I have been asked to help design an aid that would allow someone with one hand to play a guitar. This particular person will probably need to have a foot pedal controlling a device for what would be the 'strumming' hand.
A realistic device would implement kind of an electric piano, with one hammer for each string. Then single strings can be activated, or all in sequence with up and down strokes in reversed sequence. More stroke types can be programmed, like with electronic rhythm devices, which then can be synchronized from the foot pedal or other sensors.
As I understand it, not being a guitar player, there is a difference in sound between a strike and a pluck of the string. The Hammer Jammer device is a striker device as you describe.
If there is adept finger control and strength, strumming is unnecessary with the tapping style if playing. Percussive tapping on the frets with sensitive pickups is all that's needed.
Maybe just using a servo for each string with the servo arms acting like fingers. Maybe making your own designed "fingers" can get the sound close to that of a real finger pluck?
As far as strum...a similar device that just runs an arm over all strings. Timing may be too much of an issue to use all 6 servos to replicate a strum like sound where there is a small delay between each string strike.
Hi,
I have somewhere seen a musical instrument that has a handle at one end, it turns a wheel that has brushes on half of its circumference.
When the handle turns, the wheel strums the brushes over the strings, faster you turn the faster the strum, the player then uses his other hand to finger the strings.
