This new design includes a variable speed motorized rotating ring with attachable plectrums, and a hexaphonic pickup, that is designed to be hooked in with other synced gear, like Eurorack. It has keys that allow you to select out strings, and switches to deselect strings.
Circle instruments is set to produce and sell a few this year.
Their YouTube page has four videos so far to hear it and see it played. There are a variety of techniques available. By placing the plectrums at different spacing you can set up different rhythmic effects, like a sequencer.
Even non-players could do things - with the hexaphonic head you could pick a tuning and use a slide, and then vary which string’s pickup actual got through.
You could also put different effects on different strings.
Two hand fretting also changes since there is the automatic picking, you don’t need to hammer on. You could also choose to play only one or two strings that way, or have either a one or two note bass, again with the hexaphonic pickup. Plus muted strings still have a percussive sound.
Also playing it like a lap steel is interesting too.
When I first saw the design I thought the ring had magnets that would excite the strings. That would be more exciting to me as well, but plectrums are probably fun too.
For that go take a look at Ferrous ( post ) that was also at Machina Bristronica, which is going to be far more affordable, and which you could use with your own guitar, or any other magnetic stringed instrument.
I think it’s interesting that with the Circle Guitar you can use different rings that will allow you to place the plectrums with 3/4, 4/4, or 5/4 rhythmic timings.
This instrument offers lots of options and will be very open to experimentation.
I believe it was Debussy who said “Music is the space between notes.” But when your pick is moving at 200 RPMs, that doesn’t leave a lot of space.
The high precision arps in the second video were interesting, allowing you to get synth-like textures out of guitar. Maybe cool for as a gimmick for a speed metal band’s encore track?
As someone who plays a lot of finger picked guitar this sounds as dead as a bad guitar sample library.
Love the idea though for fun and reminds me of some of the bonkers inventions in the mechanical musical instruments museum.
I’d prefer this in a synth like box without the guitar, plucking strings with knobs and dials to change the speed, sound and pattern. Could add hurdy gurdy type bowing too and effects chains on the pickups.
would love to see a standalone unit (maybe the size of a fidget spinner) to screw that in between pickups or maybe sized to fit a humbucker slot.
maybe a bridge with solenoid hammers to „fingerpick“ any guitar out there with sync, patterns and such
I think the innovation here comes from the point of not even trying to recreate a virtual guitar/midi controller but more from the guitar players perspective once you’ve discovered the magic of expressing yourself thru stringed Instruments, the bending, sliding, chord progressions and such
…I often play my guitar into my Eurorack to sequence Filter and Amp animations and with a bit of randomness or plocks it’s an endless source of creativity, things our brains love to do, creating a solution to stay in harmony with the Automation, bending around to find a solution, magic of music
