Fontaine’s Fingerfood Episode 2 - The Eight-Fingered Hand (LinnStrument Tutorial)

[@bartondisplay]

i'm so glad you decided to make these videos. you bring a much needed perspective to the world of linnstrument users. something more actual, less gimmicky. i very much appreciate it and look forward to part three of the series!

[@tombuttner8792]

This helped me a lot when I was struggling with hitting the small pads on the LinnStrument. I saw you playing with your pinky only 1 or 2 times in the whole video and I thought it would be a good idea to rearrange my fingerings. The other fingers seem to find the pads more easily. Thank you!

[@mikeryan2454]

Amazing talent, just ordered one. No part 3? Hope everything is okay.

[@alexanderkorte-stapff6824]

You should do audio books. Your voice alone is enough to make me watch this video totally relaxed!

[@FontaineBurnett]

Thanks! 🙏🏽

[@DarrinNoNAME]

Hope all is well. Would love to see the next video in the series. The finger zone technique you say? Anyway, thanks for your thoughtful contribution to the linnstrument community

[@sebastianvega4576]

i would like this series to continue as well 😊 if you find the time, it would be great

[@sound.workshop]

Wow I was not ready for how stunning that intro was

[@FontaineBurnett]

🙏🏽 Thank you! 😊

[@traitortotheliving]

Great videos much appreciated! Really hoping you do a third installment

[@emeraldent]

beautiful intro! you are rockin the linnstrument!

[@BirdYoumans]

My friend, you are special.

[@FontaineBurnett]

🙏🏽

[@sclurbs4298]

Hey friend, great videos. Can't wait for part 3. I must admit, they could be better and the fix is very simple. Your viewers have commented on this before, in fact. We can't see through your fingers. We just can't. Turn on 'same' settings in the cell lighting menu. It will light up all similar notes played and we can see what the fuck you're actually doing instead of just looking at a video of your hand hiding the notes on the Linnstrument! This not only helps your viewers figure out what chord/notes you are playing, but it opens up a visual pathway into discovering new chord voicing and fingering possibilities. I'm telling you my friend, you have the best Linnstrument tutorials on youtube but they are only 1/10th as good as they could be with the 'same' lighting setting not enabled.

[@markfdesimone]

Hearing you talk through the thought that goes into a clear approach to playing the instrument is so helpful and interesting. For example, the idea of laying down the basic chord structure on the left hand and coloring it with the right hand makes perfect sense on this instrument (and kind of reminds me of how big band arrangers think). I'm really tempted to buy one of these today, but I can't afford it, and I tend to be impulsive. So the deep dives in your videos are so much appreciated - they're helping me consider what it would actually mean to commit to playing the instrument, and what it might actually be like. Many thanks!

[@FontaineBurnett]

Hi Mark! Thank you for the thoughtful comment! It always encourages me when someone actually gets what I‘m trying to say…I always think that I‘m not clear enough in my explanations! 😂 Are you an arranger? Then of course this probably all makes perfect sense to you! I bought my first Linn on an impulse….couldn’t really afford it because basically a week after I got it, the pandemic hit and all of my jobs disappeared. But I just couldn’t bring myself to sell it! An alternative that might be good for you to get feet wet would be the Novation Launchpad. Of course it doesn’t have all the amazing MPE functionality of the LinnStrument, but it does offer the same layout and is rather affordable. That‘s what I started on and I still use it quite frequently…Just a thought.

[@georgeolivergo]

One of the best music education videos I've ever watched, presents a deep core idea clearly and concisely. It's like the Linnstrument is a distillation of the piano, guitar, drums -- tonal percussive instruments.

[@FontaineBurnett]

Wow! Thanks George! I‘m always a little worried that I‘m not being clear enough…especially with some of the more abstract concepts. The power of the Linn is its ability to translate musical gestures from a variety of instruments…with less of the physical limitations of most of them. It really combines the best of so many musical worlds. The trick is learning how and when to apply these gestures to make beautiful and interesting music.

[@bretsetran8264]

I asked a question on an earlier video about some advice on where to start on the linnstrument earlier today, and all I had to was click on your next video. This series is amazing and you are a wonderful teacher. The many insights that you bring will make me have to watch these videos a few times each, ha!

[@bobschrei2029]

Best linnstrument Videos around! What apps are you using on the iPad for for your instruments. I have had a linnstrument for several years but never learned it well . This inspires me to get it out a resume practice and study.

[@FontaineBurnett]

Thanks Bob….I really do appreciate comments like yours! That‘s the reason I make these videos in the first place…to inspire folks to go a little deeper into learning the Linn! 😊 As far as the sounds are concerned, I use the Ravenscroft 275 app for Piano (iPad) and Pianoteq (Mac). I also use the SWAM instrument collection (iPad) and various other synths usually coming from Logic X on the Mac. When I perform live, I tend to use a combination of sounds coming from the Akai Force and Loopy Pro (ipad).

[@bobschrei2029]

@@FontaineBurnett thank you for your reply, also inspiring as I have Ravencroft and the swam instruments and loopy pro. I just need to use them and practice! Thanks for your kindness and generosity and musical gifts.

[@arxaaron]

Thanks you for these musicianship centered explorations of the Linnstrument. Very helpful to my level of skills - I don't 'play keyboards' so much as play at them (though I'm a pretty capable and creative percussionist). Still hoping that you at least do the promised "part 3" in the not too distant future. The Linnstrument is a joy to play and your tips make it even more so.

[@howardwoolf2675]

Fontaine! As many others have said, you've brought the Linnstrument to life. I've played guitar and dabbled at piano for a long time. Your insights open up infinite possibilities for me. Thanks so much!

[@FontaineBurnett]

That‘s wonderful Howard! Thank you! 😊

[@monch1962]

Thanks for a great tutorial @Fontaine. Coming from a guitar+bass+Stick background, I've started out by approaching Linnstrument as a bass+melody instrument - conceptually, almost 2 separate instruments - rather than the 8-fingered hand approach. Lots of food for thought here, and I greatly appreciate you taking the time to put these videos out there

[@FontaineBurnett]

Thanks David! I think the next video could be particularly interesting for you. I also have some experience with the Stick and I know there is a lot of emphasis on the “free hands” idea, but i feel that in reality it’s more a question of complex interdependence. A high level of interdependence can create the illusion of independence. But I’ll go further down that rabbit hole in the next video. 😊

[@monch1962]

@@FontaineBurnett Looking forward to it mate. You're right about "free hands" on the Stick - for me at least it's always about arpeggios but they can be complex enough that that's not alway obvious to others. Thanks again

[@juanharmon138]

Thanks for this, I would appreciae and pay for technoque or hanon style exercises that take this great theory into practice

[@FontaineBurnett]

That is something I should very seriously consider Juan! In standard notation or in some form of tabulature?

[@juanharmon138]

That's the question... A grand staff could show the hands and pitch, the tablature could show the position/shape (perhaps even irrespective of pitch?) either format benefits from the 8-fingered hand where 0-4 is left and 5-8 is right

[@FontaineBurnett]

Yes…I have the feeling that Tablature would offer a better way of visualizing the shapes and not be tied to specific keys. And for me the „Theory“ is already in practice and has been for four years now! 😂 But certainly some form of notated exercises could be beneficial for a lot of people.

[@Error454]

I'm wavering back and forth between soaking up precious tidbits of knowledge and being mesmerized by your playing 🎶. Your demonstration on asymmetric hand roles on piano and guitar and how LinnStrument breaks those roles was eye opening. Deep insights from a master, it's a real privilege to soak some of this up. Great production quality too. Looking forward to the next and the next.

[@FontaineBurnett]

Zach, I can‘t thank you enough for your kind words! 😊 And yes, your input concerning the production was put to good use too…I now will always apply the “crunchy toast test” before uploading! 😂😂 But seriously, I’m so glad to hear that you are getting something useful from the videos. I really love the Linn and I want to do my part in helping other players discover all of its possibilities.

[@AlexDainiak]

Hi Fontaine! Thank you for a great tutorial sequel! Extra thanks for addressing the chromatic percussion matters. I guess “two-hand interdependence” should be an official Linnstrument trademarked feature;) Surely it is there in piano playing, but IMHO the necessity comes in playing more challenging piano pieces, whereas in Linnstrument it seems to come earlier in the learning journey.

[@FontaineBurnett]

My pleasure Alex…I hope that it helped! And yes, you are absolutely right…Interdependence is certainly a thing in the piano world, but due to the Linnstrument’s strong stringed instrument heritage, it becomes even more necessary to deal with the concept. The earlier, the better!

[@squaregotshirts1844]

Hi Fontaine, another excellent tutorial, keep up the good work, very inspiring !

[@FontaineBurnett]

Thank you Square! Much appreciated! 😊

[@andrew_nayes]

These videos are amazing, Fontaine! A valuable resource. Your pedagogy is very clear and engaging. I'm looking forward to your next tutorial videos! The Fingers-On Technique sounds intriguing.

[@FontaineBurnett]

Thank you Andrew! It has been a while but I will finally get around to filming the third a d fourth part sometime in the next week. So hopefully you won’t have to wait too long! 😊

[@andrew_nayes]

@@FontaineBurnett Oh, this is exciting news, Fontaine! I'll check in next week then! Good luck filming.

[@danielmcanulty1562]

These were great, thank you for making them!

[@FontaineBurnett]

Thanks for watching Daniel! Hope they were useful for you…got some more coming soon!

[@danielmcanulty1562]

@@FontaineBurnett I'm looking forward to them, I think you have a really nice perspective on this instrument and a really thoughtful teaching style. The videos will be valuable to many people, myself included. Good luck with them! They are appreciated.

[@PatternMusic]

That was brilliant. The eight-fingered hand technique looks like something I could tackle. But the mallet technique you demonstrated was also stunning. Just a terrific presentation. Thanks.

[@FontaineBurnett]

Thank you Richard!

[@morphicmusic]

This is a fantastic demonstration and tutorial. Great presentation! I would love to see more of these videos!! ❤❤❤❤

[@FontaineBurnett]

More coming very soon! Thanks for watching! 😊

[@rosssafronoff2083]

Thank you Fontaine. Even though learning to play music is new for me, I find the concepts and philosophy that you are demonstrating are very helpful as I learn to navigate the LinnStrument. As I played three notes in a column, like you do in the video, and added the forth note in a different column (and the idea of extensions) really opened up the space for me. I love how you are turning limits in the tech into a strength. Wonderful.

[@FontaineBurnett]

Thank you Ross! I‘m so glad that I could offer some useful insights…especially at the beginning of your musical journey. That is an essential key to creativity by the way…taking limits and finding ways to turn them into assets. And to have fun doing it of course! 🙂

[@bcchannel6938]

Thanks so much,Fontaine. What a thoughtful and informative presentation!And your musicianship is really shining through.Gonna work a little bit on this and really look forward to the next installment.

[@FontaineBurnett]

Thanks for the kind words BC! Let me know how you progress with this!

[@bcchannel6938]

@@FontaineBurnett Yeah,buddy!You’ve already opened things up for me…👍👍👍👍

[@hitchco]

Have you considered trying the tritone (+6) note configuration? I stumbled upon it from a KVR thread and as a person trying to blend piano and guitar/bass playing i find it really useful for bridging the gap

[@FontaineBurnett]

Hi Hitchco! Yes, I have tried that layout but didn’t feel it was giving me any real advantage over the standard fourths layout. To be fair, I didn’t really stick with it for long though. Plus the fourths layout is so “home” for me after all those years a a bass player. How do you feel that it bridges the gap for you? I kind of had the feeling that it gave an advantage to one hand over the other…it felt slightly lopsided to me. Maybe I should set up my other Linn and give it a more serious try.

[@eclecticantagonist]

Thank you for your thoughts on interdependence of the hands. I am an amateur musician coming from strings. Because of the lack of method information on the instrument (yet) I was looking for guidance from the keyboard world on how to split up each hand’s “job” when creating extended chords, but I was getting hung up on the keyboard concepts of it. I really appreciate the clarity of your ideas on this.

[@FontaineBurnett]

Hi Robert! I‘m glad to hear that you found the video to be helpful!

[@harryleblanc4939]

Another great video, but where's video 3? Couldn't find it! More, more!

[@FontaineBurnett]

Hi Harry! It’s coming…it’s a matter of a few days. It’s recorded…just need to edit! 😊

[@rolfschorfheide3568]

Beautiful music and very helpful informations!

[@FontaineBurnett]

Thank you Rolf!

[@abacad]

Big thanks for sharing your fantastic insights with us!

[@FontaineBurnett]

Aber sehr gerne Jürgen! 😉

[@Jeffeffect1]

How do you play in other keys? Can you set the lights to reflect another key?

[@FontaineBurnett]

Hi Jeff! The isomorphic layout of the Linn makes it very easy to transpose to different keys. Much like a guitar player can just by moving up or down the fingerboard. You could set the lights to reflect different keys but you would need to do this manually every time you wanted to change keys or have some presets setup for your favorite keys. I personally find that cumbersome and unnecessary.

[@hollsound]

Fantastic demo and great tutorial, thank you!

[@FontaineBurnett]

Thank you for watching Hollsound!

[@martinmalandro3839]

Thanks for the amazing video! Quick question: At 18:30 it looks like you hit an F that the instrument didn't register. Any idea why? I don't think you were playing one of the patterns that the instrument is incapable of sensing at that point in the video.

[@FontaineBurnett]

Hi Martin! I definitely hear an F being played…one of them was pretty short and soft though. Enough to register the light but not really that present audibly. Maybe that was what you are referring to?

[@martinmalandro3839]

Thanks. I was referring to the note that I think you tried to play at that time with your right ring finger. It looks like your finger hit the pad, but the light did not illuminate.

[@FontaineBurnett]

@martinmalandro3839 Might just be there camera angle…not sure.

[@km-vl4fy]

Thanks for the tutorials, really helpful to get an idea about how it might feel using it. I have two questions. 1. I saw in a comment in one of Jesse Washmons videos that you saw the benefits of placing the LInnstrument vertically. What might be the benefits of placing it that way, as opposed to the horizontal layout? 2. Do you feel often limited playing the 128 vs the 200 version? Thanks!!!

[@FontaineBurnett]

You are very welcome…I‘m glad that you find the videos useful! 😊 As far as the question “Vertical vs. Horizontal” is concerned, I think that a lot of it depends on your previous musical experience. If you are coming to the Linn from a guitar/stringed instrument background you will probably be more inclined to visualize the surface from the vertical perspective…and if you come from keyboards, the horizontal perspective. I do my best to leverage both aspects and find that for practical reasons (like fitting it on a stand or my lap) that the horizontal orientation is better for me. Vertical orientation is basically like having a 16 or 24 string wide instrument (with only 8 frets) and if you are a string player that is used to playing “across” the fretboard, then you will immediately see the advantages of using that orientation. It does require a lot more of a “hand over hand” type playing position however and that could be considered by some as a disadvantage. The horizontal orientation will be for any keyboard folk that are used to the “left hand low, right hand high” way of thinking. I personally find having 8 rows to play across more than enough and prefer to reposition my hands horizontally when necessary. 128 vs. 200: Honest answer? With the style of playing that I have developed, it really does’t matter much. The 128 has more than enough range for me and is more portable. Now if you plan on splitting the surface between two sounds, then the 200 has the clear advantage. Luckily, I have both available to me and decide according to the situation. If I need to be more portable, I’ll take the 128 and if I need more pretty lights to look at then I’ll take the 200! 😂😂

[@km-vl4fy]

@@FontaineBurnett Thanks for taking the time to reply, it's very much appreciated. The "vertical vs. horizontal" answer surprised me. I play violin and piano, so I had to visualize what you said first about the vertical layout. Ok, I held my Launchpad X which I use as a "prototype" atm to my chin like a violin. 😂It's still hard to imagine how that translates, but I will have to try it out for real. Regarding the "128 vs. 200" question, it kind of confirms what I suspected watching you and Jesse Washmon play... It's a good reminder that I should think about how many pretty lights I really need in my life. Anyway, looking foward to more videos of yours, should they come.

[@jazcan]

Thanks for another great tutorial. May I ask what piano sound you are using?

[@FontaineBurnett]

Hi jazcan! I’m using Pianoteq 7 running on MacOS in the tutorial videos. On most of the older videos I’m using Ravenscroft 275 running on an iPad Pro.

[@jazcan]

@@FontaineBurnett Ah ok. I love Ravenscroft. Best iPad piano app hands down. Pianoteq 7 sounds great too. Thanks so much!

[@billythekid5618]

is this the sound of this instrument or your have a expander to have more sound ?

[@FontaineBurnett]

Hi Billy! The LinnStrument doesn’t make any sound of its own. It is a MIDI controller. The sounds you hear are coming from the computer/iPad.

[@billythekid5618]

@@FontaineBurnett Many thanks for u answer !! What can of added material do you use ?

[@FontaineBurnett]

Do you mean what sounds? Pianoteq mostly….and some sounds from Logic Pro X.