Abstract: A synthesizer guitar controller pickup and method for generating control signals for a synthesizer. The control signals are NOTE, GATE, and VELOCITY. NOTE corresponds to the pitch, GATE corresponds to when the sound is initiated and stopped and VELOCITY is a signal which is proportional to the force applied to the guitar string. A DC sensor, such as a photo detector or Hall Effect transducer, is employed to detect these signals. The DC sensor measures how far the string deviates from its rest position, this value is the VELOCITY signal. The flyback from the peak deflection initiates the GATE signal to turn on the sound. When the string stops vibrating, the GATE, and thus the sound, is turned off.