Tian Jinqin’s 弦控琴 Xian Kong Qin Instruments: Build a monophonic MIDI/CV ribbon controller inspired by the 1978 original

田进勤设计的弦控琴：制作一个初始灵感来源于 1978 年的单音 MIDI / CV 条带控制器

Modular Commune Festival Beijing 2026 DIY Workshop, October 23rd, 3 – 6 pm, no DIY kits fee.

交流方式 北京模块节 2026 DIY 工作坊，10 月 23 日，下午 15:00-18:00, 免费报名。

In this hands-on workshop, participants will be introduced to Tian Jinqin’s Xian Kong instrument and build their own expressive monophonic ribbon controller for MIDI and analog modular synthesizers. Inspired by Tian’s 1978 design, the controller allows continuous pitch and envelope control, combining the tactile expressivity of the original instrument with contemporary digital possibilities: selectable tunings, adjustable note ranges, and flexible aftertouch.

Over three hours, participants will assemble the hardware, program the board, and test the instrument with synthesizers and digital sound sources. No previous knowledge of electronics, programming, or synthesis is required.

You are welcome to bring your own synthesizer, modular system, or digital instrument, but don’t worry if you don’t have one, instruments will be available for testing during the workshop.

More information about the project: https://nime.org/proceedings/2026/nime2026_106.pdf

Duration: 3 hours

The workshop is led by Enrique Tomás and Boris Shershenkov, artists, developers, and researchers at the Tangible Music Lab Linz (https://tamlab.kunstuni-linz.at/). Their work explores new forms of musical expression through experimental instruments, embodied interaction, sound technologies, and the cultural histories of electronic music.

Signup and DIY kits fee

Price: The workshop is offered free of charge. To help us select 10 participants, please send an email in English or Chinese to enrique.tomas@kunstuni-linz.at with a couple of sentences until 15 October explaining why you are interested in the workshop and how you would like to use the instrument. We will reply you with the selected participants on 16 October. 

在这场 DIY 工作坊中，参与者将了解田进勤（Tian Jinqin）设计的「弦控」（Xian Kong）乐器，并亲手制作一款适用于 MIDI 和模块合成器的、具有丰富表现力的单音条带控制器（ribbon controller）。这个控制器的灵感源自田进勤在 1978 年的设计，支持连续音高和包络控制，既保留了原乐器的触感表现力，又融​​合了现代数字技术的优势，如可选音律、可调音域及灵活的触后（aftertouch）功能。

在为期三小时的活动中，参与者将完成硬件组装、电路板编程，并利用合成器及数字音源对乐器进行测试。无需具备电子、编程或合成器方面的预备知识。

欢迎您携带自己的合成器、模块化系统或数字乐器；若您没有设备也无需担心，工作坊现场将提供乐器供测试使用。

项目详情请见：https://nime.org/proceedings/2026/nime2026_106.pdf

时长：3 小时

本工作坊由 Enrique Tomás 和 Boris Shershenkov 主持，他们均来自林茨 Tangible Music Lab Linz（https://tamlab.kunstuni-linz.at/）的艺术家、开发者兼研究员。他们的创作致力于通过实验乐器、具身交互、声音技术及电子音乐文化史，探索音乐表达的新形式。

报名以及收费

费用：本工作坊免费。为协助我们筛选 10 位参与者，请于 10 月 15 日前发送邮件（中英文均可）至 enrique.tomas@kunstuni-linz.at，简述您对本工作坊的兴趣及未来使用该乐器的构想。我们将于 10 月 16 日通知入选者。