Evaluation of the learnability and playability of pitch layouts in new musical instruments

Certain properties of isomorphic layouts are proposed to offer benefits to learning and performances on a new musical instrument. However, there is little empirical investigation of the effects of these properties. This paper details an experiment that examines the effect of pitch adjacency and shear on the performances of simple melodies by 24 musically-trained participants after a short training period. In the adjacent layouts, pitches a major second apart are adjacent. In the unsheared layouts, major seconds are horizontally aligned but the pitch axis is slanted; in the sheared layouts, the pitch axis is vertical but major seconds are slanted. Qualitative user evaluations of each layout are collected post-experiment. Preliminary results are outlined in this paper, focusing on the themes of learnability and playability. Users show strong preferences towards layouts with adjacent major seconds, focusing on the potential for learning new pitch patterns. Users confirm advantages of both unsheared and sheared layouts, one in terms of similarity to traditional instrument settings, and the other to ergonomic benefits. A model of participants’ performance accuracy shows that sheared layouts are learned significantly faster. Results from this study will inform new music instrument/interface design in terms of features that increase user accessibility.