It's always been a guitar player's dream to sound like a violin or piano, but it wasn't until electronic digital technology had evolved sufficiently in the late '70s that guitar manufacturers began developing MIDI guitars for the major instrument marketplace.
A few companies continued to bring them out for some time after, but Roland Corporation has sustained their product line since the beginning and continues to market new MIDI guitar/synth systems.
Visit MIDI Guitar History
The Troubador Tech website lists those manufacturers, such as Casio, Arp, Ibanez, Korg; and boutique instrument electronic companies, such as Shadow and Optek, that introduced MIDI electric guitars in a flurry of digital instrument development during the '80s. They used outboard pitch converters and rack synthesizers to take the often glitchy signal from the elementary guitar MIDI controllers of that era and generate sound. As time went on, many of these fell by the wayside as competition, high development costs and a lack of customers drove them into obscurity.
Getting the string vibrations into digital form has always been the biggest challenge for MIDI guitar engineers. A variety of methods have been used, among them individual piezo sensors, optical sensors on each string, and making the strings and frets an electrical circuit for synth triggering. The string-sensing technology that's the best and is still used today by Roland is the Hex Pickup, a sensitive 6-pole magnetic pickup assembly that reads each string separately and feeds the signal to nearby pitch digitizing circuitry.
Use Guitar to MIDI Controllers
There are fewer companies producing MIDI guitar controllers and systems now. Roland has been producing the GR-20 synth combined with the new GK-3 guitar to MIDI pickup as a turnkey system that can be used with any steel string guitar. Synthtopia reports on the latest unit to hit the market, Moog's model EM-1 MIDI electric guitar controller, featuring magnetic and piezo pickups, MIDI volume and patch controls, and the standard 13 Pin output connector.
Godin offers MIDI guitar controllers in both steel and nylon string versions with improved note tracking and compatibility with Roland GR series synth units. Parker Guitars has their Fly Mojo MIDI model with built-in Roland Hex pickup and controls, and high-quality tuners, magnetic and piezo pickups and electronics. The "big two" also have MIDI guitars. Fender offers Roland-Ready Stratocaster models and Gibson's Dark Fire and Dusk Tiger models, in addition to their Robot automatic tuning system, and have optional FireWire output for an external computer to provide sound and recording functions.
Set Up Your MIDI Guitar Correctly
Take time and care to set up your MIDI pickup so it accommodates your string selection and playing style. Many units, such as Roland's GK series pickups, require optimal sensitivity and height adjustments to achieve consistent note tracking and glitch-free performance. All MIDI guitar manufacturers furnish detailed setup guidelines.
Use MIDI cabling to connect external synthesizers, as well as the ones furnished with combination systems. The ability to modify each string's MIDI signal enables special effects, such as pitch-bending only one string or triggering a bass preset with the bottom two strings for playing bass lines along with chords or melody. Other playing styles available are sustaining individual notes while playing melodic lines around them and using the arpeggiator synth function for accompaniment.
Take advantage of the endless sonic capabilities of the MIDI Guitar to thrill not only your listeners, but yourself as well.
John S. (Jack) Brooks - I began my "life experiencing" as a musician, playing in bands from age 15 to well into my 40's. I've also worked in various construction ...
