Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
The Kellycaster:
John Kelly presents the Kellycaster as an example of accessible instrument co-design. The Kellycaster is an accessible guitar developed over many years with the support of Drake Music and represents one of our most successful examples of accessible instrument development using a co-design methodology. John will discuss the genesis and development of the instrument from hackathon prototype through to fully functional touring instrument and talk about his plans for the future.
John currently uses a Roland Hex MIDI pickup and send MIDI out of his Keyy Caster to a box with a BELA processor. Bela and Bela Mini are tiny, powerful computers that you can program right in your browser, and then embed almost anywhere.
Bela and Bela Mini power sound installations, musical instruments, guitar pedals, synth modules, and interactive objects of all kinds.
The MIDI goes to Max for Live patch that also takes input from a Novation MIDI controller for changing the chords. John uses his right hand to strum and his left hand to change the chords on the MIDI controller. So he actually is playing the guitar and the keyboard and singing at the same time.
The Kellycaster:
John Kelly presents the Kellycaster as an example of accessible instrument co-design. The Kellycaster is an accessible guitar developed over many years with the support of Drake Music and represents one of our most successful examples of accessible instrument development using a co-design methodology. John will discuss the genesis and development of the instrument from hackathon prototype through to fully functional touring instrument and talk about his plans for the future.
John currently uses a Roland Hex MIDI pickup and send MIDI out of his Keyy Caster to a box with a BELA processor. Bela and Bela Mini are tiny, powerful computers that you can program right in your browser, and then embed almost anywhere.
Bela and Bela Mini power sound installations, musical instruments, guitar pedals, synth modules, and interactive objects of all kinds.
The MIDI goes to Max for Live patch that also takes input from a Novation MIDI controller for changing the chords. John uses his right hand to strum and his left hand to change the chords on the MIDI controller. So he actually is playing the guitar and the keyboard and singing at the same time.
