TEDxMidAtlantic 2011 - Jon Maurer Band - The Harpejji

[musicadepa]

Chapman Stick inventor, Mr. Emmet Chapman should be there talking and showing it.

[vickersmaster]

not better than a chapman stick

[Pladderkasse]

Most not-sexy guitar ever made. But nice try.

[strappinggermanlad]

It seems to have potential, this instrument, but that band's performance sucked major ass, just aweful music overall... Makes the instrument seem bad, although it does not have to be...

[jazroc]

I see no benefit in hating on the harpejji... seems fun to play... but I didn't like the salesman introduction either. I submit, in response, the great luthier Fred Carlson as someone who truly innovates with each instrument he creates. His most recent combination of a baritone, scallop-fretted, nylon guitar combined with a japanese koto (the barikoto, as it's called) is a great example. Go harpejji players, regardless! Looking forward to the music.

[Roobiekun]

Very interesting video, and I'd love to see more of this...but a Chapman Stick looks much more comfortable to play.

[henkehakansson2004]

Yeah, and I don't think it will fly. Novelty instrument. Because I haven't seen - or especially - HEARD antyhing from it that sounds different from any instrument that came before. You could just as well lay down flat a Emmet Chapman Stick (with midi) and controlled a few synths with it and start wail and goof on it. Hope it will go down like a led baloon.

[DrDrolomehet]

@henkehakansson2004 It's just an ugly guitar that's less ergonomic and artistic looking. If you wanted a huge range on one instrument you could just get a guitar with an extra bass neck, and then you wouldn't have a huge stupid learning curve or having to hunch over a plank with strings on it.

[Snuffomatica]

Really bad look for performance bent over forward, looking down. And expression-wise I cannot see anything innovative here. Finally, the intro talk seemed nothing more than the sort of sales-pitch you get at any common or garden music gear fair.

[hardinmichael1981]

it's not the instrument. it's the player that makes the music. Victor Wooten or Les Claypool could do that with just 4 strings.

[henkehakansson2004]

OK they're asking for it, big time, since that cocky intro with ridiculing how a strat looked like in the 50's til now. Hank Marvin used a strat 1960. Jimi Hendrix used one 1966. SOUNDED COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! Within a 6 year period! So what makes this instrument different from a Chapman Stick invented in the mid 70's? Besides that it's lying down like a keyboard/pedal steel guitar? Sounds exactly the same as the Stick to me. Same, Lame and not that different at all. What's/where's the point?

[TaterGumfries]

Always takes a spell for folks to figure out how to play some newfangled instrument. You just wait. There'll be kids playin them things like they was born to it before too long.

[wacko1358]

This product will fail because you cant really rock out on one of those. not easy to look at the crowd while doing a solo with one of these

[neuvlo]

nice instrument, but, I just don't like advertisement on TED Talks.

[JLMoriart]

The Jam was a good showing, but it'll take some time before they get virtuosos on the thing to really pull off solo intro work like that. Glad to see it getting the attention though!

[okamasphere]

Great instrument. Could have used a better presenter who maybe took a college speech class.

[sportybird1199]

Beautiful music!

[harpejji]

It was an honor to present. Thanks for the opportunity, TEDx Midatlantic!

[UnhonorableMentions]

Neat!