Simply, the Jamstik is a travel-sized, vaguely guitar-shaped MIDI controller that simulates the first section of a fretboard. The position of your fingers across the strings is picked up by an infrared detector, which translates the information into a digital signal on whatever device you’re using. It runs on Wi-Fi, and it interacts with lots of apps such as Garageband. It’s low-latency, responsive: the technology is sound.
I started out on a laptop in the music app Ableton, and, once I’d installed it (which took ages), it played well, but having only five active frets, rather than 19, is very limiting. You can switch the octave, but it’s awkward, and I can’t imagine anyone wanting a MIDI controller that you play like a guitar, even a guitarist like me. MIDI controllers come in all shapes and sizes, and beyond the typical keyboard controller, I find it more intuitive to have a very simple pad controller programmed to my specific needs. Set-up is simpler in an iPad, but the iOS app is extremely basic and uninspiring. The Jamstik could come into its own as a guitar-learning tool for beginners, but the app designers have missed a chance to pair it with an engaging, educational interface. Instead there is a confusing, ugly platform and the option to play in “Arcade” mode – pretty much Guitar Hero, minus the fun.
I think the Jamstik needs to figure out what it is. Even the name suggests a purely technical, utilitarian thing, but there’s many more useful pieces of gear out there. One interesting thing about music gear is that, sometimes, something looking and feeling right is the reason why you’re inspired to play it. If they could take this technology and use it to create an instrument that looks and feels inspiring, and that was more involving and less limited, then they’d be on to something. As it stands, I would recommend it to beginners wanting to learn basic chords, but not until they fix the app.
jamstik.com, £186
Emmy the Great’s EP ‘S’ is out now on Bella Union
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