After killing it on Kickstarter, the Instrument 1 is ready to ship and, its creators hope, democratize music.
You know how they say it takes 10,000 hours to truly master a creative skill? Mike Butera thinks that’s bullshit—at least when it comes to playing music. Butera says one of the biggest barriers to entry for regular people is the physical layout of traditional instruments. But like so many things in life, he thinks technology can free us from the rigid tyranny of black-and-white piano keys or of a six-stringed guitar—and in so doing, it might make music more accessible.