Band In One
Introductory Remarks
I have posted below a number of music videos, partly to share my interests and skills. But it is also important to me to demonstrate the amazing powers of a modern keyboard/synthesizer. These studio workhorses have long been used to support music production, whether embedded in instrumental bands or providing a significant share of "synthesized" instrumentation. However, beyond this behind the scenes and somewhat anonymous presence, the modern synthesizer includes a vast array of expressive resources that make it a unique and incredibly versatile standalone instrument and musical world.
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These instruments are a challenge to master. Another challenge, for me, is the creation of adequate video and audio files, particularly in the software MIXING. This is not my forte, and I regret that these files do not sound as good as the instrument live. But it is the best I can do now.
Band in One Medley
This is a promo-video I created to demonstrate the range of musical idioms that I am intending to explore. It provides a useful overall view, but it doesn’t describe some of the techniques used to achieve different musical effects. Some of that kind of information can be found in the other videos below.
Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Prelude I in C
This prelude highlights one of the more obvious advantages of the keyboard, sustaining sound. It begins with a held octave in the base, and has multiple instances of long held notes. These sustained sounds all die on a piano (although they have a sort of spectral existence in memory). The solution for a pianist is to play it fast, too fast in my estimation.
In Bach’s time this prelude would have been best realized on an organ, but the modern keyboard can do it justice and then some. The changes in timbre and volume is accomplished through a pedal configured for that purpose. (There are four pedals on this keyboard, two of which are set for specific functions—sustain and sostenuto—while the other two are configurable for multiple and different functions in each performance piece.) Notice about 2/3 through the piece my left hand, while holding a note, moves to press a button: This engages another voice for the following climactic section.
Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Prelude VI in Dm
The main story here is the dramatic voicing of brass-like sounds (actually and technically saws), and the change of timbre/voicing, again, accomplished by pedal. The keyboard has an immensely broad and rich portfolio of sounds, all of which are configurable and customizable. It is, in my estimation, the perfect Bach instrument, more capable than the piano (or even the organ) of expressing the unique characteristics of each piece. (And of the artist!)
Traces of Memory (Original composition)
This piece offers a broader view of keyboard resources. It begins with a solo by a customized instrumental voice. This voice is a combination of an electric piano and a regular piano sound. The piano, however, has had its attack phase stretched out in time. This in effect takes away its thump and delays its sound. A tremolo effect is then added to the sound, giving it an expressive cello-like quality. Finally, aftertouch (the pressure you apply to a key while it is being held down, a unique feature of some keyboards) is used to increase/decrease its volume.
The following duet highlights another important feature. Two different voices with different ranges playing simultaneously. In fact you can have up to eight parts and multiple voices playing at once, each within their own range. You generally don’t do this since the sound is likely to become muddy. However, there are eight possible scenes in a piece, and you can configure different voices and combinations to be active in each scene. There are four scene changes made in this piece, and the blue buttons on the bottom-left are used for that purpose.
In the third scene, with guitar and choir, another amazing effect is realized. The choir pulses! How does it do this? It turns out that the note patterns of a drum voice (which does not actually sound) are directed to the choir to inflect its volume, thus creating the pulses. The overall volume is varied by pedaling.
Finally, I should note, there is an immense variety of arpeggios (ARPs) that can be applied to any voice. Arpeggios in the world of keyboards does not mean broken chords. Rather they are rhythmic and/or melodic patterns. They are typically applied to drum voices, but appropriate arpeggios are available for all kinds of voices. They can be configured to play continuously whether you are actually playing anything (hands on keys) or play only when you are holding down notes within a certain range. Many will play variable patterns depending on the notes you hold down: in other words, they are not just “robotic” sound pattern, but a rich world of possibilities. A drum ARP pulses the choir as described above, and I also use a separate drum for…drumming.
This piece is largely improvisational within a structured context, i.e. the configuration of voices, scenes, ARPS, etc. I didn’t get everything I wanted in this take, but that’s how it goes with improvisation.
Bésame Mucho
This arrangement and improvisation primarily features one of the keyboards piano sounds. (It has many piano sounds, but this is one of my favorites.) There are a number of scene changes which bring in different voices and ARPS. Perhaps the most notable is the ARP voice that accompanies the piano in the climatic scene. This voice is a combination of musical effect sounds, and the notes, patterns, and random sounds it plays varies with the keys that are held down. This is a nice effect.