I know a lot of you play guitar, but wondering who here plays keys.

I'm more of an amateur.... studied as a kid but now just fool around and try to figure out old P songs on my keyboard.

Would love to share tips and tricks..... either getting that classic synth sound, or what types of chords/voicings you use etc.

I have a bunch of old sheet music but I find it's pretty bad transcriptions so end up trying to do my own arrangements.

I want to start a tribute band but right now would love to hear from other key players.

I've been trying to teach myself for the last 8 months, so I'm not really a keyboard player (unless I'm playing it) but there's a few around here.

Manki

Just bought a mini Korg with a vocoder this weekend and it's really cool. I need to get back to recording before I start back to school on 1/11 for music related studies. If not to get some funk down but to put down some tracks with this amazing new toy.

I play keys, but I teached myself and I'm not really amazing at it or anything. I can only play my own music, a few jazz standards and Sometimes it snows in April, that's it!
So I don't know how much help I can be, but who knows...

A few tips, though (for what it's worth):
As for voicings I tend to try avoiding too much parallels. You know, for example when you have an Em and then Am, you don't just move your hands a few white keys to the left/right but try to find the keys for the Am chord which are the nearest to the Em chord (which will probably end up in only moving one finger from the G to the A).

Oftentimes it also sounds better (to me anyway) if you dont get your voicings too 'close', although sometimes close harmonies sound better.

Learn a bit about contrapunct (I dunno if the english term for this is the same, so I hope I'm making sense here ). It helps with voicings.

I tend to avoid 'canned' (sampled) instruments and most of the time I prefer more synthy sounds. For example I usually prefer synthy strings above canned string samples. Although sometimes I kinda have to, for example because I have no real piano and I want a real piano sound. But this is all a matter of taste, really and it might have something to do with the fact that the sampled sounds from my synth are, well, utter crap.

Oh, one other thing.
I often found that transcriptions from songs often also have the vocal melodies in it. This sounds really bad when you also have a singer, singing the same melody.
For accompanying a singer, I usually keep my keyboard part very simple to give the singer more room while he's singing (and then play a bit 'fuller' in parts without vocals).

wow. i'm really impressed with people who taught themselves.

yeah i know about finding the inversion that is near where you are so you don't hve to move your hand a lot.

i don't know what contrapunct is. i'll have to loo intot hat.

Yeah I like synthy sounds too.... but I can't find good Prince like synth sounds on my bekyboard, I have a yamaha p250 which si an awesome keyboard but not really a synth.

I taught myself how to play
its not that hard, once you have a guide line to teach yourself
Books, puter software etc... and sites
i did it in a matter of 4 monthes
im not amazing but im pretty good for what its worth

Playing the synth is TOTALLY different from playing piano

Synth playingg is easier because basically your just satisfying your sound taste
Piano playing is harder because its a stricter sound, and its easier to hear whether you screw up

Synth playing really depends on how you program your synthesizer
and whther your using PAds, LEads etc... Organ playing
the sounds hide whether your good at technique

its always better to improve your technique and speed

recently im learning about the Blues Scale
and diminished chords A.K.A Mood chords

its taking my piano and synth playing to a whole other level

check out this site right here http://www.jazclass.aust....blu.htm#01
if you already know the basics

you can skip all that traditional crap and go straight to petatonics 7th chords
it will take more practice but you'll get it
then you can start augmenting them
and you can do some real damage

it also depends on what type of music your doing too

i specialize and jazzy RnB, so im good at Synth leads, especially placed in a LEgato formation

Luv4oneanotha said:

I know synth is easier... I played classical piano for years as a kid, and yeah playing synth sounds can mask technique (not sure that's a good thing! My old teacher wouldn't agree )

But how else would you say it's different? It should be easier to go from piano to synth rather than vice versa no?




At the risk of sounding dumb, what exactly is a "pad"? I have a lot of sounds on my keyboard called pad... they sound like strings basically. But not true strings. I notice a lot of pop songs put a synth string kind of "over" the chord progressions...often holding single not or chord over a few measures.

Leads I know. In college I wrote a Prince/Sheila type song and had synth with a MiniMoog sound that could only play one note at a time, and I did a really cool synth solo using that sound, with lots of pitch bend thrown in.



This is where I need to learn more. I'm good with typical 7th chords (Maj, Dom, Mn etc.). It's the diminished sound and gospel/R&B that I"m trying to get into my playing.



Sounds cool. Would love to hear some ofyour stuff.

A pad is a type of synth sound with long attack, decay and release times (like strings), usually very wide and warm sounding. Like the 'pad' sounds on your synth, basically

Hmmm, I think I have to disagree here. It's just something else.
One thing that can be said about synth playing is that usually the keyboard plays a lot lighter, so you can play faster on a synth.
But, depending on the sound you're playing, you can hear mistakes just as easily.
And choosing, or even creating the sounds on your synth is part of playing the instrument too. Some are great at it (I think Dr.Fink and Renato Neto have a great choice of sounds, both in a totally different way), some totally suck at it (keyboard players that simply choose the wrong sounds and play the sounds the wrong way, making the synth sound like crap whatever great synthesizer/keyboard it may be).

Interesting points on this thread.

I play both synth and piano and in my experience, the sound and feel almost determines how I play I guess.

For example, I wouldn't play lead lines on a synth the way I would play them on a Piano. And even when I'm playing Piano, there is a difference when I play something like a Fender Rhodes to a Steinway Grand etc...

Have U ever tried playing an organ on weighted keys? Bleedin' I find it hard work and the dexterity is not as swift as if U were using the non-weight of say, a Hammond.

On the flip side, I find it awkward sometimes playing a piano on with non-weighted keys.

Dre's

'dre

DreZone said:

I know what you mean, im use to my synth and keyboards without weighted keys
Im not use to feeling the weight push back
recently at the mall i saw a BEautiful White Steinway Piano, that was an organ as well

i asked the technition if i can play a little,
and it took alot to get use to,
but in a way it sorta helped me because all of the work, helped my fingers become a tad more faster i believe

I played D'vorak's New World Symphony, with a Fender Rhode Sound and a string acompaniment

as for the piano, beautiful thing
it was an Acoustic but it had digital attachments, don't know how the hell they did it

**i'm a pianist who just hasn't played around with syn's & electric's 2 much... when i've played somebody's else's i found the lack of weighted keys 2 B a challenge, my fingers just slide all over-guess i'm use 2 tight action there was a long time when i didn't play at all & i allowed all my theory & reading skills 2 grow dusty...i finally feel comfortable with the way i play But couldn't call out the chord progressions 2 save my life-especially on my originals...i get a lot of compliments on the strength & dexterity of my left hand & folks who talk about the polymorphic manner i utilize harmonics these musicians nod their heads & i just politely smile cuz i don't have a clue what they're talking about.....i had a couple of teachers n the early days: having the ability 2 play by ear i cheated a lot-they played the piece once & i would use the music 4 a kinda 'guide sheet'....trying 2 recall theory & start reading again is difficult but i'm working on it...i'm gonna hafta ask my buddies what ya'll r talking about on this thread-i find it interesting...

I play keys.Mostly self taught. I am a music ed grad that went to school playing trumpet and after college ended up falling in love with keyboards.I prefer semi-weighted synth action. It gives you a little kick back but is light enough for speed playing as well. I agree with Dre, as far as,real piano feel is much better on an actual acoustic piano than synth and visa versa.