Most people probably love the romantic image of being a musician and songwriter. One whose lyrics and melodies touch people in their hearts, minds and souls. But learning how to play an instrument is a lot of time, money and stress for people who work, go to school, have children or are learning other things. Or, hell, all of the above. That’s why the company Magic Instruments made the MI Guitar. But many people are asking: why not just buy a real guitar?
If you haven’t heard of the Magic Instruments Guitar yet, you can check out their pitch in the video below:
As you can see in the video, it’s meant to be an electronic guitar that removes the fuss. It takes out the strings and the tedious learning of various chords with specific hand positions, and replaces them with a few dozen buttons that can be programmed. These buttons can be specific chords or sounds, like switching between acoustic and bass. Magic Instruments seems to be pitching the guitar at music enthusiasts with little time (or patience) to learn, as well as people with disabilities.
But Is The Magic Instruments Guitar Fake?
When I heard about it, it sounded like a cool idea. Then I checked out the comments and found a war between readers on whether it was real or not. Especially considering that this is a crowdfunding project. After much research, I can tell you it’s real. It’s been checked out by various tech outlets, including The Verge, which you can see in another video, below:
But the worst battle between commentators came from the idea of purity. Should there even be such a thing? How can Magic Instruments’ guitar make magic with music? The same thing that makes guitars complicated is the same thing that gives each musician their “it” factor. Controlling the vibrations, honing their skills, bleeding and sweating for their music. It’s just clearly not the same.
But does it have to be?
Does Magic Instruments Miss The Magic?
For the last few decades, we’ve had composers and musicians who make music live, and we’ve had producers who create music in their studio on a computer. Is one better than the other? It brings to mind the food industry. Eating real food must be better than lab-grown food. Right?But who’s to say that the musician making music on Fruity Loops is less creative than the musician who plays on stage?
Is a man who is illiterate less creative than a write just because he can’t write down his stories? Oral storytelling is a different medium for telling stories, but requires just as much work to be done well. I imagine some people must have been alarmed when folktales began to be written down. Arguably you lose the theatrical appeal of telling a story over and over again, and being able to improve it or change it on a whim to suit your audience. But it’s an art just as important as writing.
What if that man had an app that let him speak his stories and automatically transcribe them into written form to become a book? Should he be damned by other creators for his inability to read and write? Or by his own peers for switching mediums? Maybe we need to loosen up a little.
Is Magic Instruments Worth It?
That’s not to say that Magic Instruments is the be-all, end-all.
Synth instruments and other similar products have waxed and waned over the years. And “do-this-difficult-thing-you-love-faster!” products have been both hits and misses over the years. But the idea that purity gives a right to exclude others from enjoying the creation of music is ridiculous. It’s just another means, another medium.
What will make or break Magic Instruments is the promise.
According to Magic Instruments, they tested over 1,000 people with varying musical skill levels (from news to experts), and they claim nearly everyone can play a song within five minutes. This stems from both the design of their product and an app that teaches you how to play songs (though popular songs will cost you).
But if that promise–that dream–of creating music in minutes is broken, people will turn a cold shoulder to them immediately.
Currently, the Magic Instruments guitar has raised nearly $218,200 on its IndiegoGo page, well over its goal of $50,000. And it still has a month to go. If all goes well, full production trials will happen by the end of the year, and the guitars will go into full productions by January of 2017. Magic Instruments will then ship to backers by March of next year.
If you can’t wait a year to test out the Magic Instruments guitar, Magic Instruments has also invited curious parties who live in San Francisco to test out their current prototypes by emailing them at letmeplay@magicinstruments.com.
For more information, check out the Magic Instruments website and Indiegogo page. Let us know what you think about the purity of music in the comments below. Do you agree or disagree?
Source: Magic Instruments and Magic Instruments YouTube, via TechCrunch
Image Source: IndiegoGo page