Why did Buchla synthesizers use touch-sensitive pads instead of traditional keyboards?

The Buchla synthesizer, developed by Donald Buchla in 1964, utilized touch-sensitive contact plates rather than traditional movable keys to initiate sounds and patterns.12

While Robert Moog incorporated conventional keyboards to facilitate the performance of traditional music, Buchla’s design philosophy focused on providing experimental composers with alternative control interfaces. These touch-sensitive plates functioned in a manner somewhat comparable to a violin fingerboard, offering a different tactile approach to sound generation that diverged from the mechanical constraints of piano-style keys. This design choice supported the creation of novel electronic music, as seen in the works of composers like Morton Subotnick.12