I tried multiple times to learn myself to play the piano. But the layout just doesn’t make sense to me. I am constantly struggling with the scales and chords and it is hard to imagine where they are and why. So I was searching the internet for some alternative options and I found some.
As a first I found Axis 49 by C-Thru Music. I am amazed by the layout and theoretically it looks great. I have feeling that this could be exactly the thing I am looking for. But it was discontinued before couple of years. The only alternative seems to be the Opal which is too expensive for me.
Then I found LinnStrument. Completely different then Axis 49, but still the layout seems to be more understandable for me. It even play well with Analog Four. But it is quite pricey.
As a next there is Dualo Du Touch but it is more standalone insturument than something which can be used to control external synths.
Surprisingly that’s all I was able to found. Everything else seems to be just DIY projects and experiments or prototypes with unclear future. So at the end I am thinking about compromise in form of Novation Launchpad Pro which has midi out and it should be able to use it instead classic midi keyboard. But I am not sure about it because it is designed mainly to be used in conjunction with Ableton Live and I don’t have good feeling about that for my use case.
Do you have any experiences with alternative keyboard layouts? Would you recommend some of them? Are they just “toys” or viable alternative to classic piano keyboard? Or is it just me and classic keyboard is perfectly fine since everyone is using it?