MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) -
tai standartinis duomenų perdavimo protokolas, naudojamas elektroniniuose muzikos instrumentuose, leidžiantis perduoti duomenis apie grojamas natas garsų generatoriui.
MIDI naudojamas klavisiniams ir mušamiesiems instrumentams.
Pastaruoju metu taip pat ir pučiamiesiems (Casio_DH-800, Akai_EWI4000, yamaha_wx11 ir kt.) ir
styginiams instrumentams, tame tarpe - gitaroms.
AX-100, a giant step forward in Guitar-to-MIDI Converters...
U.S. Masters Acoustic Bridge System with MIDI Controller Option
Pat Metheny Group - _The First Circle_(ECM). This was the first Pat Metheny Group album to feature Pat's Synclavier guitar; a Roland GR303 guitar heavily modified with onboard electronics to control Pat's Synclavier. "Forward March", the opening track, has a lot of out-of-tune sounds apparently due to Pat having discovered the Synclavier's microtuning function. There are more guitar synth solos on this album than any other Metheny Group album. Metheny was the one who turned me on to the possibilites of guitar synth as an instrument for improvisation.
Pat Metheny and Ornette Coleman - _Song X_(Geffen). The landmark free jazz collaboration between Metheny and a major influence on his musical life. Metheny uses his Roland GR300 guitar synth and his Synclavier guitar set to a saxophone patch to weave interlocking lines with Ornette. An intense, spiritual listening experience.
John McLaughlin Trio - _Que Alegria_(Verve). Featuring the incomparable McLaughlin on nylon string guitar fitted with a Photon pickup to drive a Yamaha TG77 module, as well as my favorite drummer/percussionist Trilok Gurtu and bassit Dominique DiPiazza. McLaughlin demonstrates how MIDI guitar can be made to blend organically with acoustic guitar and Gurtu's acoustic percussion tones. Dynamic interplay throughout.
Allan Holdsworth - _Sand_(Restless). A rousing showcase of Allan on the ultraexpensive SynthAxe guitar controller ( there's some of Allan's trademark burning legato electric guitar soloing here too, but the focus is mainly on Allan's SynthAxe ) driving what is possibly the finest production analog synth ever made, the Oberheim Matrix-12. Full of textbook examples of MIDI guitar performance techniques using a breath controller and other controllers. The music is pretty good too.
King Crimson - _Discipline/Beat/Three of a Perfect Pair_(EG). I put all three albums recorded by the 80s lineup of the band because I think of them as a trilogy. KC was very much a gear-head's dream; Tony Levin had his Stick and custom made keyboard controller, Bill Bruford had his electronic drum kit, and guitarists Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew were both equipped with the state of the art of guitar gear in the time period of 1981-1984. Fripp demonstrated his virtuosity on the Roland GR300 and his Frippertronics tape looping/effects setup while Belew broke new ground with guitar synthesizers, achieving sounds and performance techniques on them beyond the capabilities of keyboardists. He was fully aware of the possibilities of summoning guitar synth glitches on purpose that I wrote about last issue; using them to add spontaneity and excitement to a solo. 1994 finds King Crimson apparently reuniting and working on new material; with all four members from the last incarnation still in the band and two new members, a full-time Stick player and another drummer added on. It should be interesting to hear what they will be able to achieve with the current state of the art, which has advanced considerably since 1984. Just about all of Belew's solo albums feature guitar synth on some tracks. The most adventurous would have to be Belew's _Desire Caught By the Tail_.
Elliot Sharp -_In the Land of the Yahoos_(SST). While this album doesn't really feature his ferocious guitar playing, it does feature inventive electronic music mostly done on samplers triggered by Sharp's MIDI guitar (using, I think, an IVL pickup). I love how he twisted around sampled phrases from a TV evangelist on "Free Society", one good example of Sharp's wicked satire.
Henry Kaiser - _Hope You Like Our New Direction_(Cuneiform). This is a good overview of Kaiser's work. The material varies from classic rock covers to ethnic folk music to avante-garde. Kaiser is featured playing with a wide variety of guest musicians, including Korean komungo player Sang Won Park, ex-Captain Beefheart drummer John "Drumbo" French, ex-Dixie Dregs bassist Andy West, avant-metal guitar terrorist Buckethead, and many more. Some tracks feature Kaiser on MIDI guitar and others demonstrate his facility with programming digital effects for guitar creatively and using them as musical instruments.
Steve Morse - _High Tension Wires_. Morse mainly uses MIDI guitar for arrangements; reserving his meatiest solos for real electric and acoustic guitar. Still, these arrangements are very well done, as can be heard in the stunning "Highland Wedding".
From "http://www.harmony-central.com"