Touch Tour
In order to make sure everyone is looking at the instrument from the same viewpoint, please place the QChord on your lap, with the long part of the instrument pointing to your left. All of the controls will first be identified, after which their functions will be explained in more detail. Some of the buttons are arranged in pairs. Their names will be followed by the words up / down to indicate this. These buttons are always arranged vertically. The up button will be away from you, and the down button will be toward you, as you would expect. You will also notice that these buttons tend to be elongated at one end. The up button in the pair is longer on the lower left edge, while the down button is longer on the lower right.
*Song cartridge holder-this is a rectangular opening on the leftmost edge of the QChord. You will notice a flap that opens into the QChord as you apply pressure in the direction of the instrument. This holds the QChord's optional song and rhythm cartridges.
*Chord buttons-these are 3 rows of 12 rubber football-shaped buttons located along the long edge of the QChord. Some of them have raised symbols on their tops, while others do not. I will discuss the meaning of these symbols later.
*Master volume control-this is the only smooth, round knob on the QChord. You will find it on the upper left part of the instrument. It controls the instrument's volume. To increase the volume, turn the knob clockwise. To decrease the volume, turn it counterclockwise.
*On/off (power) button-this is just to the left of the master volume control. When pressed down, the instrument is on; when in the upward position, the QChord is off.
*Demo button-this is just below and slightly to the right of the power button and below and slightly to the left of the master volume control. When pressed, it plays the built-in demonstration song form the Beatles called "Michelle."
*Rhythm volume up/down buttons-this is a pair of buttons situated vertically just to the right of the demo button and below and to the right of the master volume control. It is directly to the left of the rhythm LED readout window, which feels like a diagonal slot. Move your hand to the right to find this slot-like window. If you slide your hand more to the right, you will find another of these readout windows. It is offset slightly above the rhythm readout window and is the strumplate readout window. Although you probably won't be able to see the LED readouts, these slot-like readout windows can serve as good orienting points.
*Intro / end button - this button is just to the right of the master volume control.
*Rhythm select up/down buttons-this is a pair of buttons arranged vertically, immediately to the right of the intro / end button. It is the second control to the right of the volume control. It is situated just above the rhythm LED readout window, which feels like a diagonal slot.
*Fill button-this is immediately to the right of the rhythm select buttons.
*Tempo up/down buttons-this is a pair of vertically arranged buttons just below and to the left of the fill button. It is the first pair of buttons to the right of the rhythm LED readout window, which feels like a diagonal slot.
*Voice volume up/down buttons-this is a vertically arranged pair of buttons just to the right of the tempo buttons and just to the left of the strumplate voice LED readout window, which feels like a diagonal slot.
*Voice select up/down buttons-this is a vertically oriented pair of buttons that sits just above the strumplate voice LED readout window. It is the second control to the left of the strumplate. Notice that both the rhythm select up/down buttons and voice select up/down buttons are situated just above these "slots". This makes for easy reference.
*Start/stop-this button is immediately to the left of the strumplate.
*Strumplate-this is a series of grooves and ridges that travels diagonally almost the entire length of the instrument.
*Sustain up/down-this is a vertically arranged pair of buttons just to the left of the strumplate and below and slightly to the left of the start/stop button.
*Chord Mode Section Controls
This is a group of 7 controls on the lower part of the QChord between the chord buttons and the strumplate. To the left of this space there is a cluster of three buttons, with 1 on the bottom and 2 on the top. Immediately to the right of these three buttons, there is a vertically arranged pair of buttons, which is the chord volume control. Just to the right of the chord
volume control is row of 3 horizontally arranged buttons.
*Ez play button - This is the bottom button in the cluster of three mentioned above.
*Vibrato - this is above and slightly to the left of the ez play button. It is the leftmost in the cluster of three buttons.
*Reverb - this is immediately to the right of the vibrato button. It is the rightmost button in the group of three.
*Chord volume up/down buttons - this is a vertically arranged pair of buttons just to the right of the reverb button.
*Autochord button - this is just to the right of the chord volume up/down buttons.
*Manual chord button- this is just to the right of the autochord button.
*Melody button - this is the last button on the right.
* QChord Cartridge Controls
These controls are on the part of the instrument closest to you. They are located between the chord buttons and
strumplate. These buttons are shaped differently than the others on the QChord, in that they are paired horizontally and
feel somewhat rougher than the other buttons.
A rectangular elevated piece of plastic is just above these buttons and represents another readout window.
From left to right, these buttons are stop, play/pause, search backward, and search
forward. These controls are used with the optional song and rhythm cartridges.
* Jacks
The jacks are located on the upper edge of the QChord. Find the right edge of the speaker grill & slide your hand up
and off the top of the instrument. There is a sunken part of the instrument in which you will find 4 jacks.
From left to right, these jacks are headphone jack, midi out, midi in, and AC adapter.
* Pitch bend wheel
This is a wheel on the upper right edge of the instrument. It has deep grooves and ridges that make it
easy to identify. If you turn it toward you and let go, it returns to its original position. The same happens if you turn it
away from you. If you are having trouble locating the pitch bend wheel, find the right edge of the speaker grill, put
your index finger on it, and spread your fingers apart.
Although it may at first seem boring, a little time spent familiarizing yourself with the location of the QChord's controls
will make learning to play the instrument more enjoyable. Because of the QChord's design, the visually impaired user
will need a thorough mastery of the instrument's controls in order to use it successfully.
Perhaps the best way to remember the location of the QChord's controls is to separate them into groups. The master
controls are located on the extreme left and extreme right of the QChord. They include the master volume control,
power button, and demo button on the left, and the start/stop button on the right.
The rhythm controls are clustered around the rhythm readout window and include the intro begin/end button, fill
button, rhythm volume controls, rhythm select controls, and tempo controls. The voice controls surround the
strumplate readout window and consist of the voice volume controls, voice select controls, and sustain controls.
The chord mode section is on the lower part of the QChord at the level of the chord buttons and contains the ez play button,
vibrato, reverb, chord volume, autochord, manual, and melody controls. The Q card group is on the lowermost part of
the instrument and is comprised of the stop, play/pause, search backward, and search forward buttons.
*Speaker grill-this is elevated, somewhat irregularly triangular-shaped, and is located at the top edge of the instrument.
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In order to make sure everyone is looking at the instrument from the same viewpoint, please place the QChord on your lap, with the long part of the instrument pointing to your left. All of the controls will first be identified, after which their functions will be explained in more detail. Some of the buttons are arranged in pairs. Their names will be followed by the words up / down to indicate this. These buttons are always arranged vertically. The up button will be away from you, and the down button will be toward you, as you would expect. You will also notice that these buttons tend to be elongated at one end. The up button in the pair is longer on the lower left edge, while the down button is longer on the lower right.
*Song cartridge holder-this is a rectangular opening on the leftmost edge of the QChord. You will notice a flap that opens into the QChord as you apply pressure in the direction of the instrument. This holds the QChord's optional song and rhythm cartridges.
*Chord buttons-these are 3 rows of 12 rubber football-shaped buttons located along the long edge of the QChord. Some of them have raised symbols on their tops, while others do not. I will discuss the meaning of these symbols later.
*Master volume control-this is the only smooth, round knob on the QChord. You will find it on the upper left part of the instrument. It controls the instrument's volume. To increase the volume, turn the knob clockwise. To decrease the volume, turn it counterclockwise.
*On/off (power) button-this is just to the left of the master volume control. When pressed down, the instrument is on; when in the upward position, the QChord is off.
*Demo button-this is just below and slightly to the right of the power button and below and slightly to the left of the master volume control. When pressed, it plays the built-in demonstration song form the Beatles called "Michelle."
*Rhythm volume up/down buttons-this is a pair of buttons situated vertically just to the right of the demo button and below and to the right of the master volume control. It is directly to the left of the rhythm LED readout window, which feels like a diagonal slot. Move your hand to the right to find this slot-like window. If you slide your hand more to the right, you will find another of these readout windows. It is offset slightly above the rhythm readout window and is the strumplate readout window. Although you probably won't be able to see the LED readouts, these slot-like readout windows can serve as good orienting points.
*Intro / end button - this button is just to the right of the master volume control.
*Rhythm select up/down buttons-this is a pair of buttons arranged vertically, immediately to the right of the intro / end button. It is the second control to the right of the volume control. It is situated just above the rhythm LED readout window, which feels like a diagonal slot.
*Fill button-this is immediately to the right of the rhythm select buttons.
*Tempo up/down buttons-this is a pair of vertically arranged buttons just below and to the left of the fill button. It is the first pair of buttons to the right of the rhythm LED readout window, which feels like a diagonal slot.
*Voice volume up/down buttons-this is a vertically arranged pair of buttons just to the right of the tempo buttons and just to the left of the strumplate voice LED readout window, which feels like a diagonal slot.
*Voice select up/down buttons-this is a vertically oriented pair of buttons that sits just above the strumplate voice LED readout window. It is the second control to the left of the strumplate. Notice that both the rhythm select up/down buttons and voice select up/down buttons are situated just above these "slots". This makes for easy reference.
*Start/stop-this button is immediately to the left of the strumplate.
*Strumplate-this is a series of grooves and ridges that travels diagonally almost the entire length of the instrument.
*Sustain up/down-this is a vertically arranged pair of buttons just to the left of the strumplate and below and slightly to the left of the start/stop button.
*Chord Mode Section Controls
This is a group of 7 controls on the lower part of the QChord between the chord buttons and the strumplate. To the left of this space there is a cluster of three buttons, with 1 on the bottom and 2 on the top. Immediately to the right of these three buttons, there is a vertically arranged pair of buttons, which is the chord volume control. Just to the right of the chord
volume control is row of 3 horizontally arranged buttons.
*Ez play button - This is the bottom button in the cluster of three mentioned above.
*Vibrato - this is above and slightly to the left of the ez play button. It is the leftmost in the cluster of three buttons.
*Reverb - this is immediately to the right of the vibrato button. It is the rightmost button in the group of three.
*Chord volume up/down buttons - this is a vertically arranged pair of buttons just to the right of the reverb button.
*Autochord button - this is just to the right of the chord volume up/down buttons.
*Manual chord button- this is just to the right of the autochord button.
*Melody button - this is the last button on the right.
* QChord Cartridge Controls
These controls are on the part of the instrument closest to you. They are located between the chord buttons and
strumplate. These buttons are shaped differently than the others on the QChord, in that they are paired horizontally and
feel somewhat rougher than the other buttons.
A rectangular elevated piece of plastic is just above these buttons and represents another readout window.
From left to right, these buttons are stop, play/pause, search backward, and search
forward. These controls are used with the optional song and rhythm cartridges.
* Jacks
The jacks are located on the upper edge of the QChord. Find the right edge of the speaker grill & slide your hand up
and off the top of the instrument. There is a sunken part of the instrument in which you will find 4 jacks.
From left to right, these jacks are headphone jack, midi out, midi in, and AC adapter.
* Pitch bend wheel
This is a wheel on the upper right edge of the instrument. It has deep grooves and ridges that make it
easy to identify. If you turn it toward you and let go, it returns to its original position. The same happens if you turn it
away from you. If you are having trouble locating the pitch bend wheel, find the right edge of the speaker grill, put
your index finger on it, and spread your fingers apart.
Although it may at first seem boring, a little time spent familiarizing yourself with the location of the QChord's controls
will make learning to play the instrument more enjoyable. Because of the QChord's design, the visually impaired user
will need a thorough mastery of the instrument's controls in order to use it successfully.
Perhaps the best way to remember the location of the QChord's controls is to separate them into groups. The master
controls are located on the extreme left and extreme right of the QChord. They include the master volume control,
power button, and demo button on the left, and the start/stop button on the right.
The rhythm controls are clustered around the rhythm readout window and include the intro begin/end button, fill
button, rhythm volume controls, rhythm select controls, and tempo controls. The voice controls surround the
strumplate readout window and consist of the voice volume controls, voice select controls, and sustain controls.
The chord mode section is on the lower part of the QChord at the level of the chord buttons and contains the ez play button,
vibrato, reverb, chord volume, autochord, manual, and melody controls. The Q card group is on the lowermost part of
the instrument and is comprised of the stop, play/pause, search backward, and search forward buttons.
*Speaker grill-this is elevated, somewhat irregularly triangular-shaped, and is located at the top edge of the instrument.
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