The harpejji (/hɑːrˈpɛdʒiː/ har-PEJ-ee)[1] is an electric stringed musical instrument developed in 2007 by American audio engineer Tim Meeks.[2][3] It can be described as a cross between a piano and a guitar,[1][4] or as a cross between an accordion and a pedal steel guitar.[5] The playing surface has a layout arranged in ascending whole tones across strings, and ascending semi-tones as the strings travel away from the player with a five-octave range from A0 to A5. Harpejjis use an electronic muting system to dampen unfretted strings and minimize the impact of sympathetic vibrations.
About 500 harpejjis had been made as of 2019.[1]
The harpejji is a descendant of the StarrBoard which was developed in the 1980s.[2][3] Its name is a portmanteau from "harp" and "arpeggio".[3]
- ^ a b c "Artists in Motion: Tim Meeks". Martin Logan. November 13, 2019.
- ^ a b "U.S. Patent 7,598,450". Archived from the original on 2017-12-31. Retrieved 2011-02-24.
- ^ a b c Tim, Meeks. "About Us". Marcodi Musical Products. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
- ^ Daniel, Alex (16 August 2023). "'If Stevie Wonder wants to play it, pay attention!': how a bizarre new instrument found unusual success". The Guardian. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
- ^ Hodgkinson, Will (August 10, 2020). "Jacob Collier on discovering jazz, collaborations and wonky music". The Times. Retrieved 2020-11-30.