Let me get this right, you propose linking a computer to the keyboard, presumably having some kind of app loaded on the computer to monitor the chord release, and modifying the keyboard firmware hardware to react to that computer by applying/releasing sustain appropriately ...... all to avoid learning how to use a sustain pedal, one of the simplest to use functions on the keyboard.
Mike
You seem to have not read my posts. I'm not going to state, for at least the third or fourth time, why having this "enhanced sustain" function on a keyboard could be useful, even to experienced players. Go back and look at my 4th paragraph in Reply #46 of the thread.
Now, once again, I did not propose the original idea -- the original poster did that. I just thought of a way that this could potentially be tested on an existing keyboard, just to see if it would sound good, without having to wait for Yamaha to come out with this function -- if they would even consider it in the first place.
When I came up with this possible test or experiment, nothing that I wrote said ANYTHING about modifying the keyboard firmware hardware. In fact, I said that if the keyboard has a simple 2-pin jack for a simple SPST on/off switch type sustain pedal, then you would NOT have to open up the keyboard and could just hook any of the components I suggested using (to simulate the operation of a sustain pedal) to an external plug that would simply plug into the sustain jack. But I did also include the warning that anyone trying this does so at their own risk, as they would still be working with electrical equipment and there could always be a risk of damage to equipment, voided warranties, electric shock, and other undesirable outcomes.
But DerekA went one step further -- he said that the operation of the pedal may actually be able to be simulated by a MIDI command from the computer to the keyboard. If so, then the special app that would have to be written would only have to send the pedal-off/pedal-on messages through MIDI to the keyboard to simulate the pedal being released and re-applied, and then none of the external electronic components that I mentioned would be required at all -- except the computer, of course.
I previously thought that the app could use MIDI to scan the keyboard to see what notes are being held down, but DerekA said that cannot be done -- that the keyboard just sends note-on and note-off commands as keys are played and released. However, such an app would still be possible...
If the app first sees note-on for C, note-on for E, and note-on for G, it could calculate that is a C chord.
If the app then sees note-off for the C, but then note-on for the C an octave higher, it would determine notes E, G, and C are being played -- still a C chord -- so don't do anything.
If the app then saw note-off for the E and note-off for the C, but then saw note-on for a D and note-on for a B, with no change to the G that was already being played -- guess what -- now, a G chord is being played (D, G, B) -- so since it's now a new chord, activate the procedure to release the sustain pedal briefly then re-apply it.
And so on... That's a very simplified example, but you get the idea of what the app would be doing.
Of course, I wouldn't expect anyone to necessarily use such a cumbersome set-up, with the keyboard, computer, custom-app, possible other components, etc., on a permanent or professional basis. In fact, all of this equipment hooked up in this fashion would defeat some of the possible purposes of Yamaha including such a function on a future keyboard. This would just be an experiment for a hobbiest who has the knowledge and equipment to set something like this up -- just a way to test, with an actual keyboard instead of just in theory, whether the original idea proposed by the original poster would work and sound good.