Choose your key
Set the tonal centre and choose major or minor.
An expressive digital accompaniment instrument
Expression made playable.
One hand guides the harmony. The other shapes direction, timing and dynamics through movement.
Prototype in development
ESPRIVA / CURRENT PROTOTYPEBUILT TO BE PLAYED
The idea
Accompaniment should feel as natural as singing along.
ESPRIVA is designed for people who want to accompany themselves, explore harmony or make music together without making conventional chord shapes the first obstacle. The musical decisions remain in the player’s hands.
For singersFor songwritersFor curious players
First attempts at sea
The first few minutes already feel like music.
These are not polished performances. They are honest first attempts after only a few minutes of experimenting with ESPRIVA on a sailing trip through Greece and Albania.
That immediate sense of possibility is what ESPRIVA is being built for: picking it up, finding a gesture and making something happen together.
How it works
Three steps from an idea to a musical gesture.
Simple to enter. Open enough to express something of your own.
Choose a harmonic position
Select one of twelve physical positions. The chosen harmony stays active.
Shape the sound
Move across the Trill Bar to shape direction, timing and dynamics.
In the current SELECT mode, the position chooses the harmony. The Trill Bar triggers the sound.
A physical interaction
The right hand is more than an on/off trigger.
Slower movement can create a softer gesture. Faster movement adds energy. Direction and sensor zones can shape the way individual notes unfold.
DirectionShape the gesture
SpeedChange the energy
ZonesReach into the sound
“
One hand guides the harmony. The other makes it move.
ESPRIVA interaction principleThe musical idea
Change the key. Keep the relationship.
The current prototype maps physical positions to relative harmonic functions. The same physical relationships can be used when changing the key, instead of requiring a completely new set of shapes for every tonality.
TONAL CENTRECsame position
TONAL CENTREGnew harmonic colour
ESPRIVA at sea
Music belongs anywhere.
On deck, between a swim and the next watch, ESPRIVA became part of the crew. The setting was different; the basic idea stayed the same: pick it up and join in.
Roland Stelzer
Founder, developer and maker
Why I’m building ESPRIVA
From a long-held idea to a working prototype.
Roland StelzerCo-Founder & CEO of Happylab
I’ve carried the idea of an instrument you can pick up and play immediately for a long time — something that is fun from the first moment, creates an immediate sense of achievement and lets people make music together, for example around a campfire.
I’m the founder and managing director of Happylab. For the past 20 years, I’ve been surrounded by new ideas, unusual experiments and a creative maker community that turns imagination into tangible prototypes.
ESPRIVA is being developed at Happylab end to end — from electronics, firmware and software to the mechanical design and enclosure.
The longer-term vision also includes a DIY path guided by a simple maker principle: Dream it. Make it. Share it. The hardware, documentation and release model are still being worked out.
Happylab is your makerspace in Vienna — the workshop where you can realize your projects and become a maker yourself.
Visit HappylabBuilt at Happylab · Vienna
Development
A working prototype, in the open.
Enough is working to test the idea. Enough is still open to keep exploring.
ESPRIVA is currently in technical prototype development. The core two-hand interaction, internal sound path and instrument UI are being tested step by step. Final ergonomics, sound refinement, production hardware and release timing are not yet finalized.
Core interaction, display and internal sound path.
Real sensor behaviour, sound, ergonomics and custom profiles.
Production hardware, external MIDI and release definition.
The companion project
Prepare the songs you want to play.
The ESPRIVA Songbook helps find, prepare and save playable ESPRIVA Song Sheets.
Available in German and English.FAQ
A few straightforward answers.
Is ESPRIVA a classical guitar?
No. ESPRIVA is a digital accompaniment instrument with a physical interface designed for expressive playing.
Do I need to know conventional guitar chord shapes?
Conventional chord shapes are not the central input. The current prototype uses twelve physical positions for relative harmonic functions. Musical listening, rhythm and timing still matter.
What does the right hand do?
The Trill Bar detects movement, direction, speed and zones. These gestures shape how the selected harmony is triggered.
Can I buy ESPRIVA?
Not yet. ESPRIVA is currently in technical prototype development. Production hardware, availability and release timing have not been finalized.
Will there be a DIY version?
A DIY version is part of the longer-term vision, guided by the maker principle “Dream it. Make it. Share it.” The hardware, documentation and release model are still being worked out. There is no complete DIY kit or build guide yet.