Guitar and Piano Merge into Device for Guitarists and Musicians with Disabilities
Westerville, Ohio (PRWEB) November 21, 2014 -- Ken McCaw, inventor of the Hammer Jammer and music composer, explains: “Our intention is to release the Hammer Jammer to the international market, targeted primarily at young players just beginning their careers, with their own unique styles. And we are developing a program for guitar players with disabilities. “
The Hammer Jammer was originally developed in the 90’s, with input and support from leading guitarists such as Ricky Skaggs, Chet Atkins and many others. McCaw said: “When the Hammer Jammer first came out, we thought that existing players would quickly get on board to use this device. Because the Hammer Jammer is basically a new instrument, what we didn’t realize was that, although many established players were highly supportive of the concept, the Hammer Jammer would require changing their styles more than most were willing. Our mistake, at that time, was not to present the device to the young, up-and-comers.”
However, McCaw continued to use the Hammer Jammer for his film scoring work. When the film “Stone of Destiny” was released in Europe in 2008, music written by McCaw, and featuring the Hammer Jammer, was used in the trailer for the film. From that, international interest for the unique sound and speed of the Hammer Jammer began to build around the world.
In late 2013, a Hammer Jammer demonstration video titled "Amazing Guitar Invention" was posted on YouTube and in January 2014, the video went viral: All 2000 remaining Hammer Jammer samples were sold within a couple weeks, to players in 60 countries, many of them young guitarists beginning their careers. It was also noted that a significant number of samples were purchased by wounded soldiers, and players with arthritis and other issues which make finger picking and standard picking technique prohibitive.
The project is being funded through Tilt Open crowd funding, with funding goal over two thirds fulfilled to date.
YouTube Hammer Jammer demo video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyzuzvWme_Y
Ken McCaw, Big Walnut Productions, http://www.bigwalnutproductions.com, +1 (614) 570-9870, [email protected]
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