ABS, aluminum, LEDs, and electronics
8 1/8 x 8 1/8 x 1 5/16" (20.5 x 20.5
x 3.4 cm)
Yamaha Corporation,
Japan
Tenori-on means “sound in your palm”
in Japanese; the device named for it is
a handheld step sequencer that creates
synthesized sound and light patterns,
fusing the sequential and layering logic
of electronic music with dynamic visual
display. A 16-by-16" LED screen
lights up and emits preprogrammed
sounds; each LED pixel is also a switch
that, when pressed, activates a sound.
Two speakers are located at the top of
the screen, and buttons that determine
the type of sound and beats per minute
are arranged along the sides. Users
program a specific sequence of sounds,
which are activated, with bursts of
light, by an illuminated vertical line that
crosses the screen from left to right.
These patterns can be stored in the
device and used during performance.
Artist Toshio Iwai notes that “in days
gone by, a musical instrument had to
have a beauty, of shape as well as of
sound. . . . Modern electronic instruments
don’t have this inevitable relationship
between the shape, the sound, and the
player. What I have done is to try to
bring back these. . . elements and build
them [into] a true musical instrument
for the digital age.” Tenori-on’s versatility
and ease make it suitable for both serious
musicians and beginners. The instrument
is in the collection of The Museum
of Modern Art.
