Gallup time!
 

We all have synths and maybe some other keyboards. So how well can you play them? Can you play or do you rely completely on sequencer? If you play, what kind of songs you play? How long have you played? Taken any lessons?

Re: Gallup time!
 

Yes. Quite right.

Well I chose average in the poll. Quite nice poll you got there!

Sometimes I use only sequencer and sometimes I play. Depends on what I'm making.

Well usually Emerson, Lake & Palmer stuff. Sometimes Pink Floyd and improvisated progrubbish.

I've played keys about four years.

Besides don't saw fiberglass circuit board while having bare hands, I haven't taken any lessons except the lessons I took for accordion for seven/eight years.

I have an ms2000r synth no kb. My indigo is my first. i put below average because I'm teaching myself. I consult a friend who's been playing for about 20 years. He can probably blow you all away, but it's not me. I'm developing something where I program the drums. Play a bass line till it sounds fine then I program that. Then I play the melody over that live, not programmed. It is usually more compicated than the bass keying. It usually is an eastern type scale, as my friend tells me, with a jazzy timing. I've played for less than a year, but I use what I've learned in middle school. This is mainly reading and understanding music, knowing what a C is for example. With the Indigo I play with only one hand. I find that the further I get from programming the better it sounds. But there is only so far I can go with the small kb and one handed playing.

I have had piano lessons when I was a child :?
Today, I can transfer every Idea to my keyboard, I have in my head. Thats important

i've also did piano when i was child (something about 3 weeks or 3 months of piano :lol: i consider that like i never did piano!!! ) but now on my midi keyboard i just hit the keys and make a cheesy thing just to monitor the sounds of the virus

Just to spice up this gallup:
What songs you usually play?

i am sure i am the worst player on earth, "player", if i can call myself so.
well, i just had few music theory lessons when i was 13, 2 hours per week, that's nothing... that let me know basic things but I never learnt to play any instrument. I spent a lot of time beside my uncle (drummer) and my grand father (violinist) in their studio, then I bought a little Roland amateur keyboard and started reproducing songs by ear... until last year, only at 23, I started learning piano. I must say I'm an average fast learner, but I have some difficulties syncing my two hands :)
I am not doing classical, I play few things, like "Strangers in the night", "What a wondeful world", "Play fiddle play", "Foule sentimentale", "Solenzara"...
My objective is not to be a great pianist, but to have more practice with chords & harmonics so that my tracks don't sound out of tune & amateur like. I am not trying to make them sound pro neither, just audible :)
So, somtimes I play live & record into sequencer (especially for strings since i don't have to play fast), but generally I play what I have in mind, figure out the notes, put them on the sequencer & play back :)

This is very common. Basic chording is easy but when starting to struggle with complicated bass sequences then things can (will) get ugly. This is one reason why I don't try to play ELP's Tarkus. Hoho.

I like to play songs which don't have very complicated left hand but has a nice righ hand solo (ELP's Karn Evil 9 solo parts are nice). As an old accordion player my right hand works well, but I'm having trouble with my left. Not even a chance I could play 16th's with my left hand.

More spice: How about score reading?

I can read score, but can't do that in real time while I play. I usually check the score before I play it.

same thing for me, i can read score but not play them in real time!

to most important thing... is what Manuel s says... being able to play your ideas.

im sure evrybody has "invented" a great melody in their head but looses it when trying to record it in... :evil: and thats sad...

Well... I had to put average as I am buggered when it comes to the more articulate playing of chords. I was really good when I was about 15, then I just stoppped practicing. Used to play the Clarinet and the Guitar as well. And contrary to what alot of people say, it has made writing music quite tricky for me. I now find it quite hard to stop bloody playing silly non-dance-style melodies. All I ever really learned was basic Jazz and old-Rock style playing. Useless really. The music theory is useful, but I have found that being able to play is quite detrimental to my progress while producing. But I am going to start Classical piano training, as some of the classical writers had some great ideas that can be transfered to alot of dance music. The Brandenburg 5 by Bach, for instance, has a really great way of building and breaking (very organic and epic), that would transfer to Progressive House really well.

Anyway, I am starting to rant.

Steve.

Steve, I don't see why jazz or old-rock could be incorporated into dance music. I especially think making an epic dance track using classical music is quite dull. I don't feel like they should be danced to. Too serious. Just my opinion.

I was just thinking how my grandfather used to play an organ doing be-bop rock type stuff from the 30s and 40s. I'd like to play like he did in the future. It's really fun sounding. I like the timing and rhythm too. I have programmed some of this into a sequencer and played the melody on top. I use a 12 bar blues book at times. I can read score. But very slowly at first.

I agree. The classical pieces really don't fit into dance music and with Bach's Fugas you get really cheesewhizz (a new word) atmosphere.

Classical music works better with ambient and classical piano concerts work well with jazz. Church organ fugas work best with church organ.

You get nice swing thing by that 12/4 timing.
A good technique practise when playing Cm7 (I'm not sure is it Cm7 scale, but anyway its the C,D#,F,F#,G,A#) scale with that timing. Add a innovative C,F,C,G,F chord progression and there you go.

Ah, like that one as well. And the 4th, especially the andante. Coming up on Orbits next 'Pieces' album i suppose. :D

I voted below average, although I had two years of electronic organ lessons (2 manuals + bass pedals). Now I can't understand why I did't like it. In the end it was a constant pressure to learn one song per week. I learned a lot of classical songs and theory, though.
But I didn't learn how to play with the touch sensitivity. When I play piano, almost nothing happens. I admire piano players because of this.

I have that problem too. With piano it's full force or nothing. I just can't get anything between those two when I play.

I can hold my own diddle around to get an idea then i compose...because i feel more comfortable composing...more ideas flow through my head composing...but piano im average at, could play a gig but would never catch me playin any Dvorak....but i do play many other instruments....

Peace
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