Z-Board 24×24 is the first prototype of a microtonal keyboard with 576 dynamic sensitive keys spaced in 24 rows with 24 keys in each. Essentially, it’s master keyboard which prior function lies in the field of composing, exploring and analyzing the world of microtonal music.

Custom made master keyboard was built according to Zoran Scekic construction by “StarrLabs” from San Diego/California and with financial support from the Croatian Ministry of Culture – Found for Entrepreneurship in the culture.

Zoran Šćekić comment of the Z-board:

“I didn’t want to give up on natural intervals… – and I’m not the only one! Many musicians and scientist were dealing with this problem in the past. Today, with the benefit of new technologies and information accessibility, there are more and more people trying to find the best possible solution for the problem of preserving the natural intervals within modulation. My solution to this problem was the introduction of a new keyboard which is not linear or one-dimensional like standard piano keyboard, but works in two dimensions like the chessboard.”

A modified slide guitar is a self-made instrument Zoran Šćekić created in 2004. Intonation and playing techniques are the combination of a slide guitar and a zither. The first use of the instrument was in 2005 during the performance in the former cinema Lika in Zagreb as a part of the multimedia project Ludic Space and at the premiere performance of the Music for the chamber orchestra and Jazz quintet at Music Biennale Zagreb 2005 in the Mimara Museum.

The instrument consists of a wooden board with 6 guitar strings divided into two groups. The first group of strings has an analog pickup placed on both sides, that is, at the bridge and at the zero fret, and the other group of strings only has an analog pickup at the bridge. Both groups of strings also have a third bridge that is mobile and can be moved freely. In the first group, it is performed by hand and in the second group, there is a mechanism for moving the third bridge that is connected to the pedal so the movement is controlled by the foot. The structure of the instrument allows the performer to use almost all the usual techniques of playing on guitar strings (using a guitar pick, bow, fingers, mallets, e-bow etc.) as well as the techniques that are less frequent (using a cappuccino mixer, credit cards, magnetic balls, different kind of leashes, sticks, cutlery etc.)

Even though the instrument creates sound in an identical way as an electric guitar, a melody and harmony is not its primary function. Zoran Šćekić uses the modified slide guitar exclusively for free improvisation and interpretation of graphic scores, the primary function of this prototype is to find and use new sound possibilities of the analog transmission of sound.