Tenori-On: Mixing Music, Lite-Brite Style
I’m sure many geeks have seen the breathtaking Tenori-On device that’s been under development at Yamaha for the past few years. Somehow, I was only recently turned onto it by the charming Brandon Boyer at a recent late-evening beer-patio mashup. Tenori-On is basically a 16 x 16 grid of LED buttons that let you create music by interacting with the lights as they flash across the device. If it sounds complicated, it is! 
Of course, we don’t need another interface to making music. Every single sound that humans can hear can be summoned using a keyboard - whether 101 or 88 key. Even the name of the input device is evocative of its role. So, why develop a new musical interface that only seems to complicate the process of making music? After all, we’ve been making music since the dawn of civilization, and our current complement of instruments (both digital and analogue) are pretty amazing.
Because it’s more fun. Waaay more fun. In fact, Toshio Iwai, the creator of the Tenori-On, is a game designer (and artist) who explores themes of music and electronic media. Take a look at the video, and let me know if you own one of these beautiful devices. I’d love to come over and play some music. Literally.