my keymashing has been brought up again in conversation and i've been urged to make a longform analysis, which is definitely something that i feel like doing right now. for those of you that don't know, i keymash a LOT, and it's not something that i'm particularly proud of, but i've also been noted to have extremely "consistent, but different" keymashes.
here's a sample of me keymashing 3 times, without redos or edits:
ALSKFJSA
LAKSJAFA
ALSFKJA
oh, and i can also keymash on phone too:
ALFJSJD
AKFHSKS
AKFHSK
those of you who stared at those keymashes too long probably already got the gist, but lemme talk!! we need to ask ourselves: what is a keymash? what is a GOOD keymash?
as wikipedia says (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keysmash), a keymash is "often used to convey intense or indescribable emotions (such as frustration or excitement), and it can also be used as an expression of laughter." even though it's traditionally random letters, the wikipedia page continues to describe in detail about how keymashes are generally NOT totally random.
this is because keymashes, while not necessarily 100% consistent, are essentially a word or phrase. since they can be laughter, they could be translated into a "lol" or "lmao" (though the vibe would obviously be slightly different). if it's frustration or being flustered, it could maybe be replaced with an "aaaaaaaaa." see the examples below:
hate this meme alksjfa"
"hate this meme lol
both sentences indicate that the writer isn't serious about the hate and most likely both loves and hates the meme. "alksjfa" functions as a word, or at least as a tone indicator! but it would also read exactly the same if the keymash were "lkjfsa" or "lahkfs"
i hate my job so much ALSFKJA"
"i hate my job so much AAAAAA
in this case, both sentences aren't contradicted by the "tone indicator," instead they're amplified! with the context, we can assume that both the keymash and scream are the writer's way of letting out frustration.
so, why is this important? it's important because though the specific letters for the keymash TECHNICALLY don't matter, keymashes themselves are functions that essentially work as words. in other words, the best way to keymash is keymashing in a way that LOOKS like a keymash.
if you ask anyone the best way to keymash, the simple answer is "from the middle row." let's compare the other rows:
qpoiwyrqpoiwtu
alskfjgsjafhlasla
,zxmc,xzvb,zmvn,
the middle row has a few obvious perks! 1) it's where most people's hands naturally rest when they type, and 2) it's long enough to mash on. the letters on the bottom row aren't BAD, but it's also the smallest row, meaning that it's awkward to mash on. it also means that letters repeat more often, making it feel less random.
the top row is generally agreed to not be great, since it reads less as complete gibberish and more like a weird alien language that you can attempt pronouncing, most likely due to the number of vowels. these are all obviously subjective opinions, but i think most people can agree that it isn't very visually appealing.
mashing on the WHOLE keyboard can sometimes be an option, but it violates our rule. first of all, it's the easiest way to accidentally type out a word, which doesn't make it look like a keymash. second of all, it isn't consistent enough to function as our "keymash word," making it sometimes difficult to parse.
oiqhjondsaof
zncjaonqfao
qwaonzlokf
cnehajcfoaiwm
xnoiufoiwucbyi
like it ain't bad, but it sure ain't optimal. what do i consider optimal?
my basic keymash is along the lines of: aslfkjals
my hands are always on the home row, and my pointer fingers are on F / J since they're the ones with the notches. my ring fingers are on A/ L, so i usually start off by rolling from left to right, which makes -a- or -as-. then i roll my right hand from right to left, forming -l- or -lk-. my left hand continues for -f- while my right hand continues to -j-, then i start from the beginning again with my left hand. it produces very consistent results with a good variety of letters, which means that most people only need to read the first few letters before knowing "oh, that's just vec keymashing." i avoid D/G/H mainly just due to my hand placement, though i do prefer against them in terms of aesthetics.
to keymash on phone, i use a similar process, but i have to use my thumbs to try to emulate the same effect. i start with my left hand on the left side and my right hand on the right side of the homerow, then roughly alternate them while moving them inward. for an extended sequence, i start moving them out again, then inward. that creates a notably different pattern to keyboard, but since i mostly have the same primary letters, it reads roughly the same.
anyway, hope that clears things up! whether those were questions you had or didn't have!
