The Eigenharp Releases Your Inner Star Wars Cantina Band

Eigenharp! It’s fun to yell in a German accent, but it’s also a new musical instrument from the crew at Eigenlabs (also fun to yell in a German accent). The resemblance is uncanny to one of the instruments of Star Wars’ Mos Eisley Cantina Band, but the sound is more electronica than ragtime. Eigenlabs calls it “the most expressive electronic musical instrument ever made,” a claim that we’re inclined to believe.

The Eigenharp Alpha has a few different ways to emote through music. Foremost is the grid on the neck itself, which can be tapped to play notes like you would on a keyboard. You can also bend your fingers around a note, like you would to a guitar string, for changes in pitch. Along the neck, there are also a pair of sliders that let you create a sweeping change in pitch or a frequency filter. Down at the bottom, there are a set of larger keys, perfect for banging out drum beats. And when you want more dynamics to your sound, the mouthpiece at the top lets you control the Eigenharp like a wind instrument. Sounds themselves come from samples you load onto the device. Of course, expressive power like this doesn’t come cheap: The Eigenharp is priced at $5,800, though the Eigenharp Pico delivers simpler music for $500. [Eigenharp via CrunchGear]