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Say welcome to the first app from rushworks for Apple’s iPhone as well as for Smartphones. This application emulates an instrument named Caisa COSMA, tuned F-Major, built by Bill Brown in Munich, Germany. There are similar apps around, featuring other steelpans (Hang, Halo, Bell to name a few) which belong to the same family of instruments, the idiophones. Now we wanted to complete the road with this app. Simple handling; just tip on the silver dots and play melodies as well as repeating patterns. Also there are areas to play on, featuring not tone fields but the rim of them. This provides you some interesting additional sounds to fill in percussion-like effects.
Aside of this, you can flip the whole instrument by pushing the rotate-icon.
Why the heck, should I…?
As a player of the Caisa you would know, yes, it’s also fun to drum a little on the backside of this steel turtle. With some percussionist’s skills you can do a lot on the dark side of the Caisa – it’s similar to that, what guitar players can do on their instrument. They are not just working the strings, no. The advanced players also use to play rhythms on the guitar’s body. And it sounds great when they do it right. So you can do a similar playing on the Caisa. Sure, not at the same time on the front AND the backside, that’s a bit too tricky. At least I didn’t find out, how to handle it…
A funny gimmick is, you can let real hands appear on the display, virtually playing the Caisa. This feature can be turned on/off. Also included is a short video, that shows how to play the instrument in real life.
This app features the pure “dry” Sound of the Caisa, later apps or an update (not yet sure about the How and the When) will contain the option to add echo, reverb and other spatial effects. Maybe a recording function too, let’s see. For the moment it’s a neat alternative for the Caisa-player, who is going on a trip and who definitely wont to spend the next days totally without his baby. And yes, above all this it’s a nice and stylish toy anyway. 😉
Here you can find the app in the stores for smartphones:
and here for your iPhone.
Let us know how you like it and show us your playing skills on that virtual steel. The best videos will be published, here, in our blog. Provide us a link to Youtube or similar platforms, that’s the most smart way to become part of the race.
Happy playing!
rushworx 