The Wheelharp is a musical instrument that allows users to bow a full chromatic set of real strings using a mechanical keyboard.
According to the Antiquity Music crew, bowed stringed instruments like the violin, viola and cello have been utilized since ancient times.
“Many have attempted to develop a mechanical keyboard instrument that can create the warm sound of bowed string instruments, but previous attempts have been of limited capability. Digital synthesizers and samplers have yielded innovative results, but most have fallen short of creating convincing, authentic sounds,” an Antiquity Music rep explained in a Kickstarter blog post.
“The Wheelharp puts the actual sound of multiple bowed string instruments at the player’s fingertips. Combining an efficient keyboard-controlled design with extensive dynamic control and a full chromatic scale, the Wheelharp gives its player a rich sound palette of actual bowed strings that cannot be matched by synthesis or sampling.”
However, the Wheelharp won’t be cheap, as it carries a $12,500 price tag. Additional information about the project can be found here on Wheelharp’s official Kickstarter page here.
