Are there any keyboardist around here? Seemed like keyboard are more neglected nowadays.

it would be better if this topic would serve as tips or techinques in playing the keyboard. Escpecially some solos.

Currently i'm practicing some solos from The Black Mages

Hi amacharu,

Welcome to the forum!
Firstly, it's about time somebody created a keyboardist thread!!! Hope to see more keyboardist flock the forum and start posting some great clips & if possible, join the LYn jam too.
I'm wondering ermm... what type of music do you play???

welcme! its about time more keyboardists come here.

ps: i can barely play keyboards

Heh, I used to take piano lessons when I was real young! Stopped at Grade 4 heh... I feel like taking piano/keys up but I dunno where to start LOL! I'm too lazy to go through music scores and theories, so is there a shortcut, like guitar, to learn the chords and all??? I would appreciate it if anybody could show me the way!

Keep this thread alive.

well, i'm used to play pop (especially j-pop) and ballad for my band. But now i'm thinking to start playing some rock or metal.

currently i'm practicing this song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj_bQl5FT3s

i'm more into final fantasy BTW

guys how much is the roland fantom x8 keyboard? and where is it available? need fast info...thanks guys

nobody knows??

maybe you could try here.

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=221370

Maybe you can find that model

This post has been edited by amacharu: Jun 29 2006, 10:05 PM

whoops..forgot abt that thread..thanks!!!

I play piano, I play keyboard, am I a keyboardist?

it depends if you define yourself as a keyboardist or not. Therefore even if you don't play keyboards nor piano, you can still be a keyboardist if you have the right attitude.

(cf "air guitar" for guitarist... same syndrom, different name...)

such as pix calling himself a keyboardist cause he finaly managed to type that using his computer keyboard

I'm a keyboardist too... was a piano student until Grade 5. Currently going for Grade 7 Digital Piano.

I'm a classical pianist, played for 15yrs so far, studied under some music scholarship...

But I am a trombonist!!!

nah well I'm a keyboardist as well. I guess you mean keyboard as anything which uses keys..
Which covers harpsichord, piano, digital pianos/keyboards/organs in my case.
Oh and yes, as mentioned, the computer keyboard as well.

hi guys...im new here and keen to learn keyboard...any suggestion on keyboards cause i will be buying 1 very soon...budget around 1~1.5k...thanks...

i think for that budget. maybe you can get a Yamaha or a Roland. I'm not sure about the exact price though

any models reconmendation for newbies???

yea... i can see the last question post for more than 4 months, can any pro keyboardist here recommend as well?? i'm planning learning keyboard as well.

After a few months, still no real keyboard discussions here?
Maybe we can discuss about the gear you have. or dream of having?..haha.

for Keyboard instrument - I have a KORG Triton Studio 61, Yamaha PSR630 and Yamaha Electone Organ..

Dream Gear: Yamaha MOTIF ES and KORG OASYS. sob...sob...

i have a yahama ps25, a very old model. recently, i mistakenly put handphone near it while i was playing. so it sound like this, tet tet tet tet (u know, the sound out of speaker when someone calling), then suddenly my keyboard jammed. when power on, it always sounded like hitting chords. dammit.

that time i was learning to play goodbye my lover- james tumpul. :'(

I'ma newbie keyboardist in training...

Currently looking for a used keyboard...but seems quite hard to find.

im newbie as well, they recommend me to get Casio CTK-900, wat u al think?

My recommendation is...try it out yourself. If you like it, then buy it. Try to anticipate what kinds of instruments you would like to play and see if its sufficient.

Most people use keyboards for acoustic piano, electric piano, organ, strings and pads. The rest are just fun to play with. There are also other higher end keyboards which have a built-in arpeggiator and etc.

This post has been edited by ionStorm: Dec 9 2006, 05:02 PM

Umm.... one question.

How do you properly use the pitch bend on the keyboard? I've seen various video clips showing keyboardist make use of it especially during solos, but i just can't do it properly.

I am not sure about this. But depends on what model you are using. LOL.

Electone Player here. Still learning electone and piano... Cheers!

oh i just got myself a Korg N264 music workstation, not sure what you call it, keyboard? organ? anywhere i can learn playing keyboard from the internet? 'cuz i learnt (still learning in fact) my guitar thru internet as well..

This post has been edited by nekromaniak: Jan 7 2007, 10:08 PM

i used to play N264 too during my college days. (although it's belong to my college, i really enjoy messing around with it, did a lot of experiments because there was no manual supplied )

I even used it for my first live performance. Really missed that keyboard

Keyboards are also piano, they're main functions are piano, the first thing you get when you on it is piano. They're simply a cheaper solution for a piano (acoustic or digital) maybe you can call them portable piano or once they were. When you go for piano lessons, if you can't afford a piano, you can always opt for a keyboard, it's the same thing, except the feel and touch (sound quality of lower end models). Keyboard and/or Digital Piano are simply much more powerful where they provide functions and various tones, and there's also high end keyboards used/considered as Music Workstation/Synthesizers where you can create/mix music/song (e.g. Roland G70, Roland V-Synth, check http://www.rolandus.com for the video demos on those product)... There're also very powerful Digital Piano nowadays like Roland RD-700SX Stage Piano, Yamaha also has a few, but they cost a bomb, they're very much like a keyboard but with Weigthed Hammer Keys and more full Piano features (e.g. Half-Damper Pedal Capability, etc...). There's also Music Workstation with Weigthed Hammer Keys, the Roland Fantom X8, Yamaha S90ES, etc... These keyboard are more like a Portable Piano since they offer more piano features (e.g. Hammer Keys, etc).

Anyway, like a member mentioned, any instruments with keys (which are also CALLED Keyboard, the piano/organ/etc keys are called keyboard) can be considered keyboardist in this matter.

Go visit http://www.rolandus.com, go to the products, some/most of it has videos/demos (e.g. Roland G70, Fantom series, Arranger - EXR series, Stage Piano - RD700SX/RD300SX (great videos, and killer looking stage piano), Intelligent Piano - KR Series)... If you want something NEW, check the Roland VIMA's videos, that's one powerful instrument... also check the Roland Digital Grand Piano videos... tough, the features might or might not be used by many....

i'm a happie user of the yamaha psr-e 303.

learn organ from standard 1 until 5. then quit until I'm now a working adult.
So i now play this keyboard for my own leisure.

It's a great feeling to be able to play your favourite songs.
Some of the songs i must know to play anytime is la la la luv song, first love (utada), ai hen jian dan, ni bu zai. This is because I really like the piano version of the songs and it's a motivation for me to self learn and play .

recently got a very good deal on a synthesizer :-). been messing around making bits of music. now learning blues on it. Cool stuff.

This post has been edited by zoomckng: Jan 11 2007, 08:37 PM

I'm looking forward to buy a keyboard soon but money and space (at rented room) restricts me from owning one. I missed the organ at my house which I just started to learn few weeks back.

Now I'm tinkering with the Creative Prodikey PC-MIDI and the first impression: BAD. The keys are small, not sensitive (sometimes it wouldn't sound when you pressed it), hard to play which felt like going to the gym. The bundled doesn't even have the accompany styles to play with, and most of the bundled software are useless. 37 keys also restricts me from playing some of the musics sigh...

Just saw the yamaha psr 203 for sale at IOI Mall for only rm580, now my hands are itchy.

try the m audio 49 keys one if ure on low budget. i think thats around rm400+.

dont use creative's prodikeys are horrible

I think if I want to get one I'll get the Yamaha keyboard. I'll just use this prodikey keep keep my desire under control >_<

My keyboardist is leaving the band for studies.. I think I'm gonna miss his keyboards more than him! lol its a Yamaha motif!!! woot woot that thing is HUUGGEEEEE

ah well, back to writing songs without synth and piano ... haihhh

If you wanna play the keyboard/piano fully, you should get a real keyboard with at least 76keys, or better a digital piano.

The prodikeys are more like for you to record/create music, you can't really play much song especially since the keys are so little and so small, imagine playing both hands (or arpeggio runs), you'll have to do chord inversion mostly and/or you might be out of keys, unless you do a recording for separate play, but then you're not really playing the song. I have both type Prodikeys, the DM and the newer one, the PC-MIDI. The DM is better, it has pitch bend, but very expensive, the PC-MIDI is less than RM200. The keys ARE touch sensitive... And for your problem not sounding sometimes, I guess it's because your PC is slow or low on memory, one thing I know is this prodikeys consumes quite a lot of memory, if there's not enough memory it'll lag... And, to play to song nice, e.g. when playing arpeggio, you need a sustain pedal, there's only sustain ON/OFF for the prodikeys. Anyways, the sound from the prodikeys is good I would say. IF you wanna see some good demo, visit the prodikeys website, there're a few demo for the normal Prodikeys and the Prodikeys DM.

http://www.prodikeys.com
check the Prodikeys DM or Prodikeys product page for the demo video on the left.

For the Prodikeys DM, the Drum video High Res seems to have problem, try the Low Res version, and you should check it out, it's cool and funny, look @ the uncle (chinese) get over excited playing the drum kit!
Here's a link to it:
http://www.prodikeys.com/products/prodikey...5_Drums_Low.wmv

There's a software called "EasyNotes" which turn your midi files into NOTES and also which key to press on the keyboard. It's very much like whats found in Roland high-end digital pianos built-in Learning Software. Nice features!

Anyway, make sure you check carefullly before you buy, IF you're looking to play songs, you should look for a keyboard at least 76keys and supports sustain pedals (if you're gonna play piano). 61keys are ok but most probably you'll find it limited when you play more songs or tries to express yourself more... Good Luck!

This post has been edited by Andy214: Jan 13 2007, 01:33 AM

any female keyboardist here.. that's looking for a job *wink* *wink*

I plan to buy a new keyboard now, currently interested with the Yamaha PSR-e303 model to get started in learning how to play them. Is this keyboard recommended? My budget is under RM1000 so I don't have money to get the 76 key model.

i think the e-series are for beginners level. Once u'll pick up some skills, i'm sure u'll grow out of it. and will hunt for sumthing thats more up-market. If budget a big issue then go for it, i would save up summore to get a Roland, etc.

Which model would u suggest if go for 76keys...
Im really a beginner... so far i still dunno what u guys are talking about...

Hoping to get 1 thats like a piano, as piano is big and expensive...
So getting a keyboard is better...

Anyone ? as for budget, still done have anything in mind, very interested to invest...

"hoping to get 1 thats like a piano" and "So getting a keyboard is better" seems to clashed badly.

Anyway, there're cheap digital pianos competitive pricing as the a keyboard. It depends what you choose, you could get a simple Yamaha Digital Piano with very little feature at a very cheap price OR you could get a Yamaha keyboard with a lot more features. If you're tight on budget and looking for a digital piano but with more feature, you can opt for Casio, they're cheap and very up to date, got tons of feature, of course most people would rate the sound, feel and touch "not good". It still depends on the buyer anyway, some might feel ok, or some might not mind, but you have to consider the FUTURE, one day you MIGHT get more experience, etc. Also, selling would be another problem, there're always new models, new technologies, and so for the digital road, it's good to get one good one and settle down rather than planning to sell of, unless you get a really really cheap one (but I would not recommend, I used to have a 61-keys keyboard, and it's one MAJOR reason for improvements, satisfaction, etc. When you played a digital piano, you'll notice a vast difference).

Anyway, if you're really interested in a Yamaha Digital Piano and cheap one, you can check out the P series, P60, P70, etc... It's not big, it's portable and have 88-keys, but it has very little features and patches. By the way, for more better sound, you can upgrade by adding a MOTIF RACK, so, even with a very simple keyboard/digital piano, you can have all the sounds, and many more features from those high-end keyboard/digital piano.

One more thing, if you've played a few times on a digital piano (weigthed hammer keys), and you try playing the keyboard, you'll feel the keyboard like a "Toy".

If you want something good, but it's not cheap, I think at least RM5K or 6K. It's a new product from Roland, just launched recently during the NAMM SHOW 2007, it's the Roland FP7. There's a lower end model the FP4, but I would recommend FP7. You can check Roland US website and watch the video.
http://www.rolandus.com
Navigate to Products>Digital Piano>Stage Pianos>FP7

The RD700SX is also a very powerful model, but the FP7 are more up to date with new features, it's just in a lower class range. The RD700SX does not come with built-in speaker and it cost around RM8K. You can check out the videos too if you want, it's very cool. The FP7 just launch, I'm not sure when it will reach here.

If you're looking for 76-keys keyboard only, you can find many in most music shops which sells piano/keyboard. If have a little more budget for keyboard, try checking out the Roland Interactive Arranger keyboard, they're good and fun to play. They're quite expensive, but I think someone is selling the second hand high-end Arranger model for less than 2K in lelong.com.my.

Lastly, good luck on whatever your decision and happy shopping!

yea roland arrangers are cool. the price is ok for the features. i think u can get a roland arranger for less than 2k, brand new. the E-09, if i'm not mistaken. 61 keys. check with bentley or chambers.

Yea, the E-09 is the cheapest Roland Arranger Keyboard, 61keys. You can find a huge/long video demo for it on it at Roland US website.

Anyway, during this year NAMM 2007, Roland also launched new Arranger Keyboard, the EXR-46 OR, looks more powerful, also 61keys. Not sure how much is it, and when it's gonna reach here.

If got budget, should really check out the FP7, just watch the videos. There's also a piano designer function, which allows you to customize/modify your patches/tones. The guy got mention about it on the video, tough, I'm not sure how it looks like. The KR107 has the Piano designer function as well, you can watch the demo there, but I'm not sure if it's similar.

if i got the money i'll get the G-70. Very powerful arranger, and realistic acoustic instruments sound. RolandUS.com makes very good demo videos, makes u wanna buy everything. :-)

LoL, yeah, the G70, superb and the LCD Screen was way cool! Complete Organ Tone Wheel Modelling. But the latest one was version 3 and I read many are annoyed with them updating the version, sort of. I don't see that model in Bentley when I went there, but I saw Fantom X8, "woah", the real one was a kill! It'll be so tempting to see the real G70.

Watching the video is what makes me buy my roland, the videos give me understand the product more and grabs my attention! Plus, Roland's piano/keyboard has profesional and killer looks! And their website are so complete or full or information, I even posted for inquiries and support and they replied well. The UK website was not bad as well. So far, other brand has poor support/info, etc. By the way, another tempting one which almost makes me change my mind was the Yamaha S90ES, anyway, actually I only like the Grand Piano patch, IMO, it's more modern type of sound, more harmonic/nice suitable for modern pop songs.... Roland's one is either very dark type or very bright, if playing classical, jazz, it's good. Well, one biggest drawback of the Yamaha S90ES is the look, it looks like a "toy" to me, like those kid's piano and the build quality from the video I saw is dissapointing, can hear the "click" of the button so obvious, and the "plastic hammer" sound of the keys, even in the videos itself. I forgot where I download the video, but it was cool altough the demonstrater looks kinda "not pro" (not sure what's the word), unlike Roland one, especially Corey Fournier, very profesional. If you happen to found the video, one nice part is where the guy plays the Rock song with backups, "woah", really like a rock band playing.

To make it more temping, watch the video "Why A Roland Piano?", you can find it in KR117M Digital Grand Piano section and a few other like newly launched RG-3 Digital Grand Piano, newly launched HP203 to HP207. The videos are amazing to let you know about Roland more, showing the History, Technology and Quality. Now I'm tempted to see their new Progressive Hammer Action II (PHA-II) keys... If there's only upgrade for keys... argh...

EDIT: Found the link to the video for S90ES
http://www.yamaha-europe.com/yamaha_europe...ovies/index.php
Note: Look for "S90ES"


This post has been edited by Andy214: Feb 2 2007, 09:50 AM

Why kind of keyboards u guys r using? have pics to share? thx

Oh... I didnt know that there is Digital Piano... i tot there is only keyboard only...
Thz, i was actually looking for a piano, but digital piano is more portable and less expensive...

As for function, im still not sure what izzit for... ill try asking around for description...

Hmm... seems Yamaha is very recommended... should visit a yamaha shop these days...

Thank you very much...

im just using a very low end yamaha keyboard with touch response in my room for practising.. but for beginner, i guess it's sufficient with all the function provided.. some keyboards even come with 'hammer action' ( if im not mistaken ) that kinda give u the feel of playing the piano.. oh ya, is there any difference between the keyboard with hammer action with the digital piano?

Keyboard, Digital Piano, basically, they're the same, Digital Piano have "weighted keys" or simply put, keys like a real piano and depends on which type you're taking about, a portable/stage digital piano, looks exactly like a keyboard except the keys. A Home Digital Piano, will have varierty like the acoustic piano, there's Digital Upright and Digital Grand (even have Baby Grand, smaller and shorter version).

As for function, again, check the Roland US website for more information, basically, the functions are the same between brands, only certain are unique.
http://www.rolandus.com
- Check KR103, KR105, KR107 Upright Digital Piano for video demo of various functions and tones.
- Check RD700SX Portable/Stage Piano for video demo of the portable version. (Caution! This is a killer and profesional looking piano!)
(Note: The FP7 Stage Piano is newly launched by Roland during mid of January 2007, it's in the lower class range from the RD series, but since it's new, it has many new up to date features.)
- Check the RG-7 Digital Grand for video demo about Roland (History, Technology and Quality). Worth check out if you're considering a Roland.

Yamaha is preferred by many, usually for the sound. But you should test it out yourself, the sound, touch and feel depends on individual preference. One may prefer one over the other.

You should test and try out different brands and models before you decide to buy. Before you went for testing, it's better to understand more on the functions/features, it'll help more.

---

Added on February 5, 2007, 8:28 pmIt depends what you planned for yourself in the future. Even for beginner, it's recommended to start with a real piano / digital piano because the weighted keys will make a difference. You'll train your hand/finger dexterity, strength, fingering, etc. Plus, the sound is also important factor, you'll notice more when you try to "play by ear" or achieve sound satisfaction.

By the way, if you play a few times on a digital piano, you'll feel the keyboard like a toy, the keys especially, it'll feel so light, plastic and fragile.

Keyboard with hammer action usually is the portable digital piano, the digital piano is part of the keyboard family. There's so many types of keyboards, e.g. Arrangers, Works-stations etc. The weighted/hammer keys can also be found on keyboard controller, and the Roland Fantom X8 Music Workstation. It gives better feel or preferrable by many musicians, especially piano players.


This post has been edited by Andy214: Feb 5 2007, 08:28 PM

know any sites where i can read more in synths? need to learn more on the technical side like LFO's, filters, etc

Not sure if this site can help:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/software_synths.html

It's about software synths, but there's also many other good information from the site.

thanks. ive read almost everything on that page before(not only on synths but also other stuff). has lots of good stuff

Any keyboardist here plays metal stuff like Children of Bodom, Cradle of Filth, Warmen, Stratovarius, Dream Theater/Liquid Tension Experiment or even Nightwish? There're so many more reknown bands out there with a keyboardist and I am just wondering whether anyone has such influences.

Just curious

Piano players will love it. Organ players will cry

LoL, you can set the weight or "heavy-ness" of the touch... It's digital... One point of the weigthed keys is the looks, piano/organ like keys. The "weight" or "heavy" touch can usually be set. Plus, organs are also a common patch found on keyboards...

Check on higher end keyboards/digital pianos, they have "Tone-Wheel Modelling" function for Organ players, and the RD700SX is also being used by many Organist, even tough it's a Synthesizer + Digital Piano.

Check http://www.rolandus.com/products/productde...666&ParentId=87.
Check out the demo video, there's one about "Tone Wheel Modelling" and watch the guy jam on the Organ patch. It's very cool!

nice! too bad im not a keyboardist.

any1 noe whr can i buy a hand roll piano(keyboard) in malaysia?

hand roll ?

yeah.. means its a flexible 1 la.. saw on the internet.. think quite convenient for me living in a small cramped hostel like tis..

My Yamaha keyboard doesn't have hammer action. And I was playing it for 1 month before going back home. I used to play the piano back home and felt the keys of the keyboard to be very light. After that, when I tried playing the piano, I felt piano keys heavy pula, but after 1 week, gotten used to the piano again.

Hmm...many posts seem to lean towards having weighted keys. I prefer having non-weighted because that would generally suit my style of playing. Also some seem to place an emphasis on realistic sounds. Why is that? What happened to synths, vocoders, arps?

On a sidenote, i'll be getting a Korg TR61 soon.

i thought i would want 2 have some proper lesson during semester break.. then i drove to the music center, but didn't enter because of shyness. I dont want to take long duration cost, maybe something like a month or 2, and also my age concern, i am 21 this year... Worse of all i dont have a piano.. only a stupid keyboard

hehe...should get over your shyness and just ask. there are short courses, but the benefit is alot less. they teacher won't have time to get to know you well enough to train you in a specific area. he can only give you basic training.

at least you have a keyboard...some don't have anything.

go for it mate!

Nothing is too late man.. well u have a keyboard, at least u still can practise while u r at home.. practise is the key to improve and master it.. imagine lastime when i was small, i don't have anything, just solely depend on the 1 hour lesson weekly..

hi all, i am new to keyboard but i learn piano when i was young
i live in apartment n cant play at night so with a keyboard is a nice choice
my keyboard is yamaha dgx-220
DGX-220
they name these dgx series portable grand
actually i feel is same key weight as other keyboards but just it look more like a piano keys =P

so far i am happy with it but still learning how to use it properly
still dono how to arrange songs with it...

anyone hav tips or anywhere i can see online?

This post has been edited by puiyeel: May 18 2007, 12:06 AM

That is known as a "Digital Piano", basically there're many types of Digital Piano:
1. "Upright" - like those upright acoustic piano
2. "Baby Grand" - well, baby grand
3. "Grand"
4. "Portable/Stage" - Requires stand (or comes with it).

Anyway, basically, all are "keyboards", even the piano, organs, etc... they're all in the keyboard family or known as keyboard instruments, and the first tone/patch is always the Piano, also part of the General Midi (GM) standard.

So, to put it simple, a normal keyboard, even without weigthed keys, are simply a portable, cheaper alternative for pianos. Synthesizers, Arrangers, Music Workstations, are all keyboard with "extra" feature/funcitonalities which makes them falls into their respective category. There're also combine categories, like "Synthesizer + Digital Piano", "Music Workstation + Digital Piano",... they're all still the keyboard, just difference in the feature they provide. Of course, unless you're talking about other instruments synthesizer, etc.

You can check this site for more information on keyboards, brands, etc:
http://www.know-your-keyboard-piano.com/index.html

thx for the info, i m enlighten lol
*reading d page*
nice 2 meet u all

This post has been edited by puiyeel: May 19 2007, 01:59 AM

Korg Rocks!

Eh...I just realized. I'm getting the Korg from YOU! XD

What a bloody coincidence...

what does LFO actually stand for?
and for things like filter envelope, mod envelope, etc theres always 4 bars labelled A, D, S and R. what does it mean?

any of you guys play Jordon Rudess stuff?

cause i saw his vids on YouTube playing the KORG OASYS. . . wow. . .

the thing can even sound like a guitar. . . lmao. . . it just rocks. . .

Dear All,

I'm newbie about music. I'm 24 this year
Currently living in Wangsa Maju. I would like to learn Piano. May I know any music school around? What is the rate? Should i learn piano or keyboard? If i learn piano, can i practise using keyboard? Thank you!!

Hi Jenn,


I'm not sure about the music schools in your area. But if you really want to learn piano, it would be best if you practice on a real piano, or a digital piano or a keyboard with weighted keys (but that normally would cost more than a digital piano).

The thing is, if you learn it on a normal keyboard, you won't be able to play properly on the piano because of the weighted keys (and maybe the pedals). They say, a pianist can play better on the keyboard rather than a keyboardist playing on piano.


At least that happened to me, I've learn the stupid electone when I was young, and having a hard time when playing a piano after that

What's the difference between a piano and keyboard? I don't know if there's keyboard lessons, but you're learning the same thing, piano uses keybed which are called keyboards. I see many people are confused with keyboard and piano...

Yes you can practice using a keyboard, if a cheap alternative solution for a piano, in fact, it was a "portable" cheap piano in digital form. But of course, to learn properly (certain skills) and also to advance (includes faster improvement and other stuffs, such as fingering and strength) etc, it's recommended to have at least a digital piano OR keyboard with weighted keys. An acoustic would be more better especially if you're going through conventional piano classes which means "classical" music lessons which require additional skills using the acoustic piano.

For starters, you can start with a cheap keyboard so that you can decide whether you plan to continue or maybe plan for a good digital/acoustic piano. For digital, you can choose the portable type, those can be carry for gigs (like those musician used on stage), they're called Stage Piano.

As for classes, take note that usually piano lessons offered = classical path to music using the piano. If you're not into classical music, most proabably you'll lost intrerest and stop. So, you might wanna inquire porperly for classes. If you prefer to play naturally by ear, without the need to learn to read notes and stuffs, you can check out:
Play By Ear

How do you ppl handle songs with more than 2 sharps or flats?

If i see a piece with 4 sharps or flats, I slow down worse than pentium 60mhz.. keep reminding myself this is black key, this is not.. and so on..

practice the most basic exercise, scales... familirize yourself with all the keys. When you're good, the piano is like part of your body, you just know where the keys are, what keys to press, etc...

Another easy way for easier playing is simply transpose the song to C, then no more black keys, unless there're naturals. Even many profesionals tranpose the song into C so it's easier to play. If you have digital piano, then it's even better, you can use the transpose feature... One thing about transposition is, you'll feel the song differently, each key has a unique feel to a song... Like Am keys feels more sad, and you can find many sad songs are in Am keys, while C key are more happy, pleasant... Anyway, like many ppl said, when you go back to original key, you'll feel like home... With digital piano transpose, you can preserve the feel while playing C key physically because the music will be in the original key.

Good luck and happy playing!

i only know whats a d s r..
a - attack (time taken for the note played to reach its peak)
d - decay (time taken after the peak for the note to go down)
s - im not sure. might be sustain
r - release depth (the note wil ring softly after the decay has gone down)

its like a mountain graph..


a d r
_
/ \
/ `~

hey guys. . . just wanted to ask if any of you play jazz and wanna meet up for a jam?

this is like a side project kinda thing. . . so yeah. . . drop me a PM if any of you wanna just have fun =)

it'll either be a trio or a quartet. . .

drums guitar keys +(bass *depending*)

pretty much improv stuff tho =)

This post has been edited by Equilibrium777: Aug 2 2007, 01:20 AM

i never really played jazz before..... T_T
can u teach me some chord improvisations?
would love to try if i had the chance........

may i know whats the best price for the yamaha DGX520 keyboard?

and can anyone tell me other brands of keyboard in about the same range as that keyboard including the price too? must have 88 keys too.

any help will be greatly appreciated

i found it's USD$785, so it'll be around RM3000 after discount if you can get. don't ask me why the conversion rate is wrong, because keyboards sold here in malaysia are always higher than what's offered at US.

what i've read is that it only offer "lightly weighted" keys, so i assumed it's not fully weighted and feel like a piano. unless it's what you want, if you want something closer to real piano key, get casio, although it might not sound good but at least i tried out it's quite OK to play.

if you want nice sound with nice piano feel, consider spend more. 88 keys piano touch keyboards are expensive.

Age wont matter if u have the heart to learn it, get a private teacher ,lol, try to get private exams too , so no need to exam with the small kids... ( i dunno can or not, im just saying it out)

Me too i dont have a piano, only a keyboard, and i get bored of some boring songs, but i can play for days for my fav songs, n my Yamaha is really an old model LK80...

Hello there, i'm just into this keyboard stuff.
I just bought myself a Creative Prodikeys PC-midi from Thundermatch - it's on bargain section.
Back at home, noticed there is no driver come with it! (So that's why so cheap)

Searched the net but cannot find anything related to it.

So, if somebody used to own this, please help me, let borrow/copy your driver, or else i am really going to waste money with this elephunk.

Please help me!

organ player here..why is organ no good? saw a performance before, organ can do lots of things, can play orchestra..(that is if you're a real pro)..

Just curious to know, anyone can recommend a good brand for organ?
will be glad if anyone is willing to answer me.

nothing beat yamaha for organ, imvho.

but...it cost RM40k above for the flagship model. and the price will depreciate in 5 years time, new model will sure come out very soon.

just my opinion, buying yamaha organ is a waste of money. i'd rather spend 10k on a workstation (e.g. yamaha motif) and another arranger keyboard with tons of 1-man-show functions. and that's not even the half of what you gonna pay for the organ. and keyboards are portable no matter how heavy they're - you can't possibly fit your organ into your car.

have been considering on synth, decided to learn synthesizer in the first place, but i dont have it..my cousin happen to have an organ(technics,very very old model)..so save money on buying the instrument..so went for organ..

where to buy those motif es series? i looked around yamaha showrooms, they only show the XS6.. or they dont sell it here?

what's the difference between motif es and xs? very curious to know..

This post has been edited by yellowpika: Mar 1 2009, 03:42 PM

Motif ES series can be found in ebay only. Check the Singapore forum www.soft.com.sg where you can find someone selling ES synths.

ES is expandable but XS came with advanced engine (as Yamaha claims) which includes all the expansions from ES in XS thus by making it non-expandable

hi all,

im also a piano player here but i can only play 2 songs

im 21 this year and i am really interested to play the piano but i don't have 1 myself now . what do you guys think i should get? because i don't want to get myself a huge piano (upright). I saw a yamaha weighted portable grand that day for RM4k+

just thought which would be the cheapest weighted keyboard there is.

i only just started learning organ since last year..but wanted to know more...thanks for the info

i read somewhere that es is better than xs..(the sound is better)

Hi keyboard player out there! Glad that such forum exist in Malaysia context.

I am a Motif XS 7 user. My keyboard sound soooo goood. I am using it mainly to do my arrangement projects. But i am thinking of trading it for XS 6 because going to travel a lot.

If you want to buy a synthesizer, you need to really think through what you want to do with it actually. If you going to play live with it, get a board that can last long and the sound is thick. IMHO, yammy sound is more suitable for studio. But as you know, Japanese technician is really great, after you "tweak" the board, it sound really nice even on stage.

But if you are using arranger keyboard, then the sound is not that tweakable. But arranger makes you sound like a pro! Go and check out the latest yamaha tyros 3, or korg PA2x Pro. It is amazing what keyboard technology can do today.

victor is right. arranger keyboard is better for playing live - it's what it's intended for. they're incredibly powerful for live use especially 1 man show stuffs - something that seriously lacking in software world although as many of you know virtual instruments are incredible nowadays.

and anyone here knows where to learn synthesizer/workstation lessons(in petaling jaya area)? interested..dunno whether yamaha has it..?

PJ, so far. I do teach, but only at my house in Cheras. You can go to Yamaha Main Office at Kelana Jaya. All the model is there. They got good teachers as well.

But you need to decide whether are you playing alone or playing in a band. If what you will most likely do is playing alone, then arranger keyboard suite you more.

Otherwise, if you get a workstation, then you need to do sequencing in every song. Not like arranger that it has present rhythm pattern.

If i got money, or anyone can sponsor me, i will get a tyros! Arranger makes your music learning experience fun and exciting! Especially beginner, playing those classical piece some times you will feel dry. Just add some "auto accompaniment" then wala! You are just like playing in a full band or even with a full orchestra.

Many people say arranger sound very cartoon or fake. Go and check out Tyros 2 and hear for yourself. If you are not "that" pro, you won't feel much different. Moreover, now days, these arranger keyboard is programmed with live band. That means they record a live band playing as your background music.

But if you prefer to compose everything from scratch, workstation do give you more flexibility. Like my Motif XS, got thousands of arps and sounds. Sometimes, when i do my arrangement, just to look for the sound took me hours.

but when i went to the showroom there, they didn't let me(or maybe the staff there don't want to let me,maybe because i look like a beginner, and i am really a beginner) try out those workstations.. really curious to touch it..
music knowledge is needed for playing synth right?(including those workstations..etc)
XS has a built in vocoder..i think that is the funnest feature..(i might be wrong..)

my dad promised to buy me any synth i want if i can play like a professional level.. , how long does it usually take to become a pro?
sorry if my question is too stupid..

This post has been edited by yellowpika: Mar 5 2009, 10:45 PM

you need to attend some lessons about midi (currently i only know college/uni offer such lessons, but you can always self taught), and you probably need to learn about modern playing style (something taught in e.g. "Play by Ear" school).

when playing keyboards, you need to open up your creativity and start exploring about different instrument/sound. you need to know about the instruments in order to make them sound real or "right", but doesn't mean you can't get wild with them.

how long? it depends on how good your teacher, and how active you are (playing in bands, practice, read books, listen to a lot of music).

i recommend yamaha workstation and it's not crazy expensive (under RM12k if i'm not wrong, for their 88keys Motif XS). but nowadays people all use computer as their workstation, along with a sound card, a pair of speakers, and a midi controller (plain keyboard, with no onboard sound).

Hi not sure whether I am posting this on a right thread. A long-term quited keyboardist and pianist btw.

I have a keyboard. Everytime I play with my keyboard with maximum volume, it's built-in speaker will kinda sound "pecah" when I pressed some of the keys. Just wondering will it sound "pecah" also when I connect it to the speaker/ PA system (correct me if I am wrong) as I am going to perform with my band in a competition next month in a ballroom hotel. Hopefully guys can help me solve my problems. =D. Oh and btw, I am using Yamaha PSR something.

This post has been edited by ilovecookies92: Mar 9 2009, 12:26 AM

normally keyboard output will not distort (who want to design that way? it's considered totally phailed). many, many of the keyboards with onboard speakers will become distorted if you play it with full volume and hit the keys hard.

my yamaha also same. built in spk distorted at max volume. connect thru line out is ok. also, u don't need to max the keyboard volume since can adjust the PA's volume