knoƿ ɗiſ may ſƿey loaɗſum to ɗee, but ɗe only good ſtrecloꝛe (tuning) foꝛ glee (muſicke) is Pyþagoꝛean Treƿ Strecloꝛe, aka 3 limit JI, ƿiþ ɗe ſtreceſ rigtly ſpelled and ſtretced in keeping ƿiþ ɗeir ſpot on a lenc (chain) of 3/2 fifþſ. So called 5 limit JI is not ɗe beſt ſtrecloꝛe. Only Treƿ Strecloꝛe iſ hƿole and good boþ ſƿiniſcly (melodically) and þƿeariſcly (harmonically) all at once. Ꝺe hƿole ſtrecloꝛe is ſound and good and rodiſc boþ to ɗe mind and to ɗe ear. Pꝛetty muc all folkſ are lacking knoƿledg about ɗiſ. Efen ɗe link hƿic ɗou didſt ſcare is ƿꝛõng.
Ꝺou canſt alſo hafe ɗiſ ſtrecloꝛe on a Janko keyboard, and ɗou canſt ƿend (change) ɗe key as ɗou playeſt ƿiþ foot treadelſ (peadalſ) to nudge ɗe ſtrecladder (ſkale) of fifþſ vp oꝛ doƿn ɗe lenc of fifþſ. Ꝺe hƿole reckneſſ (hiſotoꝛy) of ſtrecloꝛe iſ one filled ƿiþ ſad blunder after blunder. Ꝺou canſt hear ƿell ſtreced glee on my þeet (channel) if ɗou ƿiſceſt to hear hƿat I mean.