In the world of electronic music, keyboards are the first thing you think of, followed perhaps by drum pads, exotic looping equipment, or simply software running on a computer. On the other hand, many “real” instruments are powered by air from a human, the digital equivalent of which gets relatively little attention.
That being said, if you’ve been looking for a way to play electric oboe or clarinet, then the T.WI, which stands for either TeensieWI or TeensyWi, looks like an excellent solution. As shown in the video below, it takes input from your breath, and allows you to play notes in a similar style to a recorder. While the audio seen there is from wind instruments, given that it’s a MIDI input device, there’s no reason that any sort of tone couldn’t be played. It also features a thumb joystick underneath to control pitch bend and other musical elements.
According its product description, “It is made from cool UV reactive perspex that will look awesome on stage or in your blacklight lit chill out room. Actually, it always looks cool. And it is awesome to play.” Whether or not you need a new MIDI input, it’s certainly worth checking out as a novel computer interface design.
